Ask HN: Do you know any Blind Person Who Can Code?
So, I'm just looking for examples out there from your own experience, and maybe some suggestions on how to make coding more approachable or enjoyable to people who suffer from such impairments.
So, I'm just looking for examples out there from your own experience, and maybe some suggestions on how to make coding more approachable or enjoyable to people who suffer from such impairments.
One anecdote. My team had done some work with a contractor, who was blind, to do QA around accessibility features and screen reader compatibility, his specialty. He came into town for an all-hands meeting, and after a brief orientation to the physical layout of the office, was perfectly self-sufficient and resourceful. Until one point a day or two into his visit when he called me over to his desk asking for help. He was rather frustrated because his screen reader had completely stopped talking to him, even though he could feel from the fans that it was still on. He asked if I could see anything obviously wrong on his screen. I failed to suppress a bit of a chuckle as I realized the screen in front of him was the least accessible in all of Windows: a BSOD!
The main tool he used was some screen-reading software called JAWS, which apparently is pretty sophisticated these days. You can see some of the other tools available here: http://www.freedomscientific.com/products/fs/blindness-produ...
I am not sure how he read the code, but I know the computer said the keys out loud as he typed.
GSA is a good source for information about tools.