[Trainer-talk] AntiVirus Software

Mon Mar 11 12:39:08 UTC 2013

Caroline,
Thanks for your comments.  Given the importance of antimalware software 
I actually think that this rates as one of today's most serious 
accessibility issues.  I may write to someone at the NFB. Lately, 
they've not hesitated to do battle with companies or organizations which 
are presenting problems regarding accessibility or the lack thereof.  
Maybe this is something they might be willing to tackle.

Caroline Congdon wrote:
> David, very well said in my opinion. I've used ESET's security suite for
> several years, but recent versions have been a lot less accessible. I've
> switched to MSE, only because of the accessibility, but I've also been
> reading the reviews on how it hasn't been passing tests lately, and it
> concerns me. I'd absolutely love to go back to ESET, but there are several
> things that I can't do with it anymore. I won't use Norton or MacAfee
> because, when configuring computers in the past that were running these
> packages, I found them to be extremely system-intensive. Also, I won't
> recommend anything that I wouldn't use myself. If I won't use it, how does
> that make me look if I suggest it to someone else?
>
> Caroline
>
>
> --
> Caroline Congdon
> Director of Student Services
> Access Technology Institute
> 520-300-7859 ext. 1
> caroline at blindtraining.com
> www.blindtraining.com
>
> -----Original Message-----
> From: Trainer-talk [mailto:trainer-talk-bounces at nfbnet.org] On Behalf Of
> David Goldfield
> Sent: Monday, March 11, 2013 7:08 AM
> To: List for teachers and trainers of adaptive technology
> Subject: Re: [Trainer-talk] AntiVirus Software
>
> I don't know how many will be in agreement with my views on this but I think
> that this is an important topic and I'm glad it is being discussed.  It's
> important, not only for trainers making recommendations for their
> students/clients but it's important for all of us who use computers,
> particularly Windows-based computers.
> Blind people, in general, tend to use antivirus packages which are the most
> accessible and not necessarily the ones which are top-rated.  For a while
> many of us were using AVG as it was amazingly accessible during the 7.5
> days.  It even allowed you to reassign keyboard shortcuts for many commands.
> Version 8 changed the interface but it was still usable.  As of last year
> the latest version, while somewhat usable, had some alterations which made
> it even less so.  Then, I started hearing about more and more people using
> Avast and then that package became unusable.  Now everyone is using Security
> Essentials.  I have to agree that it's highly accessible although sometimes
> one of the buttons gets misread as the home button when it's really
> something else.  Yes, it seems to be low on resources and, for a while, was
> highly recommended.
> However, reports are coming out that it has failed some antivirus tests.  On
> one hand this type of negative exposure is a very good thing as it will
> likely force Microsoft to make improvements to ensure that it doesn't
> continue to fail these tests.  However, blind computer users tend to stick
> with what works and, when the solution no longer works, move on to another
> which is accessible.  What is really needed here is some serious and
> dedicated advocacy on the part of blind or visually impaired computer users.
> They should go out of their way to contact antimalware vendors to let them
> know what accessibility issues exist in their products and to let them know
> that the user will be forced to go to a competitor if these issues cannot be
> resolved.  It would be wonderful to be able to recommend top-rated security
> software to our clients but very often these recommendations would prove
> difficult for many screen reader users. I have to admit I'm totally guilty
> of this.
> It's easy for people like us who know our way around screen readers to just
> adapt to flaky accessibility or to switch to something that works but I
> think that needs to end.  Given the current news on MSE I feel awkward in
> recommending it to anyone but I also know that it's likely the most
> accessible choice out there at the moment.
> Jeanine Lineback wrote:
>> I use Microsoft Security Essentials on my netbook because 1. It's free
>> 2. It doesn't take as much system resources as some other antivirus
>> software and 3. It works with my screen readers better than most other
>> programs.
>> I have found it to work very well for me.
>> I use MacAfee on my home computers because I get a license as part of
>> my Uverse subscription. It also work better than some with my screen
>> reader. It doesn't work as well with a screen reader as Microsoft
>> Security Essentials though.
>> Hth
>>
>>
>> -----Original Message-----
>> From: Trainer-talk [mailto:trainer-talk-bounces at nfbnet.org] On Behalf
>> Of Michael D. Barber
>> Sent: March 10, 2013 2:40 PM
>> To: List for teachers and trainers of adaptive technology
>> Subject: [Trainer-talk] AntiVirus Software
>>
>> Hello:   I would like to know what kinds of antivirus programs
>> you folks are
>> using and why.  Right now, we use Esset Nod32, but I don't exactly
>> like the way it works with screen readers.  I've used Microsoft
>> Security Essentials which seems to work nicely.  It's free, but I've
>> heard others say they don't trust it because it's from Microsoft.
>>
>>
>>
>> I'm looking forward to your thoughts.
>>
>>
>>
>> Cordially,
>>
>> Michael D. Barber
>>
>> (515) 771-8348
>>
>>
>>
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