[nabs-l] [nfbcs] Pair Programming

[Bryan Duarte]

Hello Suzanne,

congratulations again on the job offer and I know you will do awesome. 

Pair programming is doable for blind and/or low vision software people if you have the right tools in place. For example if you require a 27 inch monitor to see the screen of another engineers computer you should have every right to ask for your company to accommodate you in that way. If this too will not allow you to adequately interact with the software independently you will need to ask for an additional monitor, and possible another machine where you will be able to screen share with your partner so you can zoom in with the software you require with the screen size you require. 

Also just because the company is moving towards an Agile development process does not mean they are also going towards a pair programming development process. Pair programming is good for code reviews and maybe even for developing complex systems but that does not line up with Agile as a development process. Agile is all about working in teams but taking your team and pairing them up actually would slow down your production because it cuts your code development in half. I did remember hearing that USAA was moving toward a pair programming process to try to push out more reliable software. They are hoping that having two developers producing code will help to catch faulty code faster. I myself love Agile programming but do not particularly care for pair programming due to its slow and some times confrontational development process. As I said before though it does come in handy for code reviews and complex systems to have two minds working together to solve a problem. I hope this some what helps you but if it does not feel free to seek further guidance. 

Go Devils!

Bryan Duarte
Software Engineering Graduate student
ASU Fulton Engineering College
QwikEyes CEO

> On Oct 25, 2015, at 12:03 AM, Suzanne Germano via nfbcs <nfbcs at nfbnet.org> wrote:
> 
> I am legally blind. I use ZoomText or MacZoom with dual 27 inch monitors. I
> will be graduating in Dec with my BS in Computer Science.
> 
> I accepted a software developer position with USAA to start in Jan. There
> will be a 10-14 training program with java and agile. I found out there
> will be pair programming. I think the company is going toward more agile
> processes which i think means implementing pair programmin.
> 
> Has anyone found a way to do this?  I, obviously cannot see their screen. I
> have tried one screen regular and one zoomed but I find it impossible to
> follow if I am not the one controlling the mouse. I even get a headache.
> Also, for me to see a full line of code I span both 27 inch monitors.
> 
> Is there a way for someone who is legally blind to effectively pair
> program.
> 
> Thank you
> Suzanne
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