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[Alco Canfield]

I think you will find this article of great interest.

Alco

-----Original Message-----
From: Carl Jarvis <carjar82 at gmail.com>
Sent: Monday, March 16, 2009 10:18 AM
To: wcb-l at wcbinfo.org
Subject: [Wcb-l] For some, learning to use a computer can be challenging.

A Study of Factors Affecting Learning to Use a Computer by People Who  Are
Blind or Have Low Vision

Access Issues

Brad Hodges and Lee Huffman

American Foundation for the Blind, AccessWorld,  Volume 10   Number 2, March
2009 Issue



http://www.afb.org/afbpress/pub.asp?DocID=aw100206



For people who have access to vocational rehabilitation services, the path
to computer literacy through training in the use of traditional
screen-reading

and screen-magnification products is predictable. For the vast number of
people who have little experience using a computer without vision or with
low

vision, however, learning to use a computer can be challenging.



Two major obstacles that AFB TECH has identified are the high price of
conventional access technology and the lack of training for people who are
not connected

with vocational rehabilitation. These obstacles mean that the vast majority
of older people who experience vision loss, yet still want to use computers,

face some serious problems.



In this article, we highlight the experiences of seven individuals who
participated in a user experience study conducted by AFB TECH and the AFB
Center

on Vision Loss. The study was designed to illuminate issues that face those
who want to learn to use a computer but may not have experience with the
Windows

operating system or access to formal training.



The Products



To present a contrast in both scope and price, we selected two lesser known
screen- access programs: Guide, $795, available in North America from EVAS (

www.evas.com

) and System Access to Go, from Serotek, which is free (

www.satogo.com).



Guide is a program in which all its 23 applications, including word
processing, e-mail, calendar/planner, phone directory, web browsing, and DVD
viewing,

share a common look. The presentation is not like conventional Windows
programs. A simple text-based visual design is combined with keyboard
commands that

use only the alpha numeric keys, cursor navigation keys, and the number row