Blind and Visually Impaired Community
↑
4
↓
Any tips on starting to learn nvda? (self.Blind)
submitted by ftrnlt
I am VI, I am still able to see on a computer screen by using magnification, but my eyes get sore and strain very easily. I am a software developer in a fast paced industry so that probably adds to it.
I want to start using nvda or other assistive tech so that i can lessen the load on my eyes.
Any tips for starting out?
I want to start using nvda or other assistive tech so that i can lessen the load on my eyes.
Any tips for starting out?
BenandGracie 2 points 2y ago
The NVDA website has some training materials that might work. I don't know of any other resources.
AndAdapt 1 points 2y ago
What ide do you use? That will point you in the direction of what accessible tool is best
ftrnlt [OP] 1 points 2y ago
Mostly Visual Studio (C#). But a big part of my job is also looking at web pages, doing sql queries, etc
AndAdapt 2 points 2y ago
Sounds like windows and NVDA could be the best choice here.
I see in their latest release notes for 2020.3 RC1 there is mention of specific improvements for VSCode. I believe it focuses on making the UI more responsive on suggestions etc. So there is a definite focus on making a great accessible dev environment.
I personally use NVDA on windows for VSCode and a few other bits. BUt, i also heavily use emacs with emacspeak on the Mac. I like the power of emacs and the fact with emacspeak it is incredibly accessible, not to mention geared towards developers and none mouse based interaction. With the latter having benefits to blind people as we mainly use the keyboard.
Also worth noting, WSL works well with NVDA. I have an Ubuntu instance, that i run through windows terminal and use NVDA with.
I see in their latest release notes for 2020.3 RC1 there is mention of specific improvements for VSCode. I believe it focuses on making the UI more responsive on suggestions etc. So there is a definite focus on making a great accessible dev environment.
I personally use NVDA on windows for VSCode and a few other bits. BUt, i also heavily use emacs with emacspeak on the Mac. I like the power of emacs and the fact with emacspeak it is incredibly accessible, not to mention geared towards developers and none mouse based interaction. With the latter having benefits to blind people as we mainly use the keyboard.
Also worth noting, WSL works well with NVDA. I have an Ubuntu instance, that i run through windows terminal and use NVDA with.
ftrnlt [OP] 1 points 2y ago
Cool man, will check it out. Piggybacking off of my original question, do you think one can eventually be as efficient as one was before losing sight?
AndAdapt 2 points 2y ago
That is a tough one to answer. I find to make myself s efficient as when i had sight i need to use a lot of devices. Whereas, when i had sight i could just use one device and work with the GUI.
An example of this is email. I find the iPAd Pro incredible for working with my inbox, incredibly fast with it. To the point i was using gmail on the web when I had sight.
If we are talking specifically coding. Writing code, absolutely. Debugging, depends on what you are coding. Read a brand new code base, no. Reading a codebase you have never interacted with is going to be slower. There may be ways around this, i however, do not know them.
I will say this though. Fully blind developers work at Google, Apple, IBM and Microsoft. They are all highly competitive companies to work at. Those blind individuals have done it, so it can 100% be done.
An example of this is email. I find the iPAd Pro incredible for working with my inbox, incredibly fast with it. To the point i was using gmail on the web when I had sight.
If we are talking specifically coding. Writing code, absolutely. Debugging, depends on what you are coding. Read a brand new code base, no. Reading a codebase you have never interacted with is going to be slower. There may be ways around this, i however, do not know them.
I will say this though. Fully blind developers work at Google, Apple, IBM and Microsoft. They are all highly competitive companies to work at. Those blind individuals have done it, so it can 100% be done.
bradley22 1 points 2y ago
I think there are videos on nvda on youtube, there’s also the manual.
charliesdesk 1 points 2y ago
what state are you in?
ftrnlt [OP] 1 points 2y ago
I'm all the way in South Africa. Why?
charliesdesk 2 points 2y ago
ah, was thinking you were in the US. some states have state agencies that would provide a teacher, but some states have better programs, don't know the deal in south africa except that a cool cane tip was invented there.
Amonwilde 1 points 2y ago
Kind of a tough one and I need to sit down and start some resources for this. I've written some hacks for Emacs that will read text, etc., and use those every day. NVDA is great but it can be a hard transition for a sighted person, the control scheme can feel restrictive if you're not that blind. Some IDEs to try with it are Notepad++ and I think Visual Studio is reasonably accessible.
My hacks for Emacs are kind of outdated, I'll need to update them when I hand in my dissertation but here they are:
https://github.com/smythp/eloud
My hacks for Emacs are kind of outdated, I'll need to update them when I hand in my dissertation but here they are:
https://github.com/smythp/eloud
ftrnlt [OP] 1 points 2y ago
Thanks man, will check it out
This nonprofit website is run by volunteers.
Please contribute if you can. Thank you!
Our mission is to provide everyone with access to large-
scale community websites for the good of humanity.
Without ads, without tracking, without greed.
scale community websites for the good of humanity.
Without ads, without tracking, without greed.
©2023 HumbleCat Inc • HumbleCat is a 501(c)3 nonprofit based in Michigan, USA.