Hacker News Reader

Comment by elliekelly | Hacker News Reader

I don't know if this would even be possible but, since you're a programmer and all, it would be cool if you built a small webapp/task-based game for people who aren't vision-impaired to try to navigate and experience the frustrations you experience every day. A gallery full of mystery photos, random buttons that needed to be clicked a weirdly specific way or don't work at all.

View on HN

We wrote a free screen reader simulator for this purpose (Chrome plugin):

https://silktide.com/resources/toolbar

It’s not a substitute for real-world testing, but it should help you appreciate the basics without having to learn a full screen reader.

We’re also working on some accessibility games right now (scores challenges for you to complete in a browser with a simulated disability), which sound a lot like what you’re suggesting.

I was surprised to find myopia here. Is there a level of myopia that can't be corrected with glasses and thus is a disability?

Pathological myopia can't be corrected with glasses.

TBH we call it "myopia" in the plugin because it's short and what we think most users would understand. Many visual disabilities cause a similar blurring effect, such as cataracts.

This is great. Until now I've been using ChromeVox, but found it quite difficult to use. Many esoteric keyboard shortcuts, some of which conflict with other browser functionality.

Toolbar seems a lot easier to to use for sighted developers. Less of a learning curve.

Oddly M doesn't seem to jump to the main content for me. I wonder if I've done something wrong. I'm going to play with it.

Thanks for developing this!

Just install a screen reader and close your eyes.

Cool, I didn't even know that was a thing I could do. I suppose I imagined screen readers as some sort of expensive software.

The open source ones are basically as good as the for-pay ones at this point.

Yep when I was doing accessibility dev, that was exactly how I tested. It's pretty effective and it also gives you a feel for how crappy the tools are for the blind.

what is the learning curve like for screen readers? ...and what form does documentation come in? I'd like to learn but not sure where to get started.

You can figure out the basics in about 20-60 minutes.

If you use a Mac, just enable VoiceOver: https://www.apple.com/voiceover/info/guide/_1121.html

If you use Windows, I suggest NVDA - it's a free screen reader that's similar to the most-popular-but-expensive one (JAWS): https://www.nvaccess.org/download/

IMHO the best screen readers are on your phone / tablet. This might sound crazy (how can a touchscreen work when you can't see it?) but they're much better designed than their desktop equivalents. Mobile software tends to be simpler, resulting in a better experience:

iOS: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qDm7GiKra28

Android: https://support.google.com/accessibility/android/answer/6007...

If you work in web tech and take 1-2 hours to learn one of these you'll be able to dazzle others with it for the rest of your life.

On iOS you can also enable the “Screen Curtain” to see how well voiceover will do: https://support.apple.com/en-us/HT201443

Reply on news.ycombinator.com