Immagine creata de me con AI
Immages created by me with AI
Gli ostacoli da superare insieme
Salve a voi, community di HIVE, vi anticipo già che questo post potrà apparire molto noioso, ma vorrei spiegare come naviga un utente cieco o ipovedente nel web. Gli strumenti che utilizziamo e le piccole modifiche che si possono attuare per rendere il mondo digitale libero per tutti, senza barriere e distinzioni.
Nella vita di tutti i giorni dobbiamo affrontare ostacoli che a volte sembrano insormontabili, ma bisogna rimboccarsi le maniche ed andare avanti a testa alta e con il sorriso stampato in viso. Per noi non vedenti la difficoltà maggiore è sicuramente l’ autonomia di muoversi in questo mondo frenetico, per altri, potrebbero essere le barriere architettoniche ad impedigli una vita alla pari. Con l’ Unione Italiana Ciechi ed Ipovedenti, di cui faccio parte e svolgo la funzione di referente della mia zona, stiamo lavorando per superare questi problemi, ma anche nel web riscontriamo tantissimi ostacoli che si potrebbero risolvere con un poco in più di attenzione.
La tecnologia al nostro fianco
Oggi, grazie all’ utilizzo intelligente della tecnologia, maggior parte dei problemi vengono superati abbastanza facilmente. Nell nostro caso, quello della cecità, abbiamo strumenti per la vita quotidiana molto avanzati, ad esempio forni parlanti, piani di cottura ad induzione con comandi vocali, ed altri elettrodomestici che si possono comandare con una semplice app.
Per l’ utilizzo del computer abbiamo degli screen reader che leggono lo schermo indicando il contenuto della pagina. Io, in particolare uso JAWS, un lettore professionale, abbastanza semplice, per la navigazione.
I comandi principali sono:
- Le freccie direzionali: sono utili negli spostamenti nella pagina. Il sistema legge tutto quello che trova da sinistra verso destra spostandosi ad ogni elemento presente nella pagina, mentre il lettore, ci descrive cosa “Vede.
Il tasto E : cliccandolo, il sistema ti porta nel primo spazio disponibile di scrittura. Un esempio pratico, sei su un sito che richiede la password, cliccando E ti porta subito in quella riga, o meglio, ti porta nella prima sezione scrivibile.
Il tasto t : Cliccando ti porta nella prima tabella disponibile
Il tasto B : ti porta al primo bottone cliccabile
Il tasto C : al primo menù a tendina
Il tasto G : Alla prima immagine
Questi sono solo alcuni dei tasti per comandi rapidi, ma ne sono presenti moltissimi, visto che per noi il mouse è un optional.
Come aiutarci nel mondo digitale
Gli sviluppatori di un sito o di un game dovrebbero tener presente queste piccole accortezze, non è semplice, ci vuole impegno, ma il loro lavoro sarebbe apprezzato da tutti.
Visto che in questo mondo mi ci ritrovo, mi permetto di dare qualche consiglio, naturalmente senza pretese o altro, facendo esempi senza puntare il dito verso i programmatori.
#dcrops: In questo gioco siamo al 50% di accessibilità, riesco a giocare, ma ad esempio le carte dei semi e delle terre sono immagini che il mio lettore non vede, non vi dico la difficoltà di trovare una carta specifica nel mercato. Poi non posso nemmeno contattare gli sviluppatori avendo solo il canale Discord che io non sono in grado di usare in modo adeguato.
Ho portato questi esempi per far notare il contrasto tra accessibilità e l’ impossibilità di esser autonomo, senza dover chiedere a qualcuno cosa si stà cliccando.
Nel mio piccolo, nell’ immenso mondo digitale, cercherò di aiutare gli sviluppatori a creare uno spazio per tutti, mettendo a loro disposizione un poco di tempo per migliorare la situazione per chi purtroppo non vede. È verissimo, oggi è un mondo concentrato sul vedere, ma con qualche modifica, darete la vista a chi nella vita reale ne è sprovvisto.
Scusandomi per il lungo post logorroico, ma è una piccola battaglia che voglio vincere insieme, è una banalità, ma l’ unione fa la forza.
Grazie per l’ immensa pazienza
Il vostro
Zumzulik
Obstacles to overcome together
Hello to you, HIVE community. I’ll tell you in advance that this p ost might seem very boring, but I would like to explain how a blind or visually impaired user navigates the web. I want to talk about the tools we use and the small changes that can be implemented to make the digital world free for everyone, without barriers or distinctions.
In everyday life, we face obstacles that sometimes seem insurmountable, but we must roll up our sleeves and move forward with our heads held high and a smile on our faces. For us blind people, the greatest difficulty is certainly autonomy of movement in this hectic world; for others, it might be architectural barriers that prevent them from living an equal life. With the Unione Italiana Ciechi ed Ipovedenti (Italian Union of the Blind and Visually Impaired), of which I am a member and local representative, we are working to overcome these problems. However, even on the web, we encounter many obstacles that could be solved with just a little more attention.
Technology by our side
Today, thanks to the intelligent use of technology, most problems are overcome quite easily. In our case—blindness—we have very advanced tools for daily life, such as talking ovens, induction hobs with voice commands, and other appliances that can be controlled with a simple app.
