[blindkid] Chromebooks

Sun Mar 2 20:31:45 UTC 2014

If you download google drive for desktop ...it works just like Dropbox 
If someone sends u a link to their doc, u open it on the web and tab to make it accessible...I just have my students select all, copy and paste into word...all very accessible...it is just knowing the tricks

Denise M Robinson
Sent from my iPad

> On Mar 2, 2014, at 10:08 AM, Holly Baker Miller <hollym12 at gmail.com> wrote:
> 
> Unless google has very recently made some very big changes, Docs, Drive &
> other apps are not fully accessible with JAWS.
> 
> JAWS will be able to navigate docs/drive to some degree but not completely
> and a blind user will not necessarily be able to discern what is being
> missed.
> 
> Some fields will not be recognized & skipped over as if nothing was there.
> Other fields will be read as gibberish rather than the text that is there.
> If I remember correctly, another issue is notifications of new documents
> and/or recently edited document are not recognizable to jaws.
> 
> I can't find much recent documentation but here's one article
> 
> https://nfb.org/images/nfb/publications/bm/bm14/bm1401/bm140112.htm
> 
> Holly
> 
> 
>> On Sun, Mar 2, 2014 at 9:35 AM, Denise Robinson <deniserob at gmail.com> wrote:
>> 
>> If you use a standard laptop with jaws fortunately google drive and docs
>> are accessible. Chrome books have their own voicing program that is not
>> close to accessibility that is offered with a laptop with jaws...it has a
>> ways to go
>> 
>> Denise M Robinson
>> Sent from my iPad
>> 
>>> On Mar 2, 2014, at 2:34 AM, Holly Miller <hollym12 at gmail.com> wrote:
>>> 
>>> We are dealing with this at Hank's school.
>>> 
>>> The machine itself is not fully accessible.  Jaws can not be added to a
>> Chrome Book.  Hank uses a PC with jaws & MS office installed.
>>> 
>>> The problem that can't be fixed by giving the blind student a standard
>> laptop is that with widespread use of Chrome books also usually comes with
>> widespread use of Google drive and google docs.
>>> 
>>> Those apps have significant accessibility issues even when using a
>> standard laptop with jaws.  There are some clunky work arounds - for
>> example the teacher can convert & email all assignments via word when the
>> class is given assignments via docs/drive.
>>> 
>>> One thing that is popular & problematic is group assignments done via
>> docs/drive. Docs/drive allows real time collaborative editing amongst a
>> group that a blind student will not be able to access.  This either leaves
>> the blind student out of group work or the group the blind student is in
>> will have to use alternate methods that #1 the other students might not be
>> familiar with using #2 the other students might not be able to access with
>> their Chrome Books.
>>> 
>>> The folks in the NFB technology center have been working with this issue
>> closely. I'd definitely contact them for more details.
>>> 
>>> Holly
>>> 
>>> 
>>> 
>>>> On Mar 2, 2014, at 12:27 AM, Richard Holloway <rholloway at gopbc.org>
>> wrote:
>>>> 
>>>> Thanks Debby,
>>>> 
>>>> I suspected there might be issues. I guess the best to hope for is we
>> would be able to access the same information with something more
>> conventional like a PC with JAWS.
>>>> 
>>>> We've already had some previous bad experiences with some e-textbooks
>> that were supposed to be accessible, only their idea of "accessible" was
>> the pages would self-read, after getting sighted assistance to click about
>> once every paragraph or so. With that situation, we never could get JAWS or
>> VoiceOver to navigate their cute animation-filled web site.
>>>> 
>>>> Visual appeal is all good and well, but it seems to me that full access
>> for students to the actual text content needs to come first.
>>>> 
>>>> Anyhow, thanks for for your response!
>>>> 
>>>> 
>>>> 
>>>>> On Mar 1, 2014, at 10:29 PM, Debby B <bwbddl at yahoo.com> wrote:
>>>>> 
>>>>> Last year Winona won (yes, won!) a ChromeBook at school. They were
>> unable to adapt it to be accessible for her, so ended up swapping it out
>> for a regular laptop.
>>>>> 
>>>>> 
>>>>> 
>>>>> Debby
>>>>> bwbddl at yahoo.com
>>>>> 
>>>>> ~"Kindness is a language which the deaf can hear and the blind can
>> read."~Mark Twain
>>>>> 
>>>>> 
>>>>> 
>>>>> On Saturday, March 1, 2014 9:47 PM, Richard Holloway <
>> rholloway at gopbc.org> wrote:
>>>>> 
>>>>> A middle school we have been researcing for our daughter is looking at
>> outfitting all the students with Google Chromebooks. She would likely be
>> the only blind student potentially using these. I'm very curious to know
>> how likely we are to have problems with such a plan, though I assume we
>> might be able to access the same information with a PC or Mac Laptop.
>>>>> 
>>>>> I recall there were some NFB issues addressed relating to Chromebooks
>> a while back. From what I read, they do have some accessibility features,
>> but I don't have any current access to explore any of these machines
>> directly.
>>>>> 
>>>>> Has anyone explored these accessibility features, and can anyone
>> compare them to JAWS on a PC, or VoiceOver on a Mac?
>>>>> 
>>>>> Thanks!
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