[Trainer-talk] AntiVirus Software

Mon Mar 11 13:04:25 UTC 2013

Exactly, I agree with all of your points.  We moved away from Avast and AVG and now use and recommend MSE for the reasons stated.  In spite of good intentions, I'm terribly guilty of not contacting companies to express my accessibility concerns.  It always seems to get put on the back burner until I have more time; but then... There's never enough time.  When what I know I should do is immediately find the Contact link on their site and send them a message detailing the issues I'm having with their software.  

A good example is the issue I have with installing Super Antispyware and maybe you guys can help me with this.  Right before Set Up, there are two checkboxes and apparently a dialog asking if you want to install a trial of the pro version.  While I can check or uncheck the boxes, Jaws doesn't read the prompt; nor can I manage to read it with the Jaws cursor or even to just click on an unlabeled graphic to proceed.  So, I end up having to find a sighted coworker to click on the No or Cancel Button for me; which is incredibly inconvenient and annoying.  However, just yesterday, I discovered that the way around this is to use Ninite to auto-install the program.  While that works, I shouldn't be forced to go that route in order to be able to install it independently.  I therefore need to make the Super-Antispyware people aware of this issue, and should have done so a long time ago.  I love the program and although I also use Malware Bites; in my experience, Super Antispyware tends to find a lot more spyware on my computers than does Malware Bites.

I'd be eager to hear if anyone has found a work around for this issue and/or has contacted the company, with or without success.

Tonia 

Tonia Gatton
Assistive Technology Specialist
KY Office for the blind
Charles W McDowell Center
8412 Westport Road
Louisville, KY 40242
800-346-2115
(502) 429-4460 ext 224
(502) 429-7113 fax
tonia.gatton at ky.gov

CONFIDENTIALITY STATEMENT: The information contained in this e-mail message may be privileged, confidential, and protected from disclosure. If you believe the message has been sent to you in error, please do not read the message, advise the sender by reply e-mail that you have received the message in error, and delete the message. Thank you for your cooperation.
-----Original Message-----
From: Trainer-talk [mailto:trainer-talk-bounces at nfbnet.org] On Behalf Of David Goldfield
Sent: Monday, March 11, 2013 8:08 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
>
>
>
> _______________________________________________
> Trainer-talk mailing list
> Trainer-talk at nfbnet.org
> http://nfbnet.org/mailman/listinfo/trainer-talk_nfbnet.org
> To unsubscribe, change your list options or get your account info for 
> Trainer-talk:
> http://nfbnet.org/mailman/options/trainer-talk_nfbnet.org/jeanine
> .lineback%40gmail.com
>
>
>
> _______________________________________________
> Trainer-talk mailing list
> Trainer-talk at nfbnet.org
> http://nfbnet.org/mailman/listinfo/trainer-talk_nfbnet.org
> To unsubscribe, change your list options or get your account info for Trainer-talk:
> http://nfbnet.org/mailman/options/trainer-talk_nfbnet.org/disciple1211
> %40verizon.net
>

_______________________________________________
Trainer-talk mailing list
Trainer-talk at nfbnet.org
http://nfbnet.org/mailman/listinfo/trainer-talk_nfbnet.org
To unsubscribe, change your list options or get your account info for Trainer-talk:
http://nfbnet.org/mailman/options/trainer-talk_nfbnet.org/tonia.gatton%40ky.gov