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The Eyes Have It
I've been trolling internet websites of late, trying to see which ones might be usable by folks who are blind or who have limited vision. It's been a trying experience, not only for me but for the stalwarts who have been helping me with testing. Yesterday I came across an internet-based suite of office productivity products that looked as though it might fit the bill. I'd been looking for ways of better managing the series of mystery stories I'd been working on with a number of other collaborators (some of whom are blind). The site - to my working, albeit aged - eyes, looked as though it would be fairly easy to get through. The fonts seemed to be large enough for me to actually see and the contrast looked good, too.
Of course, for a completely blind user a website has to be "readable." That is, it has to be understood by screen readers like JAWS or Windows Eyes, or Zoom Text. In a flush of eurphoric optimism I sent invites to all my collaborators, asking them to sign up and check out the great new work space I'd found.
Well, now we've got some problems. Are you familiar with that bizarre-looking string of letters and numbers that usually follows a login procedure? You just try your best to make out what those letters and numbers are then type them in, right?
Wrong.
You do that if you can SEE those numbers and letters. If you can't, you're SOL. In some cases, forward thinking website designers actually put in an audio version of the same string (used to thwart spammers). In this case, they didn't. This means that one of my main collaborators, an extremely nice and patient fellow who lives in Missouri and who teaches JAWS, can't get into the site.
Now, fortunately, this new website is still under development and the designers are activity soliciting feedback. I think I've clicked the "Feedback" button about four or five times by now. Most of the suggestions are more along the lines of tweaks for things they're probably already working on. I really do hope they take my feedback regarding accessibility seriously, though. If they do, then they'll be introducing a version of the site that's accessible to blind/low-vision users. That alone would put them far ahead of the internet pack when it comes to that. To my dismay, many of the applications being migrated onto the web these days are not blind-friendly. My guess is that they're equally difficult for other people with other disabilities to use as well.
This concerns me, given the fact that the "new web" or web 2.0 is going to eventually catch up with and surpass the computer programs that currently reside on our desktops. What will happen to blind users when the desktop version of Microsoft Word becomes obsolete? I've already tested two online productivity suites put out by Google and Zoho. They're both well designed and useful tools that do different things and do them very well. The other application mentioned above, Sosius, is also very nice and easy to use.
Unless you're blind.
Then you're stuck.
What good is a tool that does everything your desktop suite did, while at the same time integrating all the nifty new web tools like blogs and wikis, if you can't get into the application to start with? How do you open a document if your screen reader can't find it? How do you contribute to a company wiki or discussion thread? How do you blog?
Well, duh, guys. You don't. You don't have a job either, I guess.
I really thought we were moving out of this ghetto. I think designers and developers should try out their software on all sorts of different user groups, including - and yes, definitely incuding! - older users whose eyesight may not be the best anymore. As annoying and frustrating as it is for me, it's got to be a hundred times worse for disabled users.
I, for one, am going to keep up my feedback with the sites I've been visiting. It appalls me to realize how poorly these new sites are designed from an accessibility standpoint.
At some point we're all going to be older (if we aren't already). We won't hear as well. We won't see as well. Our hand-to-eye coordination won't be as good. Will there be a place remaining for us at that fancy "new web" table?
Of course, for a completely blind user a website has to be "readable." That is, it has to be understood by screen readers like JAWS or Windows Eyes, or Zoom Text. In a flush of eurphoric optimism I sent invites to all my collaborators, asking them to sign up and check out the great new work space I'd found.
Well, now we've got some problems. Are you familiar with that bizarre-looking string of letters and numbers that usually follows a login procedure? You just try your best to make out what those letters and numbers are then type them in, right?
Wrong.
You do that if you can SEE those numbers and letters. If you can't, you're SOL. In some cases, forward thinking website designers actually put in an audio version of the same string (used to thwart spammers). In this case, they didn't. This means that one of my main collaborators, an extremely nice and patient fellow who lives in Missouri and who teaches JAWS, can't get into the site.
Now, fortunately, this new website is still under development and the designers are activity soliciting feedback. I think I've clicked the "Feedback" button about four or five times by now. Most of the suggestions are more along the lines of tweaks for things they're probably already working on. I really do hope they take my feedback regarding accessibility seriously, though. If they do, then they'll be introducing a version of the site that's accessible to blind/low-vision users. That alone would put them far ahead of the internet pack when it comes to that. To my dismay, many of the applications being migrated onto the web these days are not blind-friendly. My guess is that they're equally difficult for other people with other disabilities to use as well.
This concerns me, given the fact that the "new web" or web 2.0 is going to eventually catch up with and surpass the computer programs that currently reside on our desktops. What will happen to blind users when the desktop version of Microsoft Word becomes obsolete? I've already tested two online productivity suites put out by Google and Zoho. They're both well designed and useful tools that do different things and do them very well. The other application mentioned above, Sosius, is also very nice and easy to use.
Unless you're blind.
Then you're stuck.
What good is a tool that does everything your desktop suite did, while at the same time integrating all the nifty new web tools like blogs and wikis, if you can't get into the application to start with? How do you open a document if your screen reader can't find it? How do you contribute to a company wiki or discussion thread? How do you blog?
Well, duh, guys. You don't. You don't have a job either, I guess.
I really thought we were moving out of this ghetto. I think designers and developers should try out their software on all sorts of different user groups, including - and yes, definitely incuding! - older users whose eyesight may not be the best anymore. As annoying and frustrating as it is for me, it's got to be a hundred times worse for disabled users.
I, for one, am going to keep up my feedback with the sites I've been visiting. It appalls me to realize how poorly these new sites are designed from an accessibility standpoint.
At some point we're all going to be older (if we aren't already). We won't hear as well. We won't see as well. Our hand-to-eye coordination won't be as good. Will there be a place remaining for us at that fancy "new web" table?
Can you set up a petition or website other uses like myself can sign? This way, the internet network will be informed we need programs/options for the handicapped/impaired.