Hi all:
If there are other lists where this has already been discussed, please feel
free to let me know.
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
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