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Items tagged with: Screenreader


How do I use Gmail with JAWS? Our archived training walks through six practical tips to help you work more efficiently in Gmail. Learn keyboard-driven ways to write, format, review, and manage email with confidence using JAWS screen reader.

Listen here: freedomscientifictraining.libs…

#JAWS #ScreenReader


question for people- for the accessible description of an emoji, would you expect it to say the skin tones?

for instance, "women holding hands" vs "women holding hands: light skin tone, medium-light skin tone"

personally the latter feels very verbose, but i'd love to get thoughts!

#mastodon #mastodev #a11y #accessibility #screenreader


A friend of mine, Beqa Gozalishvili, a very talented developer from Georgia the country, announced an early stage of his #SAPI5 wrapper for the popular #ESpeakNG #TTS engine. bug reports and feature requests are welcome, he says in his Telegram channel. He does speak English. github.com/gozaltech/espeak-ng… #Accessibility #ScreenReader #Windows #JAWS #NVDA


I bought myself a new keyboard with Christmas money, and after just a day of using it, I'm honestly kind of stunned by how much of a difference it's making.
I picked up a Keychron K10 Max from Amazon and got it yesterday, and I don't think I ever want to go back to a membrane keyboard again.
For context: before this, I was using a Logitech Ergo K860. It's a split, membrane keyboard that a lot of people like for ergonomics, and it did help in some ways — but for me, it was also limiting. My hands don't stay neatly parked in one position, and the enforced split often worked against how I naturally move. It also wasn't rechargeable, and the large built-in wrist rest (which I know some people love) mostly became a dirt-collecting obstacle that I had to work around.
Another big factor for me is that I often work from bed. That means my keyboard isn't sitting on a perfectly stable desk. It's on a tray, my lap, or bedding that shifts as I move.
The Logitech Ergo K860 is very light, which sounds nice on paper, but in practice it meant the keyboard was easy to knock around, slide out of position, or tilt unexpectedly. Combined with the split layout, that meant I was constantly re-orienting myself instead of just typing.
The Keychron, by contrast, is noticeably heavier — and that turns out to be a feature. It stays put. It doesn’t drift when my hands move. It feels planted in a way that reduces both physical effort and mental overhead. I don't have to think about where the keyboard is; I can just use it.
For a bed-based workflow, that stability matters more than I realized.
With chronic pain, hand fatigue, and accessibility needs, keyboards are not a neutral tool. They shape how long I can work, how accurately I can type, and how much energy I spend compensating instead of thinking.
This new keyboard feels solid, responsive, and predictable in a way I didn't realize I was missing. The keys register cleanly without requiring force, and the feedback is clear without being harsh. I'm not fighting the keyboard anymore. It's just doing what I ask.
What surprised me even more is how much better the software side feels from an accessibility perspective. Keychron's Launcher and its use of QMK are far more usable for me than Logitech Options Plus ever was. Being able to work with something that’s web-based, text-oriented, and closer to open standards makes a huge difference as a screen reader user. I can reason about what the keyboard is doing instead of wrestling with a visually dense, mouse-centric interface.
That matters a lot. When your primary interface to the computer is the keyboard, both the hardware and the configuration tools need to cooperate with you.
I know mechanical keyboards aren't new, but this is my first one, and I finally understand why people say they'll never go back. For me, this isn't about aesthetics or trends. It's about having a tool that respects my body and my access needs and lets me focus on the work itself.
I'm really grateful I was able to get this, and I'm genuinely excited to keep dialing it in. Sometimes the right piece of hardware, paired with software that doesn’t fight you, doesn’t just improve comfort. It quietly expands what feels possible.
#Accessibility #DisabledTech #AssistiveTechnology
#ScreenReader #NVDA
#MechanicalKeyboards #Keychron
@accessibility @disability @spoonies @mastoblind


#AskFedi what screen readers are people using these days?

With folks moving to more secure browsers, I feel like it’s time to find new ones for website accessibility audits. Curious how others are treating the browser upheaval & accessibility?

I’m working on this for one of my #nonprofit clients and to grow out our accessibility resources for communicators.

#accessibility #disabilityRights #disabiltyjustice #screenreader


#Blind #Linux #Accessibility / #a11y folks, I need a #ScreenReader #accessible #email client that supports calendar and contacts integration with #Outlook and #GoogleWorkspace. Thunderbird is out because I cannot find reliable instructions on connecting it to my Outlook contacts. Anyone who suggests that I should either switch back to Windows or use my phone for email will be playfully booped over the head with a pool noodle. Kidding. Seriously though, recommendations welcome. Thanks. #BlindMasto #BlindMastodon #BlindFedi #MailClient #EmailClient


Anyone got any recommendations for non-spyware #email providers whose webmail/account management doesn't fucking suck with a #screenreader? Happy to pay for it. More details in replies.


