Harry,
I don't have windows 10, so I can't report on that, but I do sometimes
use Narrator on windows 8.1. the commands are different from the screen
readers we're use to, but once you get the hang of them, you can get a
lot done with it. I'd say Narrator is about 80% ready to be a full-time
screen reader.
It does work with the newest version of Internet Explorer, with
Microsoft Word 2013, and with the email program that comes with Windows
8. I'm 99% sure I've used it successfully with PowerPoint 2013. My guess
is that Narrator would work with other Microsoft products.
The biggest problem with Narrator is that it doesn't seem to read text
anywhere else. When I use Narrator in Firefox, I can read all the links
and buttons, and I can read the text I type into the search box, but I
can't read a lot of the stuff that appears with the results link. In
Thunderbird, I can read the message headers and footer, but not the text
of the body. In Open Office, I can read menus, but not the text of a
document. Etc. My guess is that developers need to do some extra work,
which I suspect they'd rather not do.
Beyond that, Narrator needs bits and pieces. I could probably identify
them if I used it more consistently, but it's hard when I have to keep
changing screen readers to get things done.
I really wish windows would bulk up Narrator. I really want the ability
to walk up to any computer anywhere and just be able to use it.
Ciao
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