[gui-talk] Seeking Webmail accessibility advice

[Wayne Merritt]

Loid, I respectfully disagree. Though it may take some time to learn
and get used to, web mail can be just as useable with a screen reader
as the standard program approach. Sure, deleting messages may be
easier when using a program like Microsoft Outlook. However, with web
mail, you are assured of never loosing your messages no matter where
you are in the world, as long as you have access to the computer, you
can get to your mail. JAWS supposedly added support for the standard
interface of Gmail in version 9 of JAWS, however the Basic HTML side
is still going to be more usable since it has headings galore, along
with check boxes, tables, and links, all elements that you can use the
usual quick keys with to make navigating a breeze. I've been using
Gmail with JAWS actively for nearly 2 years and though I did go
through an adjustment period, now I love it! The great thing about
Gmail as compared to other web mail based services, like Yahoo, is
that Gmail gives you access to Pop3 mail delivery at no additional
charge. Wtih Yahoo and other providers, there's a monthly/annual fee.
Though I don't know how to set this up off hand, another plus with
Gmail is the excellent Gmail help system. Since setting Gmail up with
Pop 3 programs like Outlook is something that many people want to know
about, you can probably find this question/item in the frequently
asked questions of the help section. If not there, then do a search in
help for setting up Gmail with whatever program you're using, and
you'll find steps for doing this straight away.

Gmail may not be the place to throw someone who's just starting with
web mail, but it can be done and quite comfortably. Of course, I've
also heard that System Access to Go offers full access to the standard
interface of Gmail, so that option is available as well.

Sincerely,
Wayne Merritt

On 2/1/10, Lloyd Rasmussen <lras at sprynet.com> wrote:
> I would recommend setting up Gmail for POP3 access, but perhaps using the
> "leave mail on server" option, so that you can see and store that mail again
> with your desktop PC.  There are several ways to go with this sort of thing.
>
>
> Although I use EarthLink's web-based e-mail a little with Window-Eyes, I
> think that web mail is pretty inefficient with a screen reader, no matter
> who provides it.
>
> Lloyd Rasmussen, Kensington, Maryland
> Home:  http://lras.home.sprynet.com
> Work:  http://www.loc.gov/nls
>
>
>> -----Original Message-----
>> From: gui-talk-bounces at nfbnet.org [mailto:gui-talk-bounces at nfbnet.org] On
>> Behalf Of Joel Deutsch
>> Sent: Monday, February 01, 2010 4:19 PM
>> To: GUI-Talk
>> Subject: [gui-talk] Seeking Webmail accessibility advice
>>
>> I now have a laptop to complement my desktop computer, and I'd of course
>> love to have email on it.
>>
>> Now, the desktop is linked to my ISP's mail server by a POP 3 arrangement
>> which I somehow learned how to set up.
>>
>> I know there's also IMAP, but for this discussion, let's forget about that
>> as a solution. What I'd really like is if I could simply establish a
>> regular
>> gmail account for both, so it wouldn't interfere in any way with the email
>> on my desktop.
>>
>> But I've poked around the gmail interface, because that's exactly what my
>> ISP uses for there online mail server. And like many Jaws users, I find it
>> awfully difficult to navigate and use, whether I put it in HTML mode or
>> the
>> so-called Regular mode, interface-wise. I have difficulty with either of
>> them, and a few different problems from one to the other.
>>
>> But maybe gmail has become a little more screen reader friendly, and I
>> don't
>> know it? As far as I understand, it's at least better than Yahoo mail to
>> begin with. Anyone using gmail regularly, and if so in what interface
>> mode,
>> and can you give me any pointers or even point me to some Jaws directions
>> online? That, of course, would be great.
>>
>> Thanks,
>> Joel
>>
>>
>
>
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