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I have always wondered about this and I hope you wont mind one more question: For me being able to see as much on a page as possible really aids me. For you t

I have always wondered about this and I hope you wont mind one more question: For me being able to see as much on a page as possible really aids me. For you to get a piece of code into your mind it seems like you’d have to have really sharp memory to store the relevant items in working memory as the screen reader recites the code one word/token at a time. Am I missing something or do you simply overcome this with badass memory skills?

rjbwork 7y ago
I've seen a blind programmer code before. His screen reader tool was set to go REALLY fast, and so to me it sounded like tiny short rapid fire bursts of audio but to him, he was getting like hundreds of characters per minute or more of context.
- stallmanite 7y ago
  That makes sense. Thanks for the explanation.
- StavrosK 7y ago
  I had a blind coworker. I was really jealous when he connected a Raspberry Pi to a power bank on the airplane, connected his headphones and a keyboard and started working in the cramped seat that wouldn't fit a screen. Seems like a very nifty way to work and you can just keep your computer in your pocket. And yes, the screen reader went super fast. I had trouble following it but I think that's mostly because I wasn't expecting what it was doing, whereas he was controlling the cursor so he knew more or less what he was hearing.
  - Forge36 7y ago
    I program for accessibility, having used JAWS it can go FAST. Having observed a blind user: it's entirely a skill you practice, some people in the room could follow along, others were lost. I encourage you to try it if only to test your development.
    - StavrosK 7y ago
      I should, but you know how these things go, it's not a great use of time if you're sighted because you get relatively little benefit, so you never exercise it enough...
DoreenMichele 7y ago
It's a general truism that when you lose some faculty, the brain reallocates the space normally devoted to that faculty. If you lose a finger, the brain remaps and makes your remaining fingers more sensitive. Blind people are known to be better at echolocation, which is part of what the tapping of their cane provides.

rjbwork 7y ago

I've seen a blind programmer code before. His screen reader tool was set to go REALLY fast, and so to me it sounded like tiny short rapid fire bursts of audio but to him, he was getting like hundreds of characters per minute or more of context.

stallmanite 7y ago
That makes sense. Thanks for the explanation.
StavrosK 7y ago
I had a blind coworker. I was really jealous when he connected a Raspberry Pi to a power bank on the airplane, connected his headphones and a keyboard and started working in the cramped seat that wouldn't fit a screen. Seems like a very nifty way to work and you can just keep your computer in your pocket. And yes, the screen reader went super fast. I had trouble following it but I think that's mostly because I wasn't expecting what it was doing, whereas he was controlling the cursor so he knew more or less what he was hearing.
- Forge36 7y ago
  I program for accessibility, having used JAWS it can go FAST. Having observed a blind user: it's entirely a skill you practice, some people in the room could follow along, others were lost. I encourage you to try it if only to test your development.
  - StavrosK 7y ago
    I should, but you know how these things go, it's not a great use of time if you're sighted because you get relatively little benefit, so you never exercise it enough...

DoreenMichele 7y ago

It's a general truism that when you lose some faculty, the brain reallocates the space normally devoted to that faculty. If you lose a finger, the brain remaps and makes your remaining fingers more sensitive. Blind people are known to be better at echolocation, which is part of what the tapping of their cane provides.