[Trainer-Talk] Very basic websites for beginners

[Wayne Merritt]

Depending on the type of class, I have worked with students on a
number of different sites. Usually, when students come to me for their
Internet class, they already have the basics in place. Here is a list
of sites I have worked on, and focusing on intermediate skills:
Gmail in Basic HTML view, for practical daily use, and when working on
stars, labels and filters. Gmail might be a good interface for a
beginner as well, since it is more or less simple, though large and a
bit of a challenge.
American Airlines and Southwest, for filling out more involved forms.
Google, Yahoo and other search sites for doing searches and reviewing results.
and employment sites like Indeed and Work in Texas (though the latter
is quite a bit more challenging, and I can do basics on it but have
had trouble when digging deeper).
We have also worked on tabbed browsing, since that is supported in
most modern browsers, even on mobile.
If this is on the iOS platform, then some of these sites may be more
cumbersome to use, but it could still be done with some patience.
Also, while I have no issues with using FS or the AFB sites, I try to
give students more real-world experience. Having taught Internet
classes for many years, I've realized that not all sites are easy to
navigate, be it constant updates or other design changes. The more I
can take students to a more challenging site and have them problem
solve, the better prepared they will be when they move out of the
class. For instance, taking them to sites with no headings, or 30 or
more headings, and having them navigate. An tab or using the JAWS
Links List is not my definition of navigating effectively. Not
knocking those options, but just pointing out that it is not efficient
and you don't get all of the information from a page by tabbing or
using the Insert+F7 keystroke.

Just my humble thoughts,
Wayne Merritt

On 4/24/20, David Goldfield via Trainer-Talk <trainer-talk at nfbnet.org> wrote:
> I admit that in the past when I was providing a.t. training I've taken
> new students to news Web sites, as well. If I were resuming training now
> I would likely not do this unless a student specifically requested this.
> The news is not always positive and, for some individuals, reading the
> news, depending on their personality and just where they are mentally
> and emotionally could become a very stressful ordeal. Like Marci I would
> eventually take users of JAWS to Freedom Scientific's Web site. I like
> to emphasize to them how product manufacturers can update their Web
> sites whenever they want to regarding new products or updates to
> existing products and how this information is available to them
> immediately as opposed to the days when we had to wait for newsletters
> and catalogs to be delivered. I also took them to the White House's site
> along with the Philly.gov Web site as I did most of my training in the
> Philadelphia area. I wanted them to see how much information and
> services were available from the local as well as federal government and
> I stressed the value of this information, regardless of which political
> party the student might prefer or be affiliated with. I agree that AFB's
> Web site is excellent, well-designed and a good blindness resource.
>
> David Goldfield,
> Blindness Assistive Technology Specialist
> JAWS Certified, 2019
>
> WWW.DavidGoldfield.org
>
> On 4/23/2020 8:47 PM, Scott Davert via Trainer-Talk wrote:
>> HI all.
>> As someone who has been out of this part of the training field for
>> awhile, and who is re-entering it, I'm curious as to what websites you
>> are using that are basic with your students for screen reader access?
>> I sometimes use nfbnewslineonline.org, but am curious as to other
>> sites that people are using? I used to use Braille.wunderground.com,
>> but that no longer exists. CNN was also a decent choice, but now there
>> is so much video content as opposed to text, I'm not sure it's a good
>> option for a beginner. Any thoughts on this would be greatly
>> appreciated!
>>
>> Stay safe and stay well,
>> Scott
>>
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