Recently, Clara Van Gerven published an article on the National Federation
of the Blind website entitled,
<https://nfb.org/blog/atblog/sighted-guide-voiceover> "The Sighted Guide to
VoiceOver". In the article, the author, a sighted assistive technology
specialist, undertook an experiment to use only VoiceOver on her iPhone for
forty days. That any sighted person, even an assistive technology
professional, would undertake using only VoiceOver for forty days is to be
commended, as one cannot even begin to imagine the amount of frustration the
author experienced being sighted but having to rely only on speech.
In the article, the author asserts that the built-in iOS keyboard is "a pain
to type on," even for expert users:
Let me start with one piece of advice that I would dispense to anyone
attempting VoiceOver, blind or sighted: for the love of all that you hold
dear, please use a Bluetooth keyboard with the iPhone (or Braille input, if
you're so lucky). I promise you that otherwise you will inevitably throw
your precious device into the nearest hard surface. Reader, we don't want to
be held responsible for damage. Find a Bluetooth keyboard. Buy one. Borrow
one. Because unpleasant fact numero uno of VoiceOver on iOS is this:
It is a pain to type on. Even for the experts.
The article continues, highlighting (among other things) issues with Safari,
non-uniform speech feedback, latency, and inconsistent third-party app
accessibility-all issues which affect VoiceOver users in varying degrees.
The author then extols the benefits afforded only to VoiceOver users when
compared to the sighted population, adding a nice sense of balance to the
otherwise edgy piece. This is all fine and well, as peoples' experiences
with and perceptions of things are bound to be varied in life.
The article concludes with the author asserting that, in many cases, the iOS
experience for blind users is not equivalent to that for sighted users:
As for the bottom line, is it as good as the experience for a sighted person
is, the outcome is clear. Sometimes it's better; often it's similar; but
quite often it is worse; and that's a shame, because it's not inevitable.
Speech on phones has come such a long way - but it would be a mistake to
take the current improved state of affairs for an equivalent experience.
Posted by AppleVis: Website:
www.applevis.com
