VoiceOver & accessibility

Veilrunner works with VoiceOver.

Labelled controls

Every control has a spoken name, including:

• Tabs. Each tab says its name and whether it is selected, connected or has new text. It also has a Close Tab action.
• Add Tab, Connect All, the character menu, Connect, and the log buttons.
• The editors, macro buttons and every Settings control.
• The vitals bar. It's read as "HP 120/150, Mana …".
• The map. Your current room, exits and walking progress are spoken.

The session text is a read-only text area named MUD output, and the command line is named Command. Tab and Shift-Tab move between controls. ⌘L puts you back in the command line.

Spoken MUD text

New MUD text is spoken as it arrives:

• Lines that arrive together are joined and read as one announcement, at most once a second, so a flood of text doesn't drown VoiceOver. Very long bursts are cut short; read the output for the rest.
• Nothing is spoken while the MUD hides your typing, such as at a password prompt.
• Plain speech is on by default. It skips ANSI art, box-drawing lines and long runs like ---- or ====.
• Until you choose otherwise, speaking is on whenever VoiceOver is running, and off when it isn't.

Both switches are in Settings › Accessibility. The Welcome screen shows in green or red whether VoiceOver is running.

#speak

#speak              show whether new text is spoken, and why
#speak on           always speak new MUD text
#speak off          stop speaking new text (VoiceOver still reads the output when you move to it)
#speak auto         back to automatic: on while VoiceOver runs
#speak plain off    read lines exactly, symbols and all
#speak plain on     skip ANSI art and ---- dividers (default)
#speak test         send a test announcement

Triggers can't run #speak.

Other tips

• ⌘F5 turns VoiceOver on or off on the Mac.
• VO-Command-Space on a tab, then Close Tab, closes a tab without the mouse.
• In the Starter MUDs list, each row reads the name, genre, description and address.
• The High Contrast color theme and font sizes up to 28 pt are in Settings and the View menu.
• Alter Aeon, in the Starter MUDs list, opens on its blind-friendly port.