[Stylist] Is there an accessible grammar checker

Tue Jun 22 18:29:28 UTC 2021

Hi -

I agree with you about spell check. What also helps me is to take a break for a day and then go back to it. I'm a braille reader, so when I had a braille notetaker and braille display, it was much easier to catch mistakes and clumsy spots in my work.

Thanks for the grammar resources!

Jen

-----Original Message-----
From: Stylist <stylist-bounces at nfbnet.org> On Behalf Of Bridgit Kuenning-Pollpeter via Stylist
Sent: Tuesday, June 22, 2021 12:17 PM
To: 'Writers' Division Mailing List' <stylist at nfbnet.org>
Cc: Bridgit Kuenning-Pollpeter <bkpollpeter at gmail.com>
Subject: Re: [Stylist] Is there an accessible grammar checker

Yes, SpellCheck is accessible, but as we all know, it actually is often wrong, and doesn't always catch everything.

Like Annie says, the best bet for any writer is to educate yourself on all this so during revision and editing, you can catch as much as possible.

I also agree that for us screen reader users, we hear what is written, allowing us to hear a lot of mistakes, clunky sentence construction, run-ons, etc. Just like when you verbally read a piece of writing out loud.

And yes, find a person or persons that can help you proofread and copy edit. This is the best tool for any writer. And no, you don't always have to pay for it. If possible, find a community of writers in your local area you can workshop with.

Look, people use tools like Grammarly, but in my experience, it's not super common. I know lots of published writers and journalists, and none of them use tools like Grammarly. Nothing wrong if you use a tool like this for assistance, but it's also not necessary.

Again, if grammar and spelling are not your forte, study up as best you can. Read style guides. Nowadays, people also blog about style and grammar, so lots of resources available. Some of my favs are Purdue OWL, Grammar Girl and Apostrophe Catastrophe.

Here are some resources I found online:
https://blog.feedspot.com/grammar_blogs/

https://www.thebookdesigner.com/2009/11/9-best-funny-helpful-grammar-blogs/
-----Original Message-----
From: Stylist <stylist-bounces at nfbnet.org> On Behalf Of Jen via Stylist
Sent: Tuesday, June 22, 2021 10:00 AM
To: Bridgit Kuenning-Pollpeter via Stylist <stylist at nfbnet.org>
Cc: Jen <spiderweb1 at sbcglobal.net>
Subject: Re: [Stylist] Is there an accessible grammar checker

What about spell check in Word? That's accessible with a screen reader.

On Tuesday, June 22, 2021, 10:50:02 AM EDT, Bridgit Kuenning-Pollpeter via Stylist <stylist at nfbnet.org> wrote: 

I just downloaded and played around with the free version of Grammarly, and it’s not 100% accessible if solely using a screen reader. It highlights mistakes and provides suggestions by noting these items with colors, but a screen reader does not pick it up. Several unlabeled buttons pop up. I have no idea what they are or do. I am able to access the buttons for performance, goals, engagement, correctness alert, etc. But once again, the actual suggestions within my text do not seem accessible.

If someone is aware how to make this fully accessible, or if I’m using it incorrectly, please, let me know. But as far as I can tell, it’s not accessible for screen reader users.

My best advice is to study grammar and style guides, learning what you can, so you can do your best when editing and writing. And nothing beats an actual human helping you in the process.

Bridgit

From: Stylist <stylist-bounces at nfbnet.org> On Behalf Of Jen via Stylist
Sent: Tuesday, June 22, 2021 1:25 AM
To: rjaquiss at earthlink.net; 'Writers' Division Mailing List' <stylist at nfbnet.org>
Cc: Jen <spiderweb1 at sbcglobal.net>
Subject: Re: [Stylist] Is there an accessible grammar checker

Welcome to the list!

Grammarly is a Chrome extension. You can find it in the Google store for free.

Jen

From: Stylist <stylist-bounces at nfbnet.org> On Behalf Of rjaquiss via Stylist
Sent: Tuesday, June 22, 2021 12:39 AM
To: stylist at nfbnet.org
Cc: rjaquiss <rjaquiss at earthlink.net>
Subject: [Stylist] Is there an accessible grammar checker

Hello:

     Please allow me to introduce myself. I am Robert Jaquiss. I just joined this list. I have a manuscript that I want to self publish. I need to get my manuscript mechanically edited. Wanting to keep costs down, I thought to look into Grammarly. What I have read indicates that Grammarly isn’t accessible. Are their any good alternatives? Thank you.

Regards,

Robert

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