[nfbcs] Communication with people who don't use screen readers

[Sabra Ewing]

I am in a visual basic class that uses visual studio. Before we start, note that I have been blind since birth. I know nothing about how sighted people use the computer apart from the fact that their icons look like pictures and they click on them with a mouse. My problem is that even though Visual studio is completely accessible, I don't have any resources to know how to work it and it is not very intuitive. I have been working with my professor and several other people to try to work something out, but they don't know a lot about screen readers. I explained that optimally, I should be able to work Visual Studio myself if I could just know how, but they seem to think that I can't do it because it is too complicated, not because I lack the appropriate resources. It was suggested that I would have an assistant click on things for me and I will tell them what to click on. I explained it that that wasn't going to work, and they thought that it is because I am too independent and don't want to do it, but that isn't it. At this point, I am willing to do anything to get through the class, but I really don't think it would work. I could not tell a sighted person to do something that I know how to do like edit a worksheet and XL or put a header in a word document. So if I can't tell you how to do basic things on the computer using a mouse, how can I tell you how to use a barely familiar piece of software? They say it would be easy though and I would just tell them what to click on, but I can't do that, but I can't explain why to somebody who does not know a lot about screen readers. My professor says that my assistant would not know anything about visual studio so I couldn't use them to cheat on a test, so that means I couldn't just say something like, go to data tools or rename the table. The only way I can think of it to make that work is have a list of things I want to do, followed by a description of how to do it with the mouse, and I would just have to memorize each description, but that would be very difficult, and if the description did not work for my assistant, the only thing I would be able to do is just repeat it. My professor said that I could have the office for students with disabilities produce a tactile picture of the screen. If there is a way to make that work, I would try it, but I don't know how. I don't know how the picture would fit on one page, and even though pages could be stuck together, it would start to get too big for me to read. Plus the screen changes all the time. Even my cited classmates seem to think that if I know where something is on the screen, that will help, but these computers are not touchscreen. I don't know how I would remember that though. For example, if you put a dot on a page, take the page away, and give me a blank page and the dot, I will not be able to put my dot in the same place no matter how many times I look at it. On my phone, I know where things are on the corners of the screen after keeping everything in the same place for four years, but I was thinking about this, and I really have no idea about the location of most of the things on my screen. If I need to go to an app, I flick to the folder where it is, tap on that folder, and go to the page where it is located and then flick until I find it. If I can't do that because it is being really elusive, then I just asked Siri to open it. I can type on a touchscreen keyboard though, so that has to mean I know where the letters are on the screen somehow, but I don't know how that is. That aside, even if I could somehow figure out how to know where things are on the screen, I don't know how I would click on it. I can't use the mouse, but I can't explain to people why that is. They say if I know where it is, then I should be able to point at it with the mouse. Maybe a picture of the screen would be different, but I can't read a tactile nap, and I feel like that ups the risk factor. They tried for years in school to teach me using a variety of methods, but it wouldn't work. The last thing I am trying to explain is that if you tell me how to do something based on how an icon looks such as go to the green arrow or the red triangle, I will not be able to do it, even if you are asking me to perform a task I already know how to complete. I understand the concept of how an icon can be a picture, and how excited person clicks on that picture to do something, but I cannot match up the pictures they use with what I'm doing. This is not just becoming a problem working the software. It is becoming a problem with learning the material. For example, I was trying to learn to create an error provider control. I did, and there was supposedly an error message flashing when I typed in something in valid, but if someone had not told me, I would not have known that. If I had been using the program, all I would have known is that it wouldn't let me move onto the next text box for some reason. I was told to put something on there called a status bar strip as well, but it didn't do anything. They also say that jaws has a problem because they want to change the text of a button without changing the name. For example, they will place a button that is automatically named button one, then go to the text property and change that to insert or whatever it should be. But when I do that, it just says button one, button  two, and so forth. In order to be able to use the buttons, I have to change the name so it matches up with the text. I don't know exactly what this means, but I'm assuming there is probably a picture of a button like maybe an elevator button, and there is text next to it. Also, when I put a text box, I also have to put a label, but that doesn't make sense because the text box is already labeled. It is automatically labeled text box one when you place it. All I can figure is that sighted people can't see the label for some reason or maybe they need two of them. Well anyways, I need it to be able to communicate with the people I am working with for this class to work out. It has to work out because I somehow made it through visual basic one even though I can only do limited things with visual studio, and my college is switching to C-sharp next semester. That means I will be a semester behind if I don't pass this class because I will have to start over again with C-sharp. What is going to happen as things get more complicated, and I have fewer and fewer tools to communicate because there is no terminology for anything I want to say? I have to say something because they think I'm just being stubborn and don't want to try a new way that could work. I also explained that I don't think using the flow panel to position controls will work, but was told that I have to try so I will know how to do things multiple ways. That sounds nice, but there is something in that exchange that I want to say, which I know what in my mind, but I don't know how to say it in words. For example, I will say I don't think it will work. You will say why not? I will say I don't know, and then you will assume that I have no reason and that I just don't want to try it. The only way I can think of to say it is to imagine that I am an iPhone, and you are asking me to run android. I can't do it because it just won't work. However, I have a feeling that would not make sense to the people I'm working with. If you would give me some suggestions on how I can communicate better, that would be great. Thank you.  

Sabra Ewing