Hi all, I've been using Hauptwerk since version 4, and I use a screen reader, VoiceOver on Mac OS. The lack of accessibility to Hauptwerk with a screen reader, is still the case even to this day. So as a result, I require sighted assistance to do pretty much anything within the Hauptwerk interface, such as configure organs, voicing, and even selecting an organ's controls, IE keyboards, pedals etc to auto detect them when setting up an organ. The one and only thing that will read with VOiceOver is the menu bar, and options within those menus on the menu bar. Otherwise, it's as if there were no Windows open at all, nothing else is visible to VOiceOver. When I try and navigate with VOiceOver in any Hauptwerk window, all I get is a ding, as if there weren't any windows open at all. This has been the case in Version 4.2 which I started out with in 2017, even up to the current version 7. There have been no improvements whatsoever, in the area of screen reader accessibility throughout versions 4, 5, 6, and now 7. I can use the iLok Licence manager just fine, and it is written with the QT framework as well, so I don't see why there couldn't be accessibility put into Hauptwerk. tHat'd open up a whole other user base, that being people with vision impairments using screen reading software to Hauptwerk, if it were to be more accessible than it is at the moment. A serious look at this area would be greatly appreciated. I'd even be willing to beta test, and get on a beta team, to ensure that if implemented, accessibility will be as good as it can be. The ability to use this software, for a screen reader user like I am here, should be on an equal level with that of a sighted user using a mouse. Or as good as it can possibly be if not totally equal. Even in the load organ dialog nothing at all will read. Once I've had assistance to select an organ, I can load it fine on my own with Voiceover, by going under load recent organ, and selecting it from there. THat's because that is in the menu bar, and all those selections are in there, which VOiceOver will read. I don't know how the situation on Windows is, with Hauptwerk, and screen readers such as NVDA, JAWS, and Narrator. it's probably much the same. I attempted to post in the suggestions and enhancements section of the forum, but apparently I cannot post there. So posting here, under technical support. Thanks. Dan.
Hello Dan,
Thanks very much for the feedback on v5/v6/v6 compatibility with macOS VoiceOver, and sorry to hear that the newer version of Qt that's used in those versions (compared to v4) hasn't helped. I'm not sure why it isn't working at least with settings screens, file browsers, and control panels, since they (and their controls) are based on standard Qt widgets (and use keyboard-based navigation and text for labels and tool-tips in the standard way that Qt recommend) for which my understanding is that Qt should provide the relevant information to screen reader software.
I've added your notes to the existing enhancement request that relates to improving screen reader support (which has all of your previous notes on the subject, as well as those from other users with visual impairments). Actually, aside from yourself, the other two people who've reported difficulties with screen reader support were both also using Macs, so it's conceivable that it might work better on Windows, or perhaps it's just coincidence that all three of you happen to be Mac users. (Hauptwerk v5-v7 uses Qt 5.11 and has its accessibility support enabled. I understand that Qt 5.11+ had an improved accessibility back-end on Windows: https://resources.qt.io/development-top ... on-windows .)
I can't make any promises about specifically when we'd be able to work on improving it, but we're all aware that it would be highly desirable.