I should probably slightly amend that statement.
If someone needs help with their #accessibility from a native #screenReader user with a coding background, keep me in mind.
If you want your product to be more #accessible as a new year's resolution, also keep me in mind. i won't even judge if you drop the resolution two weeks after.
If you've received complaints your product isn't accesssible but decided they weren't worth addressing, please realize you're deliberately choosing to exclude a bunch of people, decide you want to be a better human than that, and THEN keep me in mind :)


Welp ... I was just informed through a Slack DM that I will no longer be working at the place I'm working at in two weeks' time. That is, evidently, how we handle that now. Not entirely unexpected as the writing on the wall was evident, but still not loving that approach for reasons I haven't quite worked out yet.
If anyone needs help with their #accessibility from someone with both native #screenReader experience and a coding background, keep me in mind I guess :)
Located in the eastern Netherlands, primarily interested in remote opportunities.
#fediHired #layoffs


So in today's edition of #screenreader problems: reading a book with a #Japanese character named Mami is deeply disconcerting, because my screen reader pronounces it "mommy". I just thought...the character was weirdly being called mom by everyone until I finally stopped to check the spelling. Screen readers of the time are also why I thought "anime" rimed with "time" until I was like 14. Uselessly, looking it up online gives me four different examples of how to pronounce Mami, all with different emphasis and "a" sounds. Including one joker who really is pronouncing it exactly like "mommy". So I dunno.


Today I learned why Sonata #TTS created a framework to run AI voices outside of #NVDA. First, NVDA doesn't come with all of the #Python standard libraries. Second, there's no good way of updating dependencies in a bundled addon. Third, NVDA really, really hates it if you include several hundred dependencies in your addon. Anyway, here's kitten TTS, the other synthesizer I wanted to try with NVDA. Unfortunately, the model doesn't support streaming output, so even though it's actually faster than Supertonic, it feels slower when used with NVDA. Also, it takes several minutes to install, makes NVDA startup 30 seconds slower, and freezes the change synthesizer dialogue for about 45 seconds when you open it. It does miss words less frequently, though, and pronounces text better. The ultimate result of my two-day investigation is that even the highly optimized open-source AI imbedded models are not yet ready for screen reader use. Some tree-shaking could fix some of these issues, but it still won't allow for streaming, so it's not worth it. I'd really like to know what Microsoft and Narrator are doing to get the natural voices so snappy. github.com/fastfinge/kittentts-nvda/#screenreader




Dear #QT toolkit, recently I'm again looking into your #screenreader #a11y into #QML in particular.
I'm trying to make one of my favorite apps @Mixxx DJ Software a bit more accessible.
Last night I have managed to turn the menu with items such as 4 decks, Library, Effects and more into aria toolbar pattern in terms of keyboard navigation. It only consumes single tab stop when navigating through it and other buttons can be reached using the arrow keys.
Of course there is much more to do and I've started a forum topic documenting my attempts.

mixxx.discourse.group/t/new-qm…


New #screenReader verbosity settings for messages are now widely available in #Slack, under the #accessibility category of preferences. You can now control which parts of messages are spoken and in what order.

As part of this change, you'll also find that recent replies in threads now have relative timestamps (e.g. "just now" or "2 minutes ago") instead of absolute ones. This update brings the screen reader experience in line with the visual interface, with absolute timestamps still being used outside of threads.

If you have suggestions or run into problems, please use the /feedback command and mention that you use a screen reader. Alternatively I'm also happy to pass along any issues if I can reproduce them.


Ist hier jemand, der mir Fragen zu Screenreadern für Personen mit Sehbehinderung beantworten kann? Ich schreibe gerade Alt-Texts für eine Website und habe eine spezifische Frage:
Wie kommen Screenreader mit englischen Begriffen und Abkürzungen klar?

#screenreader



The new offline Ava HD voice available for Windows 11 insiders in the Narrator #screenreader is...wild. Who...what...why? She wants so badly to be my friend and I hate it! I just want her to read the things on the screen. Why is she so smiley and happy? To be fair, all of the other natural voices for Narrator are nearly perfect. If they were just a bit quicker, and had fewer weird pauses, and worked with NVDA, they could almost replace eloquence.


