[nfbcs] NVDA and JAWS Braille Displays

Wed Jun 8 15:16:07 UTC 2016

OK, I love Linux. You can use Lynx or some other console browser to read the NVDA documentation. Grab the link from my first email, not this reply because our spam filter corrupts it.

The nice thing about using Linux to work on Windows projects is that you can use funky old machines for reading manuals and technical books. I've got a couple here in my office so I don't have to disturb tasks on my Windows machines just to look something up. And if you have a samba client installed you have pretty good connectivity as well.

In the NVDA docs, sec 12.1 is the info about how to use the Braille display. Section 9.1.5 is the area about configuring it. Basically, just like Brltty, NVDA uses auto-detect. So you connect it, go to NVDA preferences and select Freedom Scientific and NVDA should find it. You can select the "port" if you want to explicitly choose whether it uses USB or Bluetooth. 

The mailing list is pretty high-traffic; you'll want to have some way of filtering out all the speech-related stuff you won't want to read. I would think better time would be spent studying the manual rather than its mailing list.

Be aware too that though NVDA has decent Braille support, it doesn't have features like Speech History that JAWS had. JAWS has gone through a lot more testing for Braille-only users.

In addition to your sighted assistant, it could be helpful to recruit a blind volunteer who knows screen reading technology on Windows. As long as you and the helper have a method of typing back and forth using Braille,  you can get a lot of knowledge that way. I was first introduced to Linux by a deafblind friend; in that situation he was my assistant! 

As for not having a screen reader on Windows, you might wish to install Brltty there. The NVDA manual has a link to unofficial builds of Brltty for Windows. On all of my 64-bit Windows systems, I can't get Brltty to identify any console screens when NVDA isn't present; I'm trying to avoid recompiling it myself for Windows, but might have to -- ug! But on 32-bit systems I can use the console so I can do file management and command-line based installs. I'm a heavy speech user, but I can and do work without it when needed.

--Debee

-----Original Message-----
From: nfbcs [mailto:nfbcs-bounces at nfbnet.org] On Behalf Of John J. Boyer via nfbcs
Sent: Tuesday, June 07, 2016 3:56 PM
To: Deborah Armstrong via nfbcs
Cc: John J. Boyer
Subject: Re: [nfbcs] NVDA and JAWS Braille Displays

I am on Linux. I have no way of knowing what is on the screen of my Windows machine except what my sighted assistant tells me. It has no screenreader. What choice on the Braille menu did you pick after downloading the Freedom Scientific driver?

Thanks,
John

On Tue, Jun 07, 2016 at 10:13:01PM +0000, Deborah Armstrong via nfbcs wrote:
> John,
> 
> Use the screen reader/Braille combination you are using now to read this list.
> Go to:
> 	
> https://urldefense.proofpoint.com/v2/url?u=http-3A__www.nvaccess.org_f
> iles_nvda_documentation_userGuide.html-23toc101&d=CwICAg&c=xoYdONxMEGx
> jdvKj5bOdEOV28uakaJ20R4TjadGGZBc&r=gcvya4Pqy0A2EsMRyTgo_3n3PIn53GqWAnS
> NzbIFuBs&m=HnivGvJUY7MSLmj-Voh76HLll0m8zRKyg5nbkh-2N1w&s=E2XjViyOtYK-h
> hbIaFkK4imOqEXIbG40WYwen9mVMmY&e= you should be reading section 12.1 
> of the NVDA manual on using Freedom Scientific Braille displays.
> Now, download the driver from the link provided and install it on the system where you'll be connecting NVDA with Braille.
> 
> You should be able to do this with minimal or no sighted assistance even as a deafblind user. I know because I had a bad sound card on a machine where I needed to do this. I put the driver on a flash drive and just needed the sightling to make sure it was booted up. I had NVDA configured already on the same flash drive which is where I ran it from for testing. I prepared the flash drive using an already accessible system.
> 
> My department has a Focus 14 blue and a VarioUltra. I have separate flash drives configured for each so I can plug them in to a foreign computer, install drivers and run NVDA from the flash drive, all set up for that display.
> I personally have A powerBraille, and NVDA supports that through Brltty. But Brltty can't run on a flash drive, so it's a bit harder to get it going on an inaccessible machine.
> 
> --Debee
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> -----Original Message-----
> From: nfbcs [mailto:nfbcs-bounces at nfbnet.org] On Behalf Of John J. 
> Boyer via nfbcs
> Sent: Tuesday, June 07, 2016 2:47 PM
> To: nfbcs at nfbnet.org
> Cc: John J. Boyer
> Subject: NVDA and JAWS Braille displays
> 
> A few days ago i sent a message saying that Freedom Scientific Braille displays were not supported by NVDA. The lead developer assures me that they are. Apparently I am having trouble telling a sighted assistant what to do, since I cannot use speech. please tell me how to subscribe to the NVDA user list, so i can find someone who knows.
> 
> Thanks,
> John
> 
> --
> John J. Boyer; President,
> AbilitiesSoft, Inc.
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--
John J. Boyer; President,
AbilitiesSoft, Inc.
Email: john.boyer at abilitiessoft.org
Website: https://urldefense.proofpoint.com/v2/url?u=http-3A__www.abilitiessoft.org&d=CwICAg&c=xoYdONxMEGxjdvKj5bOdEOV28uakaJ20R4TjadGGZBc&r=gcvya4Pqy0A2EsMRyTgo_3n3PIn53GqWAnSNzbIFuBs&m=HnivGvJUY7MSLmj-Voh76HLll0m8zRKyg5nbkh-2N1w&s=ho9n6N_BU03ctP564wwEUE_Ml-svKUI_VQlDkwsUsvo&e=
Status: 501(C)(3) Nonprofit
Location: Madison, Wisconsin USA
Mission: To develop softwares and provide STEM services for people with 
         disabilities which are available at no cost.

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