[Trainer-Talk] Is NVDA enough for the blind?

[Showe Trela]

Hello fellow trainers. 
I am writing this email to ask you all this question because I want to educate myself and be a better AT trainer, looking at all sides and choosing what is best for the individuals I instruct. Here in Minnesota, state services are telling us that NVDA should be enough for blind people to use and using JAWS is no longer ideal and might need further justification. In states like Virginia and Delaware and Colorado, I am hearing the same tune. I am also hearing other AT instructors supporting this claim that people don't really need to learn JAWS and NVDA is enough. Admitedly, I am way more proficient with JAWS and can get by on NVDA when I have to. Can you all chime in and share your thoughts on this? I have always thought that because NVDA is open source software, workplaces will sometimes balk at installing this screen reader. Although free.99 is always good for employers. I understand that NVDA add-ons make it so much more efficient but I have wondered about workplaces allowing for those installations as well. Can you all enlighten me on this matter? Thank you. 

Showe 
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