
How can you program if you're blind? (2013) - raoulj
https://stackoverflow.com/questions/118984/how-can-you-program-if-youre-blind
======
SunShiranui
I've seen blind CS students use a combination of braille displays and screen
readers:
[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Refreshable_braille_display](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Refreshable_braille_display)

------
projectramo
A lot of these solutions center on the entry part of programming.

I don't know what it is like to program blind, but I imagine the big challenge
is on reading and stepping through code.

When I do that, I have multiple windows that step through the structure and
then I pause the code and interrogate variables.

When someone cannot see, do they load up a greater part of the code into their
memory? Instead of relying on the editor to pull up the definition of a
function in a window, do they just read it once and keep that in their head?

For example, I am in a subroutine in a subroutine, and I notice that an array
has an unexpected value. I look at the function that is assigning that value
and I wonder what it does. That is 4 windows right there.

------
zabi_rauf
Saqib from Microsoft is blind and demoed using Visual Studio at Build this
year

[https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=iWXebEeGwn0](https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=iWXebEeGwn0)

~~~
melling
At 2:22 he has to press F5 to build.

Personally, I would like to say "Build", "Run", "Next Error", "insert line
below", "rename function foo to bar", "Reformat file", "Reformat method", etc
in my editor. Wouldn't we all benefit by having an editor that had some voice
commands?

~~~
simias
I hope a blind person will be able to answer you but I can't really imagine
how voice command would be more efficient than a simple keyboard shortcut.
Admittedly the F keys are not the easiest to access though, I prefer emacs-
style chording.

~~~
melling
Ok, imagine that you're sitting in front of a tablet without a keyboard.
That's an easy use case.

Yes, one can be quite fast if they're sitting with their fingers resting on
the keyboard. I wouldn't want to take that away.

However, I'm often sitting back reviewing what I wrote, and I'd certainly like
the option of have my computer assist via voice without needing to reach for
the keyboard.

~~~
vram22
Yes, that's a good use case. I've often thought it would be useful if I could
do some light work (reading, maybe some form of more active work too), when I
am not at my PC or laptop - though wouldn't want to do it all the time, just
have the option and use it sometimes.

------
gtani
I used to work in adaptive skiing, mostly with visually impaired kids and
adults, and met a couple of blind develoeprs and people working on screen
readers and other equipment.

They lived in California which helped with a lot of expensive Braille and
other equipment, but mostly they achieved at a high academic and industry
level thru sheer determination. Academics: degrees from MIT, Berkeley, other
top programs. One critical skill was to crank up their browser readers to
unbelievable speeds, I couldnt understand anything at that speed. I think most
of them used the emacs-speak interface from Cornell. There weren't any tools
to make schematics and similar dense graphic representations approachable,
tho.

------
vram22
A blind person contacted me some time ago to check if I could give him
training on Python. He was already using computers using some sort of open
source software that helped with his disability, but it was rather
inefficient.

After discussions, we concluded that (at least given the tech we knew about
and that he could afford), it would not work out. Sad for such people.

------
js2
There was a pretty good discussion here two years ago which included a screen
reader example:

[https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=8965048](https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=8965048)

------
cafard
A man I worked with used a combination of a magnifier--he could see a foot-
high letter, I gather--and a screen reader.

------
2-4-Flinching
" I use windows xp as my operating system"... WTH!!

"Sep 29 '08" ohhh LOL

~~~
mtve
I use winxp too, today.

