So just for the hell of it, in order,
· Cane, Dog, None, or Other?
· Preferred Mobile and Computer OS and Screen Readers?
· Braille or Not and for what if yes?
I’ll start, cane, android and windows, talkback and NVDA, yes I use braille screen input, or a braille display for almost everything text entry wise and for checking spelling, along with some reading though not as much as I could.
Cane. Which, now that I think about it, most sighted people I know think is stupid. They all seem to think that there’s tiny portable magic radar, sonar, infrared, VR stuff that’s widely available and actually works.
iPad/iOS/voiceover. Switched from Windows 20 years ago, when I could still see you just fine, and have since developed and abiding hatred of Microsoft and Windows, so I can’t say what I use now has anything to do with a preference for Apple device accessibility features, per se.
I still feel that a sun glasses or hat attachment plus a belt or around ribs strap type attachment working in consort, if done right, with weatherproofing, rugged construction, light weight, high user customizability, surreptitious alerts, decent battery life, attainable pricepoint, ETC could be worth something, maybe. But honestly I’m not sure if the tech is their yet to be worth it unless you’re deafblind, and even that’s not a for sure thing. Maybe someday, but I don’t think smart canes or wrist wearables are going to be viable in this decade. To me, good training solves 95% of these problems anyway, but to be fair, that is much more expensive to do. Don’t let perfect be the enemy of good and all that…
P.S. I’m not usually that guy, but honestly sighted people can keep their negative opinions about your cane to them selves IMO, they don’t use one every day. Besides, we do use other tech, like GPS, OCR, and live assistance apps to help us, and those of us who can also use echo location, along with other context clues and landmarks.
Cane. Which, now that I think about it, most sighted people I know think is stupid. They all seem to think that there’s tiny portable magic radar, sonar, infrared, VR stuff that’s widely available and actually works.
Over the course of my life I have had the chance to support a lot of tech, including a couple of medical prototypes that were supposed to have that kind of magic. Yet after my vision loss it was what amounted to a long white stick that had the most beneficial affects on my life. Sometimes low tech is the best tech.
Cane
I use one of the straight NFB canes most of the time because I really like the light weight, solid feedback, flexibility, and the types of grip I can use with it. I use a folding version for traveling in vehicles though… Yeah way too many broken straight canes in my past LOL. Wanting to try a slimline ambutech with foam handle to compare though, just don’t have the money ATM. Maybe then I won’t have to spend so much money on new tips dammit! 😠 LOL
Dog
I grew up around my parent’s guide dogs, but I just don’t think I am responsible enough, or have enough work for one where I am in life right now.
Mobile
I use IOS 15 (yep still haven’t upgraded) on an iPhone SE 2020. I tried Android but I didn’t know enough when I bought it and ended up with one that had no flashable ROM, so I couldn’t fix it’s quirks. Probably could have tried harder to figure things out, but the info was so scattered, or not up to date, or just not for beginners. I hope to try again someday when I can afford to buy a proper stock phone, because I certainly respect Android and it’s users, and want to have the knowledge under my belt.
Computer
I use Windows 10, I know I know, booooo! But I just never really got into Mac’s way of doing things, even though I did have one for a few years. I liked some things about it, but Mac’s are just, expensive man. As for Linux, I want to try it someday, but I’m intimidated by the seeming complexity and where ever I turn I hear blind people complaining about it’s shortcomings in the accessibility department. I should still get around to taking a crack at it one of these days though…
Screen Reader
As for Screen Reader, I use NVDA 90% of the time, and JAWS 2022 (my SMA is gone now 😭) for the other 10%. I’ve got my reasons for using both, and would suggest that anyone should have at least 2 solid screen readers on their system, just encase. I tend to use both for what they excel at, for instance JAWS and it’s many tools like skim read or text analyzer, or the ability to put a list of elements in a virtual window and jump to them, proof reading modes, good OCR on pictures, nice built in third party voices, really nice MS Office enhancements ETC. While I use NVDA for speed, ease of use, better compatibility with some programs, and some of the addons that do things that JAWS just can’t, like the automatic output for interactive fiction interpreters addon, the Winamp, goldwave, and VLC addons, auto translation, enhanced windows console support, Japanese Games Translator ETC.
