A Look at Yahoo! Messenger for Visually Impaired Users
March 19, 2007 on 8:44 am | In Features | 21 Comments
Close your eyes. Place your hands on the keyboard and try to find the mouse. You want to use Yahoo! Messenger, but you’re not sure where to go, how to type, or where to click…
For a moment, you just sat in the seat of a visually impaired user who cannot rely on a mouse or look at the screen the way sighted users do. So how would you use Yahoo! Messenger if you were visually impaired?
I spent some time recently with Victor Tsaran, a program manager on our Accessibility team here at Yahoo!. The team’s charter is to work with product teams, including Messenger, to make our technologies as accessible as possible for disabled users.
With the help of screen reader software, a visually impaired user can enjoy the Internet and products like Yahoo! Messenger. This kind of software responds to a user’s key commands. It scans the page or application and reads the content aloud. In this way, visually impaired users can “hear” where they are on the screen. There are several major screen reading programs available. Job Access for Windows with Speech (JAWS) is a popular one that works well with Yahoo! Messenger.
Because it reads the words aloud, a screen reader can sound wordy to people unaccustomed to listening to it. But the visually impaired user who is adept at listening to the reader can set the audio playback at a lightening pace. When Victor demonstrated how he uses Yahoo! Messenger with the JAWS screen reader, it sounded to me like supersonic gibberish. Thankfully, he used a command to slow down the audio so my less nimble ears could decipher it.
With a screen reader, visually impaired users can enjoy most of the communication features in Messenger. Watch this video to see how Victor uses Yahoo! Messenger with the JAWS software:
Victor also has developed several scripts for JAWS that make it more compatible with Yahoo! Messenger. One script reads aloud the alert pop-ups that come up from the taskbar, such as when a friend comes online or when a new Mail message arrives. Messenger has built-in sound alerts for these, but Victor’s script also reads aloud the content so he knows which friend has come online or what the subject of his new email message is.
Other scripts make it possible for him to click the links that friends send in an IM (remember, he doesn’t use a mouse!) and let him use some of the plug-ins like Weather and News.
Victor’s scripts aren’t just for his personal use. As he develops them, they are included in releases of the latest JAWS software. Thanks to Victor, Yahoo! Messenger is even more accessible for visually impaired users on JAWS.
Thanks, Victor for sharing your unique perspective on using Yahoo! Messenger.
Sarah Bacon
Product Manager
I can sympathize with Victor. I can’t see the chat rooms either.
Comment by Mike F — March 19, 2007 #
Perhaps if Yahoo! stuck to standard Windows GUI concepts, software like this would work much better in the first place.
Comment by Sean — March 19, 2007 #
It’s nice to see Yahoo helping out the visually impaired.
Comment by Venom — March 19, 2007 #
It’s nice to see Yahoo working with way to bring Messanger to more people, And that they are adding more and more products to try and make Messanger indespensable. Still comes to a large company forgetting they can’t fix or refuse to fix great chat rooms, Well ok once great chat rooms.
Comment by den — March 20, 2007 #
I’m thinking Yahoo! is visually impaired and deaf too, especially the way the chat rooms are going.
Comment by polar — March 20, 2007 #
On Vista, when someone sends me a file and I choose the directory, or want to send a file, it shows the old windows 3.1 style dialogs!!! AhH!!
I can’t adjust the dialog box size, and saving a file it shows the old style dialog – showing the drive letter on the bottom, then the folder on the right!!
Comment by nabeel — March 20, 2007 #
Good work Yahoo! and others who are working for physically challenged people.
Comment by user — March 20, 2007 #
I wish I were visually impared, because then I wouldn’t have to see the obnoxious advertising in Y!IM.
Comment by Reality — March 20, 2007 #
As a fellow handicap, I appreciate this post and the technology at Yahoo Messenger. YM has given people like me who are stuck in their homes to be connected to the world instantly.
I am making this as the “Post of the Day” at my “Post Awards” blog.
http://postawards.blogspot.com/2007/03/post-of-day-yahoo-messenger-blog.html
Comment by Easterangel — March 20, 2007 #
congrats Mr,Victor Tsaran.and Sahra Bacon too.
Comment by duranto (ctg) — March 21, 2007 #
Thanks Easterangel!
Comment by Administrator — March 21, 2007 #
while this is a great job, lets work on making the chat room more friendly! and not with stinking bots! it takes forever to get into a chatroom, and then sometimes voice isn’t working. please, please make the rooms better!
thank you!
Comment by soulie — March 21, 2007 #
You’re welcome Sarah. Check up on the site again by Saturday and see if you won the “Post of the Week”.
Comment by Easterangel — March 21, 2007 #
i cant see chat either and i have perfect vision can you help me also ? lol i see the chat loading screen with the HUGE ad fine pfft wake up yahoo morons
Comment by Yep — March 26, 2007 #
My Y!M had a bug that when I right click in message list what I chatting with friends, Y!m close immediately, and I click in Emoticons button the same bug occur. This bug occur after Y!M installed in more 10 days, I reinstall it but nothing change. (I use dial-up connection). Can you help me? (Sorry about my bad English!)
Comment by Tam Mai — March 28, 2007 #
Look at Victor in his video debut! Such a great post. Well done!
Comment by Nicki Dugan — April 6, 2007 #
Where can we download these scripts?
How do we install them?
Comment by Scott — May 5, 2007 #
Hi Scott,
Thanks for your interest in Victor’s scripts. The scripts that he writes are not something that are available for download. They are already built into the software if the maker of JAWS decides to use them. So if you have the latest version of JAWS, then hopefully you can enjoy some of Victor’s contributions.
Thanks,
Sarah Bacon
Comment by Administrator — May 5, 2007 #
Thank you Sarah for your quick response. This is useful because a Blind friend asked how she might talk to me online.
Comment by Scott — May 7, 2007 #
Hi
WackyB has created a skin for users who’s eyesight may not be as good as it once was but not totally blind yet…
http://www.wackyb.co.nz/vb/showthread.php?p=2646
The easy to install skin features increased font size, Yellow/Blue colour scheme to aid visual contrast. outlined title and menu texts. check out the preview screen shot at the above link. Download install file also on that page.
Hope this helps,
– Andy
Comment by Andy — May 14, 2007 #
[...] Victor on TV reminded me of the interview I did with him in early 2007, not long after the blog started. In the video below, Victor shows me how a blind [...]
Pingback by A chat with Victor Tsaran, Accessibility Program Manager | Yahoo! Messenger Blog — March 11, 2010 #