[Trainer-Talk] Advice for Windows 10 with NVDA

[David Goldfield]

Barbara,
I'm an NVDA user running Windows 10 Pro and I can tell you that the 
operating system itself is accessible.
At times, I get this impression that people are fearful that Windows 10 
is not accessible. The answer to this issue is a bit complex but I'll 
try to summarize.
As an operating system, Windows 10 is quite accessible with the latest 
version of today's screen readers, NVDA included. In other words, you 
can easily access and navigate the start menu, desktop, various file 
folders, etc. The sticking point comes in regarding some of the built-in 
apps or programs. As an example, the new browser called Edge has some 
accessibility problems and, as far as I know, NVDA is the only screen 
reader which works with it and NVDA is claiming to offer just 
experimental support. There were some problems accessing Windows 10's 
built-in Mail app but Microsoft reports they have already implemented 
some fixes, a claim I haven't yet verified. So, the short answer is that 
Windows 10 is accessible. Where you may encounter problems is if you use 
some of the built-in apps which come preinstalled with Windows 10. 
However, for me this is a nonissue as I use Firefox as my browser of 
choice and Internet Explorer 11 still comes with Windows 10 and works 
reasonably well with NVDA. For mail, Outlook works well as does the free 
Thunderbird, which I personally use and recommend. For me, Windows 10 is 
an incredibly stable operating system. It's solid, fast and I personally 
would never revert back to an earlier operating system. In spite of 
accessibility issues which I feel Microsoft should have already 
addressed, I honestly believe that Windows 10 is their best operating 
system. In addition, Microsoft has publicly talked about accessibility 
improvements which they are planning to implement in Windows 10.
I don't think you'll experience any major issues using Windows 10 with NVDA.



        David Goldfield,
Assistive Technology Specialist

Feel free to visit my Web site
WWW.DavidGoldfield.Info

On 2/28/2016 7:37 PM, Barbara Johnson via Trainer-Talk wrote:
> I am working with a student in Cameroon who is about to receive a computer
> from the United States.  The computer has Windows 8.1 and Office 2010.  He
> will be using NVDA as a screen reader.  NVAccess says that, as of November,
> 2015, there are significant problems with NVDA and Windows 10.  I have seen
> addons by Joseph Lee that are supposed to fix some of the problems.  Can an
> NVDA user advise me whether to download Windows 10 for this student or use
> 8.1?  Thank you.
>
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