The World #Blind Union General Assembly and World #Blindness Summit in São Paulo, #Brazil in September was an amazing opportunity not only to talk about NVDA, but to give a presentation on the amazing MOVEMENT behind the world's favourite free #screenreader! We have two videos of the presentation and a full transcript for you, complete with an audience-initiated chant of "#NVDA NVDA NVDA!" at the end!

nvaccess.org/post/world-blind-…

#NVDAsr #Accessibility #Movement #Social


Do you use #eloquence on the 64-bit #nvda#screenreader? If so, a new release is available, and we could use your help! You can find out more info on the release page: github.com/fastfinge/eloquence_64/releases/tag/v4#blind#accessibility#a11y



Just discovered an incredible resource for accessible Bible study: World Bible Plans

As a totally blind, autistic, chronically ill Christian, finding tools that are both spiritually rich and screen‑reader friendly isn't easy. Their EPUB plans (like the World English Bible with David Guzik's commentary) have proper headings for navigation, built-in cross-references, and formatting that makes daily devotions possible without frustration.

I don't know if all their plans are accessible by default, so I suggest mentioning in the “additional requests” box that you're blind and need screen‑reader friendly formatting. That's what I did, and the result was excellent.

Also note that if you choose a Bible version that isn't in the public domain, the plan will only give you a guide showing which verses to read, not the full text.

If you've struggled with inaccessible study tools, this might be a game‑changer.

#Christian #Bible #BlindChristian #Accessibility #BibleStudy #WorldBiblePlans #ScreenReader


Do I understand correctly that Narrator is currently not available in the installer for #Windows11? Does this apply to the out-of-box experience, or only the bit before that? I.e. if I buy a computer with Win 11 already installed, will Narrator work for the setup? #accessibility #screenReader


I am working on some Gemini related stuff (the protocol, not Google AI) and would be interested in hearing about how Gemini stacks up from an accessibility perspective. Are there any specific clients or screen readers that work best? Is there any specific Gemini formatting that helps or hinders? Is there any accessible-specific content that you think should be made available via Gemini?

On a related note, am I wrong in thinking that Gemini is well suited to a low/no vision user? And if so, why?

geminiprotocol.net/

#GeminiProtocol #Accessibility #ScreenReader #AskFedi



Ok, so this is another of those weird questions which I post because people here use their brains more than most. I want to have one NVDA Remote client control two machines at the same time. That is, I want my laptop to control my desktop and my second desktop, but I want both desktop1 and desktop2 to have their NVDA heard through the laptop at the same time. I also want to switch back and forth between the two machines, as well as to and from the laptop itself, with a keystroke. There are two solutions I've found for this, but both are a bit of a mess. I can use thenvdaremote:// URLs to disconnect from desktop1 and connect to desktop2 with one keystroke, and have another keystroke to do the reverse. The problem there is that I can't hear both machines' NVDA at the same time. Also, and this isn't as big a deal, I'm just a perfectionist, switching takes a few seconds. Secondly, I can run a virtual machine and have that connected to desktop2, with the host machine connected to desktop1. That allows easy switching of the keyboard, just alt+tab to the VM window and hit ctrl+g when I want to control desktop2. It also allows both desktops to have their NVDA run through the speaker at the same time and also, which is very nice, allows braille to swap with any display which supports channels. The problem there is the latency of the VM audio, which I can't seem to shrink. It seems a bit overkill, I may say, to run an entire windows OS just for NVDA remote in a VM. Does anyone have any better solutions. Can anyone think of something which would get all three things running, fast switching, simultaneous NVDA, and no latency? Ideas would be very gratefully received and boosts would be appreciated. #NVDA #blind #a11y #screenreader #remote #nvdaremote


Yesterday an open-source developer Christian has released life changing update to the privacy respecting #android app called #MakeACopy. The app now features so called #accessibility mode that is enabling #screenReader users to take pictures of the paper documents independently.
Accessibility guide is available on github.
The latest prerelease version provides clear Accessibility guidance phrases with screen readers such as Talkback, Corvus, Jieshuo and others that can handle announcement accessibility event.

I am verry happy about this. We are now getting privacy respecting open-source based screen reader accessible solution that performs very well and is easy to use.

The prerelease version can be downloaded at
github.com/egdels/makeacopy/re…




Question for the fediverse tech folk: work has asked me to learn Google’s Big Query. Does anyone know how #accessible it is with a #screenreader? And where is the best place to start for someone mostly familiar with small scale postgresql deployment? #bigquery


This week's In-Process blog post is out! Featuring:
- NVDA 2025.3.1
- Reece gets Behind the News with Audio Description
- Manual configuration profiles
- Featured add-on: “Check Input Gestures”
- Bonus tip: Report keystroke

Read it here: nvaccess.org/post/in-process-1…

(Or subscribe for future issues at: nvaccess.org/newsletter ).

