[nfbcs] Mac Accessibility

Thu May 28 16:08:15 UTC 2009

The last time I heard anything about the subject, Parallels isn't  
Voiceover compatible  I use Fusion from VMWare.  It allows you to  
install Windows without sighted help and even installed Windows 7  
beta.  I haven't had a chance to try Windows 7 rc yet.
The only problem (and there are workarounds) is the key mapping on a  
laptop isn't quite what I would like it to be.
Marshall

On May 28, 2009, at 9:56 AM, Brett Winches wrote:

> Steve, here is something apprapoe of this thread from a colleague at  
> our agency.
>
> Hi Brett,
>
>
> Congratulations on the new Mac!
> I tried using VoiceOver, the standard Mac screen-reader software,  
> and it was ok, but not great, especially with PDFs and Word  
> documents. So, I purchased VisioVoice from Origin Instruments
> http://shop.orin.com/shop/index.php?main_page=product_info&cPath=4_8&products_id=30
>
>
> I can't compare it to Jaws or ZoomText or other software for  
> Windows, since I've never used a Windows box, but it seems to work  
> pretty well. There are a few software items that I've found it  
> clashes with, and makes the Mac hang (eg, don't use google earth and  
> visiovoice! I would guess that this is not a common problem, since  
> there aren't many blind people who want to use google earth - but my  
> colleagues send me latitudes and longitudes for instrument locations  
> in google earth files - arrggg, smile).
>
>
> The other alternative it to get Parallels, which simulates a Windows  
> environment. You can set it up either (i) so you have some Parallels  
> workspaces, and some Mac workspaces running simultaneously, or (ii)  
> so that you booth the machine in either Windows or Mac mode. I have  
> been told that ZoomText and Jaws will run on the Mac if you use  
> Parallels to simulate Windows.
>
> -----Original Message-----
> From: nfbcs-bounces at nfbnet.org [mailto:nfbcs-bounces at nfbnet.org] On  
> Behalf Of Steve Jacobson
> Sent: Thursday, May 28, 2009 7:41 AM
> To: National Association of Blind Students mailing list; NFBCS
> Subject: Re: [nfbcs] Mac Accessibility
>
> Joe,
>
> Dean Martineau's advice is sound, get in touch with some MAC users  
> via the list he mentions.  If there are MAC users on these lists,  
> though, by all means share your experiences.
>
>> From a technical standpoint, VoiceOver is not JFW or Window-Eyes.   
>> That
>> does not mean that it may not perform as well in some circumstances  
>> and
>> it should not be
> disregarded by any means.  However, the environment is different and  
> the approach is different.  VoiceOver depends more exclusively on  
> applications following the rules, so to speak.  Apple believes that  
> this will work on the MAC because they have more control over the  
> applications that run on the MAC.  Whether that is true only time  
> will tell.  Therefore, it is important that you find out what  
> applications are being used on the MAC.  If applications are being  
> used that won't work with VoiceOver, then it probably is not worth  
> making the switch.  It is my understanding that Microsoft for the  
> MAC does not work with VoiceOver, for example.
>
> You do not have to install anything for VoiceOver to work providing  
> the MAC is running a version of the operating system that is not too  
> old.  Pretty much any MAC purchased or updated during the past  
> couple of years will have VoiceOver on it.  You can toggle it on and  
> off by pressing COMAND F5.  The "Command" key is simply another sort  
> of shift key available on the MAC.  Pressing that same key  
> combination will turn VoiceOver off.
>
> In addition, there are ways to run Windows programs on a MAC.  I  
> have definitely heard of people running Window-Eyes with Windows  
> apps on the MAC.  However, this does not let you use JFW or Window- 
> Eyes with MAC applications.  If you can't use the MAC software that  
> your co-workers are using with VoiceOver, then I question the  
> advantage of using a MAC to run Windows applications.
>
> Now, I have a challenge for you.  Since you are going to do some  
> research, how about coming back and sharing what you learned with  
> these lists.  This is a subject that is interesting to many people,  
> and with VoiceOver out there, there will be more people considering  
> making this move.  While I know there are gaps, there seems to be a  
> lot of satisfied users,.  It would be helpful to know what the gaps  
> are and where the MAC works well for us.
>
> Best regards,
>
> Steve Jacobson
>
> On Thu, 28 May 2009 00:35:09 -0400, Joe Orozco wrote:
>
>> Hello all,
>
>> Forgive the cross post.  I need information from former PC users who
>> are now using the Mac environment as their primary operating  
>> system.  My questions:
>
>> 1. How steep is the learning curve moving from Mac to PC?
>
>> 2. Is Firefox available to the Mac environment, and are there any
>> limitations to the browser in this environment?
>
>> 3. What general limitations have you discovered using Mac moving from
>> the PC?
>
>> 4. Is Voice Over built into the Mac system.  If not, how much is it,
>> and where is it found?
>
>> 5. How often is the screen reader for the Mac OS updated?  How
>> comparable is Voice Over to JAWS?  What kind of speech does Voice  
>> Over use?
>
>> 6. How easy is it to exchange documents between PC and Mac machines?
>
>> I hope someone can help me address some or all of these points.  I've
>> picked up an organization who insists on using Mac computers.  I  
>> would
>> rather stick to the PC.  I'm not impressed with JAWS a lot of times,
>> but it's what I know.  That said, I have a Mac laptop headed to me,  
>> and
>> I suppose I had better learn how to adopt to the new environment real
>> quick-like.  I would appreciate any and all advice you can provide.
>
>> Many thanks in advance.
>
>> Regards,
>
>> Joe Orozco
>>
>
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>
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>
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