[nabs-l] [nfbcs] Advice for presentation - Pair Programming for blind and low vision developers

[Bryan Duarte]

Suzanne,

When it comes to pair programming my situation might be a little different than yours as I am completely blind and rely on a screen reader. When I pair program there are a few different ways in which I have done so.
1. I will have my partner and I develop on my machine with the screen reader running. I will then pair a bluetooth keyboard or even Braille display to my computer so I am able to interact along with my peer. What we will do in this situation is depends on the task and role of each of us. If I am driving the development I will simply do the process as I normally would using my keyboard interactions and screenreader feedback. If my peer is driving the development I ask them to talk me through what it is they have in mind and where they are planning to make the insertion. I am also using a pair of headphones during this time where I am actively listening to the screenreader as my partner either navigates to the location or enters the code. Now to describe how I use the bluetooth keyboard or Braille display. I use this to interact with the code either right before or right after they have entered their code. For me this levels the playing field because I interact with my development environment this way anyways so weather or not I am driving the current cycle I can still hear and interact with the development process. 
2. The next method I have used is to use two keyboards, two monitors, and one processor. In this way I can enable the screenreader and plug in to the machine similarly to the situation I described above. The only part about this process is that it requires your partner to be actively including you in what they are doing and where. It is also important that you are actively engaging them during this process so that you both are on the same page. 
3. The last method which works well but is not very practical for industry is a tool like Google Docs. I am not sure if there is any software out there which would allow you to view what your partner is doing and where while you follow along in an non-intrusive manor but it works well for pair programming where the development can be modified a little bit. If there is a tool out there similar to Google Docs where you and your partner could follow each other around independently without interrupting their position or development that would be perfect and exactly what you are looking for. When I use the two previous methods above when I interact with the keyboard I am using it will move the cursor they are using as well so you have to be very careful that you both are in constant communication. 

I want to say I believe there might be a way to use a second monitor, keyboard, and mouse on a computer and have the second one be non interactive but this is completely a guess so dont quote me on it. I just know that when you use two monitors you can have one displaying one thing and a second displaying a different thing. If this is the case I would imagine it would be possible to make that second monitor virtual in the sense that you could move around the screen using your methods and your partner could work as well. Not sure if any of these methods work for you or not but I am willing and interested in trying to figure out what works for your situation. Thanks for asking and hope you figure something out.

Go Devils!

Bryan Duarte
ASU Software Engineering Graduate Student
QwikEyes CEO