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

[Christopher Murphy]

Good morning,
	While I agree that NVDA is a great program and that it can perform most tasks with add-ons, Jaws has far more features and seems to be more stable and easier to teach. Because there are now various license options available such as home annual among other Jaws has become more affordable for someone who doesn't require a professional license. State services should be able to justify this without an issue however I have seen some circumstances that they won't just because they want to save some money or the person's goal may be different. While I can get by using NVDA when I need to, I find that my experience with Jaws has been much better because of its integration with so many different programs and applications. Jaws is a much more popular screen reader then NVDA and doesn't require so much effort just to make it perform tasks because of the apparent need to make sure that it has add-ons for applications and programs. The ability to customize settings based on user preference along with the updates every single year in my opinion make Jaws more highly utilized then NVDA especially in places of employment. 




--
Christopher Murphy
Email:
cjohnmurph at gmail.com

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-----Original Message-----
From: Trainer-Talk <trainer-talk-bounces at nfbnet.org> On Behalf Of Showe Trela via Trainer-Talk
Sent: Thursday, June 4, 2026 5:48 AM
To: List for teachers and trainers of adaptive technology <trainer-talk at nfbnet.org>
Cc: Showe Trela <myshowe86 at gmail.com>
Subject: [Trainer-Talk] Is NVDA enough for the blind?

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 
Sent from my iPhone
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