OT: People who use Screen Readers

[Ian]

Been working on a freelance project during the day over the last couple of weeks before work, which has been pretty time-consuming and that's why I've been a little scarce here recently. But it's been quite eye-opening, with this particular project focusing on improving the experience on a site for screen readers. It now has me taking a long look at some things here, as I'm pretty shocked and blown away at what people have to deal with.

I'd like to know if anyone here is visually impaired and is forced to use them, along with what I can try to do to make the experience here better. I'd also like to know if you've found any sites extremely well done when it comes to that, as I'd like to get a feel for what features or methods might be helpful that I'm not aware of. I'm still really getting my feet wet with this and would love any insight people might be able to provide.

All I've learned the last few weeks is that the internet is mostly a miserable place for visually impaired people. So I'm going to make a push this offseason to try to make this place better from that standpoint, and would appreciate any feedback from anyone on here who deals with this, and hopefully make life a little easier here.

 

[UGAPatsfan]

Been working on a freelance project during the day over the last couple of weeks before work, which has been pretty time-consuming and that's why I've been a little scarce here recently. But it's been quite eye-opening, with this particular project focusing on improving the experience on a site for screen readers. It now has me taking a long look at some things here, as I'm pretty shocked and blown away at what people have to deal with.

I'd like to know if anyone here is visually impaired and is forced to use them, along with what I can try to do to make the experience here better. I'd also like to know if you've found any sites extremely well done when it comes to that, as I'd like to get a feel for what features or methods might be helpful that I'm not aware of. I'm still really getting my feet wet with this and would love any insight people might be able to provide.

All I've learned the last few weeks is that the internet is mostly a miserable place for visually impaired people. So I'm going to make a push this offseason to try to make this place better from that standpoint, and would appreciate any feedback from anyone on here who deals with this, and hopefully make life a little easier here.

Good on you Ian. Something I never considered. You mentioning it prompted a few emails to my team to audit our websites.

 

[Ian]

Good on you Ian. Something I never considered. You mentioning it prompted a few emails to my team to audit our websites.

It's horrible. Go on YouTube and look at how visually impaired people are forced to surf the web on phones. I put my phone in that mode to test it and had a heck of a time getting my phone back out of that mode because the way they have to navigate is not at all easy. Neither is finding what you're looking for, cycling through links, etc. It's absolutely brutal.

 

[everlong]

I can't stand wearing readers all day long. What I did to not have to use them is I have a 40 inch high def monitor with a great refresh rate and because of my desk setup I put it 4-ish feet away with an increased font size. Because of that I'm not having to use my near vision, or however you want to term it.

While my eyeglasses have progressives I didn't want that with my contacts because it effects my vision while driving. Throwing the glasses on vs the reader if I have to work late is much better.

 

[Wozzy]

I don’t wear glasses, don’t need them. But I would suggest everyone use blue light glasses when staring at screens of any kind and to allow natural sunlight (no sunglasses) into your eyes for at least a half hour a day.

There was a good Huberman Lab podcast on this topic and when it felt like my eyesight started going this regime completely turned it around.

 

[Bill Lee]

It's horrible. Go on YouTube and look at how visually impaired people are forced to surf the web on phones. I put my phone in that mode to test it and had a heck of a time getting my phone back out of that mode because the way they have to navigate is not at all easy. Neither is finding what you're looking for, cycling through links, etc. It's absolutely brutal.

My mom's journey now includes Alzheimer's and it's amazing how little of a **** the modern world gives for the elderly.

Pretty much every business now forces use of a mobile phone. Banks, utilities, etc. Yet as we all know everyone's eyesight will be in decline versus time. How to cope? Who knows!

It's enough of a challenge for her to keep the goddamn phone charged, never mind do 2FA.

Apparently after decades of coaching us to use left/right/up/down on a TV remote, we gotta change the metaphor. Apparently we can't have the TV just start up as a TV because Google pays TV vendors to use their TV operating system and to recover that money you have to start the TV on a page that lets Google sell you movies.

Now, Visio TVs make you open a WalMart account before you can use them.

God help us all.