Advice/Resources for a software developer?

[u/padfoot787]

Looking for resources on learning to develop using voiceover on macOS. I’m already a developer, so it’s mainly learning how to use screen reader tools, quirks in voiceover, things that make your life easier, any limitations you experience, etc…

There is a blind developers sub but it seems dead. I tried to find resources on YouTube but didnt come across anything I like other than some vscode interview where they talk about how it’s accessible. I’m looking for a tutorial style video that I can listen and act upon to learn how to code in vscode, switch tot he sidebar, toolbar, terminal, etc… Anything that I can do to make my workflow easier so I’m not VO + right arrowing everywhere in vscode. I’ve heard of TDSR and installled it, but no idea what to do now. Is it easier to use the built in vscode terminal when you’re using a screen reader? Do y’all avoid UI based tools like postman and the AWS site and just rely on cli tools since it’s text based?

I’d really appreciate any advice or resources where I can learn this stuff.

Thanks

[u/dandylover1]

Just in case this is removed from here, please feel free to post it at the Blind and Fine subreddit. I couldn't even begin to help you, but I am sure that some others over there can.

[u/Decent_Wishbone7547]

Hi! I'd be happy to help. What specifically are you struggling with? Yes VS Code has excellent accessibility, as does Xcode if you choose to develop for Apple platforms. Let me know a bit more info

[u/Decent_Wishbone7547 → u/Decent_Wishbone7547]

Sorry, I didn't read your entire post. For terminal, there is a screen reader mode so you can use up and down arrows. In terms of navigating around editor windows, I agree it is not very efficient. Just tabbing through everything, but I have set up commands that automatically jump my cursor to whichever window I need. Also the command plus P is great for switching files

[u/padfoot787 → u/Decent_Wishbone7547]

Hi, thanks for offering. I dont know where the best place to start is, but I was struggling to navigate the vscode app, and how to write and run code. I initially tried creating a basic hello world python file and running that, but I didnt know if my run command was actually running anything, and didnt know how to jump to the built in terminal. terminal, I’m also not sure how I’d manage file structure int he side bar or if it’s better to manage file structure from the terminal since it’s purely text based. I’m fairly new to voiceover on macOS, I know how to use mail and TextEdit, and some basic websites. I’ve learned all of them from YouTube videos explaining the layout, shortcuts on how to refresh/send mail, navigate to inboxes, etc… I guess I’m looking for something similar to learn the ins and outs of voiceover when using a screen reader. I’d also like to learn workflows that make life easier when you can’t see the screen. . Unfortunately I wasn’t able to find anything on YouTube. I’d also like to know for the future if I should stick to cli options instead of UIbased even if it’s accessible.

[u/Marconius]

I just learned through practice and going through all of the keyboard shortcuts. It's pretty easy to jump to the project navigator with Command+1 to navigate through it to find files, then jump down into the editor pane to find the code text area.

Navigating everywhere and interacting is the essential nature of VoiceOver, but just learn the standard keyboard commands to move about through what you need in the interface, in the code editor, etc., and that will speed you up.

I personally have a VoiceOver activity set for Xcode where all the punctuation is spoken, indentation is counted, and more, plus in MacOS Golden Gate, they just added a lot more verbosity options specifically for coding which you should check out.

If you don't like writing code in Xcode despite all of the useful code editing tools and key commands, Swift files are just text, so you can go to Finder and open them from your project folder in any other editor like TextEdit or BBEdit. You then just use Xcode as the compiler to build and run to your phone or Mac depending on what you are building.

I rarely use Terminal for Xcode development, pretty much only using it for git commands, but you certainly can use it if you learn all of the CLI commands and flags with the Command Line Developer Tools. That's always felt like it takes me backwards and slows me down as compared to just jumping through the Xcode interface.

[u/StretchAcceptable881]

Hello, a lot of your problems are solvable by pressing the F6 key on your keyboard to easily navigate around the different sections of VSCode for a resource you might want to check out, https://m.youtube.com/@codingblindtech

[u/msmoonrabbit]

Hello!

I just read your post and the replies, and I may have some answers for you.

I'm a blind software developer, and I've been doing this since 2014. I've tried pretty much all the screen readers out there, from NVDA to Orca on Linux GNOME and VoiceOver on macOS.

In my opinion, if you're on a Mac, the best option is to use VS Code for coding and the regular terminal for most of your other operations, such as Git, SSH, or any other heavy CLI work.

For VS Code, my recommendation is to start memorizing the keyboard shortcuts. Here are some of the most common ones I use on a daily basis:

1. **Cmd + Shift + E:** Opens the Explorer tree and automatically places the VoiceOver cursor on the file you're currently editing.

2. **Cmd + P:** Lets you search for any file by its name or relative path. VoiceOver can navigate through the results list without any issues.

3. **Cmd + F:** Finds text within the current file. If you're looking for a specific function declaration, just press this shortcut, start typing, and hit Enter. It will take you directly to that function.

4. **Ctrl + G:** Lets you enter a line number and jump directly to it.

5. **Shift + Arrow Keys:** Can be used to select and highlight text.

6. **Cmd + S:** Saves the current file.

There are many other keyboard shortcuts, but these are some good ones to start with.

It's also very important to enable accessibility support in the VS Code settings. As for VoiceOver, go into its settings and make sure it's configured to read all punctuation. I'd also recommend going through the built-in VoiceOver tutorial at least once.

On a Mac, I avoid other code editors like BBEdit, Xcode, etc. I would only use Xcode if you're working with Swift, and even then, as a blind developer, I'd still suggest sticking with VS Code and installing the extensions you need.

It may not provide the greatest development experience in every situation, but the ergonomics of VS Code for a blind developer are so good that, in my opinion, the trade-offs are worth it.

There's also another option that works quite well nowadays: JetBrains IDEs. They work really well, but they're a bit more complex. Even though their screen reader support has improved significantly in recent years, I still think they're far behind VS Code when it comes to accessibility and ease of use.

If you have any other questions, I'd be happy to chat about software development and my experience as a blind developer!

[u/blind_ninja_guy]

microsoft has a great accessibility page for vscode if you haven't read it yet.