Braille
I can read and write Braille including grade 2 and pre calculous Nemeth quite well, I don’t always remember the more obscure contractions, or some of the weirder UEB rules, and I used to be noticeably faster and more accurate, but I still know allot of it by heart and can read at about 85WPM. I have a focus 40 5th gen display, which I really should use more but I’ve been spoiled by E-Text and Audio Books so it’s hard to make my self use it, and I’ve played around with Braille screen input but never got very good with it, probably partly do to my small phone screen. It seems pretty awesome though, and definitely faster than the standard keyboard for most.
I use a cane. I am primarily IOS on mobile , but I might be swayed one day. I use both Windows and MacOS, and I have experience using Linux but I don’t like to.
I’ve always wanted to jump into Linux just to see what it’s like, even if I probably wouldn’t use it longterm just do to the fact that allot of programs I tend to use won’t work on it. I know that Orca has some problems though, especially because allot of FOSS projects apparently aren’t prioritizing accessibility, and the accessibility stack on Linux is iffy. I wonder if Odillia is any better yet? Or if it’s just easier to use, but still can’t properly integrate with the UI’s of these programs through no fault of it’s own. Keep in mind, this is all third party info, and I have no idea what half of it truly means, so if I’m talking out my ass, please let me know. Just try to be nice ahaha.
I haven’t used Linux in a long time, but in general if you’re using the mate desktop, it works reasonably well provided you’re comfortable doing a lot of things via the command line.
Setting up a VM or loading an ISO of your preferred distribution onto a USB stick is fairly straight forward, and I’d definitely recommend giving it a go if you have the time. Hint: If booting from USB, run CMD as admin, type reagentc.exe /boottore, restart, enable narrator, select your USB stick or whatever storage device you’re using, and enjoy. This came in very handy when my sighted friend couldn’t figure out my computer’s BIOS and I didn’t want to have to deal with VMware Player.
It’s on the rise right now. I think Orca is still prefered for general use.
I just can’t deal with the inconsistencies in Linux. As a magnification user and occasional screen reader user, I ran into too many issues.
I’m a tinkerer, but at the end of the day , I just want my computer to work.
I had a really hard time getting it going, but so far the Mate Desktop seems to be the only one that works for me…
I might try that, just for fun.
Cane for me. Would like a dog but it’s just not practical.
I’m at a crossroads with mobile right now, have always been Team Android but got an iPad Air after I went blind and am considering switching to iPhone for my next new phone, just for the convenience of being in one ecosystem and not having to remember three whole sets of gestures and commands.
Current PC is Windows only, but traditionally I like a dual-boot Windows/Linux system. I have yet to try Linux as a blind person and only just got the PC working again, am in the process of learning NVDA’s quirks and making my stuff accessible again.
Haven’t learned Braille yet. It’s on my to-do list, but that list is like seven leagues long.
Cane, IOS / Mac OS, and no Braille if I can help it. I can read far more quickly and efficiently with a screen reader.
New to this so: Learning cane. Still haven’t figured phone out yet. Linux, so learning Orca. Can’t feel dots for Braille. :(
Old conversation but am going to play anyway.
Most used to least used from left to right
- Canes: 1 rigid, 1 folding
- Windows, Android, Mac, Linux
- NVDA/JAWS/Narrator, VoiceOver, Orca, TalkBack
- Learning read braille on paper and use braille on screen keyboard on Android
When I am working I work with computers of multiple types. If I do not keep in practice with all of them I lose track of the keybard shortcuts and gestures I need to do things with them.
I’m just starting to use the cane. I’d never get a dog. It’s too much of a hassle. My cane doesn’t eat, crap, or need a dr. I’m reaching the limits of PC magnification. Looking seriously at screen readers. Android on a 7" tablet is almost impossible now. Trying talkback with limited success.
voiceover both on mobile and on my macbook, sometimes NVDA on my VM cane, I can’t read braille, so only speech.
Ok, why not?
I use a cane. My phone is an iPhone SE, but I use it little, I prefer a computer. I use Windows with NVDA and Eloquence. I prefer using braille but it’s not always at hand. At work I have a Focus, and back home I have an 80-cell Ecobraille.
