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The Samford Progress Association’s free community newspaper printed continuously since 1977.
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“Your Community Newspaper, owned by the Samford Community and produced for the benefit of the Samford Community.” 18 AUGUST, 2023
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E: editor@villagepump.org.au NEXT DEADLINE THURSDAY 24/08/2023
THE EYES THAT CHANGED THE WORLD How have two humble, blind Samfordites changed the worlds of about 275,000 people across 75 countries in 62 different languages (and their impact is still growing)? Michael Curran and James Teh have developed an open-source, free, screen reading software - NVDA (Non Visual Desktop Access) - which allows blind and visually-impaired people to understand what is on a computer screen through synthesized speech and braille output. No longer do the blind have to fork out an extra $3000 on top of the cost of a computer, for a commercially produced program, designed by the visioned, which does not respond to many of their needs. Mick and Jamie met at a music camp for blind children when they were just 10 years old. Not only did they both have a love of music, but also shared a love of and a curiosity about computers and technology, which have played a significant part in their friendship over the last several decades. There are many clever navigation tricks in NVDA which makes a blind person’s computer interactions easier. With determination and lots of trial and error, Mick began to reinvent screen reader technology specifically for the blind. Jamie was sceptical at first, but very soon jumped onboard —their dream of a free, open-source screen reader for their blind community was becoming a reality.
In 2007, NV Access, a registered charity, was launched to keep the control of the project within the blind community and to involve that community in its ongoing development. “We rely extremely heavily on the users to test out…the software,” Mick said. Visually impaired users across the globe have contributed, suggesting tweaks to improve the software, translations and documentation, helping to shape NVDA to meet their needs.
“If we have a problem, we should be able to take that into our own hands and fix it. That’s the best way to get what we want – do it ourselves.”
Their tagline is ‘By users, for users’. Mick and Jamie could have been rich if they’d sold out to big tech companies, but they have “always been driven by the idea that everyone, no matter their ability, has a right and responsibility to contribute to society. But some people may require a few extra tools to do it.” Negotiating with the “Big Techs” like Microsoft and Mozilla (sponsors of NVDA), to allow NVDA to be compatible with their products and keeping pace with the latest developments while maintaining NVDA’s hard-fought-for status as a free, opensource screen reading software, has been a constant challenge. For seventeen years, Mick and Jamie have struggled to give the blind community a screen reader so they can globally access education, employment, social connection - and have independence. They have never let their disabilities hold them back from what they wanted to achieve. They are resilient, determined and very aware of social justice. With ongoing support from both blind and visioned communities, Mick and Jamie can continue their amazing work of keeping NVDA up to date, open-source, and free. You could help make a difference by supporting NV Access at nvaccess.org. Julie Martin Pictured L-R: Mick and Jamie. Photo courtesy University of Queensland
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