[NABS-L] MyLab Online program

[Nick Stover]

Merlyn and Isabel,

I had to take a class utilizing this last semester. In most cases,
Isabel's professor is correct that the lab accessibility is excellent.
Graphs are beautifully and thoroughly described with the accessibility
mode, and inputting answers is far easier.

However, there are a couple of caveats. If you're doing anything with
exponents, I actually found it was impossible to get the accessibility
mode to recognize Pearson's own keyboard shortcut for them. I had to
eventually turn off the mode, abandon jaws entirely, and use the shift
plus up arrow and shift plus down arrow--which enters superscript and
subscript mode respectively--with NVDA. With NVDA, you can fairly
easily arrow to the proper place in the answer boxes to put in those
answers even outside the accessibility mode.

The much larger problem I had was in utilizing logic symbols in basic
truth tables. First off, putting together any large-scale truth table
was nigh on impossible with either of my screen readers--they wouldn't
properly convey when particular rows and columns had ended, so keeping
track of which answers went where took sighted assists. But even in
compiling simple statements: there is supposed to be Pearson keyboard
shortcuts like \or for a logical or etc. etc. But the program refused
to recognize those shortcuts when in accessibility mode, and once I
got out of the mode, none of the answer pallet buttons were labeled,
so it was almost impossible to insert the correct symbol without
sighted help.

Other than these two hurtles, I found it fairly accessible, so much of
its utility will depend on what topics are being covered.
If either of you have specific questions during semester, feel free to
message me privately at liamskitten at gmail.com and I'll try to help. :)
Warmly,
Nick