To use a computer, we have screen readers that read the screen, indicating the content of the page. Specifically, I use JAWS, a professional and fairly simple reader for navigation.
The main commands are:
• The arrow keys: these are useful for moving around the page. The system reads everything it finds from left to right, moving to each element on the page, while the reader describes what it "sees."
• The E key: by clicking it, the system takes you to the first available text field. A practical example: if you are on a site that requires a password, clicking E takes you straight to that line, or rather, to the first writable section.
• The T key: clicking this takes you to the first available table.
• The B key: takes you to the first clickable button.
• The C key: takes you to the first dropdown menu.
• The G key: takes you to the first image.
•
These are just some of the shortcut keys, but there are many more, since for us, the mouse is an optional extra.
How to help us in the digital world
Website or game developers should keep these small considerations in mind. It isn’t easy and it requires commitment, but their work would be appreciated by everyone.
Since I am part of this world, I take the liberty of giving some advice—humbly, of course—using examples without pointing fingers at programmers.
#splinterlands: The site interface is easily navigable. Meacon and other developers have put up with all my requests—and there were many—but now the game is 95% accessible. The cards are all readable by the screen reader, allowing us to choose them without problems. Even though they are small works of art due to their graphic beauty, the functionality is perfectly accessible.
#peakd: Here we have a sore point. Unfortunately, the site consists of many unlabeled links; as a result, the screen reader only says "Link" without telling us what it is for. Honestly, it is frustrating to navigate by constantly clicking the arrow keys and hearing only the words "LINK" or "Unlabeled image." These are not criticisms—far from it, I appreciate the work they do—but as my coordinator always says, "We can always give more." Navigation or interactions on the site become challenging; let's be honest, you click randomly hoping not to cause any damage.
#dcrops: This game is at 50% accessibility. I can play, but for example, the suit and land cards are images my player can't see. I can't even begin to imagine how difficult it is to find specific cards in the market. I can't even contact the developers, as I only have the Discord channel, which I'm unable to use properly.
#ecency: Here we encounter some of the navigation issues I encounter on other platforms, such as unlabeled links or unidentified buttons. Those who want to enter these fantastic worlds find themselves faced with an almost insurmountable barrier, and sometimes, they lose patience before even starting, which is a shame for both the user and the Hive world.
I have brought these examples to highlight the contrast between accessibility and the impossibility of being autonomous without having to ask someone what you are clicking on.
In my small way, within the immense digital world, I will try to help developers create a space for everyone, offering some of my time to improve the situation for those who unfortunately cannot see. It is very true that today's world is focused on seeing, but with a few changes, you will give sight to those who lack it in real life.
I apologize for the long, long-winded post, but it is a small battle I want to win together. It may seem trivial, but unity is strength.
Thank you for your immense patience.
Yours,
Zumzulik
Overcoming obstacles together
Hello to you, HIVE community. I’ll tell you upfront that this post might seem a bit tedious, but I want to explain how a blind or visually impaired user navigates the web. I'll talk about the tools we use and the small changes that can be made to make the digital world free for everyone, without barriers or distinctions.
In everyday life, we face obstacles that sometimes seem insurmountable, but we must roll up our sleeves and move forward with our heads held high and a smile on our faces. For us blind people, the greatest difficulty is certainly the autonomy of moving in this fast-paced world; for others, it might be architectural barriers that prevent them from living an equal life. With the Italian Union of the Blind and Visually Impaired, where I serve as a local representative, we are working to overcome these problems. However, we also encounter many obstacles on the web that could be resolved with just a little more attention.
Technology by our side
Today, thanks to the intelligent use of technology, most problems are overcome fairly easily. In our case—blindness—we have very advanced tools for daily life, such as talking ovens, induction hobs with voice commands, and other appliances that can be controlled with a simple app.
To use a computer, we use screen readers that read the screen, indicating the page's content. I specifically use JAWS, a professional and relatively straightforward screen reader, for navigation.
The main commands are:
• Directional arrows: these are useful for moving around the page. The system reads everything it finds from left to right, moving to each element on the page, while the reader describes what it "sees."
• The E key: by clicking it, the system takes you to the first available text field. For a practical example: if you are on a site that requires a password, clicking E takes you immediately to that line—or rather, to the first writable section.
• The t key: takes you to the first available table.
• The B key: takes you to the first clickable button.
• The C key: takes you to the first combo box (drop-down menu).
• The G key: takes you to the first graphic (image).
These are just a few of the quick command keys, but there are many more, since for us, a mouse is optional.
How to help us in the digital world
Developers of a site or a game should keep these small adjustments in mind. It’s not easy and requires commitment, but their work would be appreciated by everyone.
Since I am part of this world, I’ll take the liberty of giving some advice—humbly, of course—using examples without pointing fingers at programmers.
I’ve shared these examples to highlight the contrast between accessibility and the impossibility of being autonomous without having to ask someone what I am clicking on.
In my own small way, within the immense digital world, I will try to help developers create a space for everyone, offering some of my time to improve the situation for those who cannot see. It is very true that today’s world is focused on seeing, but with a few changes, you can give sight to those who lack it in real life.
Apologies for the long, rambling post, but this is a small battle I want us to win together. It might seem trivial, but unity is strength.
Thank you for your immense patience.
Yours,
Zumzulik