Hi All,
I agree with Terri although I have mixed feelings about the issue. On the
one hand, the free alternatives to JAWS have their limitations. I haven't
found the Braille display support in VoiceOver, NVDA, and TalkBack to be
very good. I take them for what they are; free options I have for personal
use. It will be interesting to see what Microsoft does if they add Braille
display support to Narrator which they recently said they would do.
On the other hand, I find JAWS to be the best option at work as it supports
Braille displays, and the variety of applications I need to use. The
support isn't perfect but then nothing is perfect. A company like VFO
doesn't just build a product. They have to support it, and keep up with
what is going on in the computer industry. This is a tall order for a
relatively small company. They also have to deal with the reality that they
can't depend on purchases from government agencies or companies. The
employment model businesses are now using doesn't lend itself to support a
company to make major purchases. The trend is toward contract work where
the employee needs to provide their own technology. I won't get into the
issues of whether this is right or wrong as this is a technology list not a
political bully pulpit. I know I won't be able to afford JAWS once my job
ends next year, but I hope to get a new job where an employer might buy it
if I'm lucky to get a traditional job rather than contract work. When
companies have tried some other funding model this hasn't always worked.
Serotek always bragged about free updates and what have they done lately?
GW Micro offers WindowEyes free for anyone with a license for Microsoft
Office but Office isn't always cheap either. I'm lucky to get a company
discount on Microsoft Office but that will change next year when my job
ends.
Blind people may need to find other ways to purchase screenreaders like
setting aside money either earned from an employer, or from public
assistance. It is possible to deduct the cost of technology purchases from
taxable income. Some employers have flexible spending accounts for medical
and dental insurance, and a person can use this money to purchase assistive
technology. I have done this several times.
I don't think the current reality will change anytime soon so people will
need to be creative.
Dan
-----Original Message-----
From: Visually Impaired Computer Users' Group List
[mailto:[log in to unmask]] On Behalf Of Terri Hedgpeth
Sent: Tuesday, December 13, 2016 12:44 PM
To: [log in to unmask]
Subject: Re: [VICUG-L] my conversation with Brian at Freedom scientific
Harry,
You are blind, I am blind, your logic does not make sense.By your comparison
we should not have to pay for taxis because sighted people can drive their
own cars; people who use wheelchairs should not have to pay for their chairs
because others can walk. Deaf people should not have to pay for hearing aids
because others can hear.
Harry, that is a Socialist society. There are many countries that are
socialistic societies. Let me tell you that employment of people with
significant disabilities like blindness, deafness, and wheelchair users is
much lower in those countries. In those places, you don't have to pay for
screen readers, etc. However, in exchange for all that free Government
support you are considered incapable of working or holding a job and you are
thus not given the opportunity to demonstrate otherwise. I would much rather
have employment opportunities like we have here so I can earn money and buy
those and many other things. GET OFF the PITY POT PLEASE.
If you want to propose a pricing structure that is different from their
current model, that makes perfect sense. If you think you are entitled
because you are blind, I don't think that will fly here.
Terri
-----Original Message-----
From: Visually Impaired Computer Users' Group List
[mailto:[log in to unmask]] On Behalf Of Harry Brown
Sent: Tuesday, December 13, 2016 11:10 AM
To: [log in to unmask]
Subject: Re: [VICUG-L] my conversation with Brian at Freedom scientific
Hi Bill,
Thanks for your great comments!
I will say once again, as I've always said, and I will keep saying it, and I
hope more people will say it as well.
A sighted person buys a windows computer, brings it home, gets it up and
running, and they can read a screen *FOR FREE*!
A blind person, buys a windows computer, brings it home, and has to buy a
screen reader, and has to download and install it, or, get the dvd, and
install it. This, is, immoral.
Even NVDA wants you to pay money, that's crap, too.
Until we can read the screen on a windows computer for free, just like a
sighted person doesn't have to pay to read the screen, we are still, at a
disadvantage.
Has there been progress with Narrator? Certainly, but not enough.
Harry
On 12/12/2016 7:25 PM, Bill Pasco wrote:
> Yep, that has always been JAWS' position. However, it doesn't explain
> how companies like Serotek and NV Access keep sending out upgrades and
> updates without charging additional money for System Access, or NVDA.
> They are not Microsoft either, but they have a more moral approach. I
> could see paying small upgrade fees for major updates, but this policy
> of paying $1,100 up front, then several hundred dollars every single
> year to update is solely based on the fact that they have lots of
> government contracts who don't mind paying it. Though it is an
> advanced screen reader, it isn't perfect. It is bloated, sometimes
> over complicated, and deffinitely over priced. When they were a tiny
> start up as Henter Joyce, I could see how they had to charge a lot.
> But, though they are not Microsoft, they are not small either. They
> have 70 percent of the world screen reader market and are plenty big
> enough to charge a reasonable fee. And, for the record, the blind
> screen reader market is not all that small. That is a red herring.
>
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