Købe Soma - Discount Online Pharmacy http://accessify.com/news/2006/09/screen-reader-testing-for-free/ Accessibility news: WCAG, WAI, PAS 78 ... and all manner of other weird acronyms and stuff Fri, 14 Jan 2011 12:11:28 +0000 hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v=3.0.1 Købe Soma - Discount Online Pharmacy http://accessify.com/news/2006/09/screen-reader-testing-for-free/comment-page-1/#comment-5552 yan kit chan Mon, 19 Mar 2007 18:06:32 +0000 http://accessify.com/news/2006/09/screen-reader-testing-for-free/#comment-5552 I have found NVDA to be pretty decent as a free screnreader. anyway, I am totally blind myself and I do use the internet extensively - work and even playing games. if there is anything that needs testing (and does not take tooooo much time) I am happy to do it. I have found NVDA to be pretty decent as a free screnreader.
anyway, I am totally blind myself and I do use the internet extensively – work and even playing games. if there is anything that needs testing (and does not take tooooo much time) I am happy to do it.

]]> Købe Soma - Discount Online Pharmacy http://accessify.com/news/2006/09/screen-reader-testing-for-free/comment-page-1/#comment-925 Adam Perry Tue, 24 Oct 2006 21:53:37 +0000 http://accessify.com/news/2006/09/screen-reader-testing-for-free/#comment-925 I've been using FireVox [ http://www.firevox.clcworld.net/ ] a free Open Source extension for Firefox, as a Screen Reader for test purposes. I've also tried IBM Home Page Reader and JAWS. So far I have found that Home Page Reader is terrible at supporting so called "AJAX" web applications, while JAWS and Firevox are much better. I have no problems with my sight, however, and I am sure Adrians comments are correct: a Visually Impaired (VI?) person will use the screen reader in a very different way. Nevertheless I found using a screen reader helped to identify areas of HTML which require improvement (inadequate or missing ALT, TITLE and SUMMARY attributes, for instance). I’ve been using FireVox [ http://www.firevox.clcworld.net/ ] a free Open Source extension for Firefox, as a Screen Reader for test purposes. I’ve also tried IBM Home Page Reader and JAWS. So far I have found that Home Page Reader is terrible at supporting so called “AJAX” web applications, while JAWS and Firevox are much better.

I have no problems with my sight, however, and I am sure Adrians comments are correct: a Visually Impaired (VI?) person will use the screen reader in a very different way.

Nevertheless I found using a screen reader helped to identify areas of HTML which require improvement (inadequate or missing ALT, TITLE and SUMMARY attributes, for instance).

]]> Købe Soma - Discount Online Pharmacy http://accessify.com/news/2006/09/screen-reader-testing-for-free/comment-page-1/#comment-742 Adrian Higginbotham Fri, 06 Oct 2006 11:53:19 +0000 http://accessify.com/news/2006/09/screen-reader-testing-for-free/#comment-742 Personally I never recommend anyone to try testing a site with a screenreader product unless they are already a confident screenreader user. you simply don't use the tool in the same way, for example, VI users tend not to sit back and listen to an entire page read, reacting only by jabbing at the keyboard when they hear for instance the name of a Link they want to follow, which is typicly the way the in experienced user tends to approach things. this method can work to prove that the screenreader can cope with the technology, but tells you little about whether the user can. note also that demo versions are always the latest release whereas many paid-up users are using older releases. Yes thunder is a freeware screenreader and is quite good however it only works in the WEBBIE Browser www.webbie.org.uk so mightn't be up to a test job. System Access www.freedom.info is another low cost solution. Although it costs $500 in its own right you can subscribe to the Freedombox network for around $20 a month which includes free use of SA even when not connecting to the network. free 30 day demo available, and SA retains some functionality after the trial period ends. Personally I never recommend anyone to try testing a site with a screenreader product unless they are already a confident screenreader user. you simply don’t use the tool in the same way, for example, VI users tend not to sit back and listen to an entire page read, reacting only by jabbing at the keyboard when they hear for instance the name of a Link they want to follow, which is typicly the way the in experienced user tends to approach things. this method can work to prove that the screenreader can cope with the technology, but tells you little about whether the user can. note also that demo versions are always the latest release whereas many paid-up users are using older releases. Yes thunder is a freeware screenreader and is quite good however it only works in the WEBBIE Browser http://www.webbie.org.uk so mightn’t be up to a test job. System Access http://www.freedom.info is another low cost solution. Although it costs $500 in its own right you can subscribe to the Freedombox network for around $20 a month which includes free use of SA even when not connecting to the network. free 30 day demo available, and SA retains some functionality after the trial period ends.