It's definitely worth it for Reece at least, he's a little firecracker!

#NVDA #NVDAsr #Blog #Newsletter #News #BTN #Tips #ScreenReader


I've said it before, but it's disappointing when small things let down the #accessibility of an otherwise good interface.

For instance, I've told many people that the Tailscale web UI is actually quite good with a #screenReader. Unfortunately, the first thing an NVDA user hears after authenticating is a bunch of nonsense caused by an unlabelled SVG, and it doesn't create the best first impression:

"
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Hey guys. I hope you’re all doing well. So, I’m using #Abletonlive12 with a #Screenreader, which works quite well. However, there’s very little information to help those screen reader users getting started, and I’m worried about falling behind on my work as a result. I’ve also run into another problem. It seems as though an upcoming module in my degree requires that you have ableton sweet. I managed to get myself up to standard, but with all the expenses I’ve had to pay including for university I wasn’t able to afford suite even with a 50% discount. Is there some sort of Beta program that I can join that would allow me to upgrade to suite for free in return for giving them feedback?


So ...there's various situations where .NET UI #accessibility just isn't as automatic as it should be. Loads of times I see perfectly good label texts within buttons, listItems, etc. that for whatever internal reason isn't actually the button's #accessible name. This has been a problem for close to twenty years now and I doubt #microsoft is ever going to fix it, so I had a crack at it. All the disclaimers apply, this is mostly just a thing I wrote for myself and I figured it might be helpful to some: github.com/zersiax/dotnet_fix
If you have to use .NET apps that seemingly have a bunch of unlabeled buttons, but object navigation reveals text inside, this might help some. No guarantees, and if it breaks you get to keep both pieces :P #foss #NVDA #screenReader #blind


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Switching to #NVDASR #ScreenReader in December 2022 from a paid solution was one of the best accessibility choices I've made in my entire life.
That is all.



The thing about JAWS vs NVDA is that it doesn't matter if @freedomscientific packs it with objectively better features. NVDA is free, easy to use (within the context of desktop screen readers), and it's good enough for the vast majority of screen reader users. Want to browse the web? Want to check your email? Need to type up an assignment? Need to track data with spreadsheets? Want to write some code? Want to run virtual machines? Just wanna keep up with your communities on Discord? Want to test your app for accessibility? NVDA can do all of those things. There is no faffing, no caveats, no running obscure commands, and no license to install. You download it. You install it. You run it. That's it. Want it to do more stuff? Open the addon store which is built into NVDA. If you know Python, you can write your own addons and share them with other users.
FS is relying on organizations like schools and governments where paying hundreds and hundreds of dollars is normal and expected and you can't just install an addon to an existing app. This does not work outside of those organizations. The blind kid who wants to listen to memes and keep up with their friends doesn't have several hundred dollars per year, but they probably know that they can go download a free screen reader that will let them listen to memes and keep up with their friends.
NVDA is winning because it's good enough for most people and costs nothing. If you do have the money to spare for a license and you want to use JAWS because you prefer it, that's fantastic! I'm glad you found a screen reader that you like. Most people will choose the free option because they just wanna listen to their favorite streamer while they type up their research paper.
#blind #AccessForAll #ScreenReader #nvda #jaws #jaws26


🎉 Nueva ponencia en la #a11yConf2025.
Presentamos a @jmdaweb, ingeniero de software y consultor de accesibilidad en Plexus.
Es presidente de la Comunidad Hispanohablante de NVDA,, y está certificado como Web Accessibility Specialist (WAS) por la IAAP.
🛠️ En esta primera edición de la a11yConf ofrecerá el taller:
“NVDA para desarrolladores: escucha lo que tu interfaz esconde”.
📍 Girona, 29 de noviembre
🌐 a11yconf.com/es/agenda#JoseMan…
#A11Y, #AccesibilidadDigital, #ScreenReader, #Lectordepantalla, #Workshop, #Taller, #Inclusión, #DesarrolloWeb, #Girona


How is the state of PDF #accessibility on macOS for #screenReader users? If I gave someone a PDF that was prepared in a fully #accessible way, what would they use to read it with #VoiceOver, and to what extent would the accessibility be retained?

Note that I'm specifically not interested in applications that strip out all of the text to essentially make a plain version. Those can be useful when you just need to read something and don't care how, but the degree to which accessible semantics like headings, tables, lists, etc. are kept at that point is usually zero.

I'm also not asking about applications that reinvent the accessibility for PDFs and ignore what's already there, as many browsers do.