On Thu, Jul 19, 2018 at 10:49 AM, Ervin, Glenn wrote:

When it comes to the workplace, if there is challenges on company software with a screenreader, I think most agency staff might go with Jaws because we have access to people who contract their scripting services to make Jaws work with companies’ software.

So I would blame the scripters of screenreaders for not promoting NVDA, not the agencies.

In other words, it's another example of, "Because it's how we've always done it."

I have no beef with JAWS nor am cheerleading for NVDA, but people get in thought boxes all the time and a great many never get out.

I agree that there are way more people who write JAWS scripts than NVDA scripts, and that's mostly the result of history, which one cannot change.  I don't think those people promote JAWS, per se, but they are available as a ready resource.

You also wrote, "but I can tell you that many of us in our agency will first try the least expensive solution, which is NVDA when it comes to serving our clients.
I install NVDA on people’s personal computers all the time."  To which can only reply bravo to you and to your agency.  It certainly isn't something I've encountered here in Virginia, that's for sure.  My issue is with the fact that choices get made without any consideration as to what a client can or cannot afford to maintain on their own dime once the agency is out of the picture.   Screen readers are now in a place where the pace of change is faster than it had been for a very long time before which means that having the ability to update/upgrade over time is critical.   An individual client's situation, particularly if that situation does not involve gainful employment, needs to be considered when choosing assistive technology, but often isn't.

I will be very curious to see how much traction Narrator gains over the next several years as Microsoft appears to be deadly serious about developing this screen reader very actively and trying to make it keep up with the changes that are occurring in Windows 10 at the same time.  It's really a tectonic shift at Microsoft with regard to accessibility that's baked into the OS itself.   If nothing else, it will give myriad individuals a choice for a "backup screen reader" whenever their primary one decides it doesn't want to play well with something.  Just that often means the difference between success and failure at getting some small, yet critical, task completed.

It heartens me to see how many participants on this thread have stated clearly that there is no such thing as a "best" screen reader absent the context of where it's being used and for what purpose.  Each has times where it may be far better than another, but most are "pretty much the same" for mundane tasks, but life and work are not exclusively composed of mundane tasks, so finding which tool does a given specialized task the best can save a lot of time and frustration over the long term even if it takes a significant amount of time and frustration at the outset. 
 
--

Brian - Windows 10 Home, 64-Bit, Version 1803, Build 17134  

    A little kindness from person to person is better than a vast love for all humankind.

           ~ Richard Dehmel