I, too, got myself invited to the Gmail service. Your mail gave me the
confidence that things could be done. As you state, things can be done,
however, the mouse keys need to be fused uite a lot. According to another
person, I hear that google is working on it, and will be replacing the  java
aplets with more accessible ways of accessing information../ Anyways, I too
sent them a mail stating that accessibility needs to be improved.

My configuration is also Window-Eyes 4.5, SP4, and Windows xp.

Justin



> Hi all:
>
> If there are other lists where this has already been discussed, please feel free
> to let me know.
>
d> I just received a free gmail (Google Mail) invitation, and I have been able
to
> sign up and access it.  I wondered if others besides me have experimented with
> it and its interface.
>
> Before I explain further, let me say that I noticed in the help center that
> there is a list of keystrokes that may be used to initiate at least some of the
> functions.  I have not tested with them, but I suspect at least some of them
> will conflict with keys already used by screen readers when in IE (for example).
>  The keystrokes may help to improve the experience considerably, however.
>
> What I did notice are poorly labeled frames which do not help the surfing
> experience of a blind user at all (as far as I can tell).
>
> While I can use the interface, it seems to me that most of the
> functionality must be performed with screen reader mouse keys; there are
> few buttons or links, and even the combo boxes are a little strange. This
> is unfortunate since the approach could  be quite powerful in dealing with
> email.
>
> I am using Window-Eyes 4.5 SP4, Win XP SP1, and IE 6.  Honestly, though,
> I'd be surprised if JFW users would have an especially different experience.
>
> I guess I was surprised that this interface did not conform to more (what
> I'd consider to be standard Web interface practices).  While Earthlink's
> Web-mail interface is not perfect, it's less Mouse-dependent than Google's is.
>
> If others are working on this issue, have contacted Google, and have
> received any feedback, I'd be interested to know.  I don't know that I have time
> for a huge advocacy campaign, but I might have time to join one if there's one
> already underway.
>
> Best,
> Jennifer
>
>
> VICUG-L is the Visually Impaired Computer User Group List.
> To join or leave the list, send a message to
> [log in to unmask]  In the body of the message, simply type
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>  VICUG-L is archived on the World Wide Web at
> http://maelstrom.stjohns.edu/archives/vicug-l.html
>
>


Just an email away......
Justin


VICUG-L is the Visually Impaired Computer User Group List.
To join or leave the list, send a message to
[log in to unmask]  In the body of the message, simply type
"subscribe vicug-l" or "unsubscribe vicug-l" without the quotations.
 VICUG-L is archived on the World Wide Web at
http://maelstrom.stjohns.edu/archives/vicug-l.html