]]> Købe Soma - Discount Online Pharmacy http://accessify.com/news/2006/09/screen-reader-testing-for-free/comment-page-1/#comment-711 Gaspar Wed, 04 Oct 2006 10:43:36 +0000 http://accessify.com/news/2006/09/screen-reader-testing-for-free/#comment-711 You can check http://www.delorie.com/web/lynxview.html emulate the lynx reader, u can download a copy and install on your server and run it from there. Or can create a file called delorie.htm on ur server and and usi from www.delorie.com You can check http://www.delorie.com/web/lynxview.html emulate the lynx reader, u can download a copy and install on your server and run it from there.
Or can create a file called delorie.htm on ur server and and usi from http://www.delorie.com

]]> Købe Soma - Discount Online Pharmacy http://accessify.com/news/2006/09/screen-reader-testing-for-free/comment-page-1/#comment-629 Blair Fri, 22 Sep 2006 14:36:12 +0000 http://accessify.com/news/2006/09/screen-reader-testing-for-free/#comment-629 You might also want to check out Fangs. It's not a reader, per-se, but it emulates one by outputting what a typical screen-reader might "say" into a text format. Check it: http://www.standards-schmandards.com/index.php?show/fangs You might also want to check out Fangs. It’s not a reader, per-se, but it emulates one by outputting what a typical screen-reader might “say” into a text format. Check it:

http://www.standards-schmandards.com/index.php?show/fangs

]]> Købe Soma - Discount Online Pharmacy http://accessify.com/news/2006/09/screen-reader-testing-for-free/comment-page-1/#comment-587 Gerard Blake Sun, 17 Sep 2006 07:59:58 +0000 http://accessify.com/news/2006/09/screen-reader-testing-for-free/#comment-587 Thunder is a free screen reader. http://www.screenreader.net/ Thunder is a free screen reader.

http://www.screenreader.net/

]]> Købe Soma - Discount Online Pharmacy http://accessify.com/news/2006/09/screen-reader-testing-for-free/comment-page-1/#comment-569 Mike Stone Fri, 15 Sep 2006 13:42:12 +0000 http://accessify.com/news/2006/09/screen-reader-testing-for-free/#comment-569 You can test JAWS for free. Their demo program runs for 40 minutes on_each_boot of Windows (at least, mine does). See http://www.freedomscientific.com/fs_products/software_jaws70fea.asp for more information. You can test JAWS for free. Their demo program runs for 40 minutes on_each_boot of Windows (at least, mine does). See http://www.freedomscientific.com/fs_products/software_jaws70fea.asp for more information.

]]> Købe Soma - Discount Online Pharmacy http://accessify.com/news/2006/09/screen-reader-testing-for-free/comment-page-1/#comment-565 Adrian Higginbotham Fri, 15 Sep 2006 09:26:51 +0000 http://accessify.com/news/2006/09/screen-reader-testing-for-free/#comment-565 There are dozens nae hundreds of Email lists of and for VI tech users out there who often receive and respond to requests such as this. just try searching yahoogroups or freelists. the problems with such an approach other than those which Ian points out are many. You as a dev have very little knowledge about the quality of the feedback you receive, you will probably only get help from those who have time to give thus you might conclude that they are toward the lower end of the skillset of AT users. Unless you ask structured questions (and most don't) all you get back is a flood of personal preferences, not constructive feedback. Sure you can get something for nothing but like most thngs in life you get what you pay for. There are dozens nae hundreds of Email lists of and for VI tech users out there who often receive and respond to requests such as this. just try searching yahoogroups or freelists. the problems with such an approach other than those which Ian points out are many. You as a dev have very little knowledge about the quality of the feedback you receive, you will probably only get help from those who have time to give thus you might conclude that they are toward the lower end of the skillset of AT users. Unless you ask structured questions (and most don’t) all you get back is a flood of personal preferences, not constructive feedback. Sure you can get something for nothing but like most thngs in life you get what you pay for.

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