Automatically enable audio for Hyper-V virtual machines when using screen readers.
Although I have very limited experience using Hyper-V, my understanding is that audio is not available when connecting to a virtual machine using Hyper-V Manager. I have read about an Enhanced Session Mode, but this must be manually enabled on Windows Server and it does not appear to pass audio back to the host machine unless RDP is enabled in the Windows virtual machine.
Can you see the problem here? How is a totally blind person supposed to independently configure a virtual machine if audio cannot be used until a setting in the virtual machine itself is enabled? If a blind person wants to use Linux in Hyper-V, my understanding is that there is no audio support at all. This issue should be resolved by automatically allowing audio from virtual machines to be passed back to the host machine if a screen reader such as Narrator is running when accessing the virtual machine via Hyper-V Manager.
This also ties in nicely with an idea I posted a while ago concerning enabling audio when Narrator starts and always checking to ensure it is enabled, not muted, or too low to hear. My understanding is that this was partially implemented in one of the SAC versions of Windows Server by automatically enabling the audio service when Narrator runs for the first time, but this should roll out to all versions of Windows. Audio is essential for most screen reader users, so it makes sense that Narrator should do the work to ensure someone can hear the audio, regardless of what the last person using the system may have been doing. This would also be extremely helpful for a blind Windows Server administrator, so please find a way to make this happen ASAP. This is yet another idea to make Windows more accessible for blind IT professionals. The work that has been done on the Windows installer and safe mode is an excellent start, but there is much more that could and should be done, including this idea, fixing Narrator support in the Advanced Startup Options menu, and better Narrator support for remote control scenarios.
Christopher Wright
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3 comments
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Anonymous
commented
hi, did login with google. so not sure what's happening. any other blind network students or professionals. frustrating. any one to contact at microsoft.
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Anonymous
commented
hi. a blind it networking student and using hyper v manager, windows server 2019 essentials 1809. well using nvda and narrator. don't have a jaws remote licence but looking to purchase one in 2021. as interested in enrolling in the diploma of networking. well windows server server manager works well with nvda, but also with narrator. well did create a domain controller from a active directory domain services. well, also another great idea, have the audio automatically when it signs out and reboots. do not get any audio. and only way was to do a hard reboot. and my stupid fault. checkpoints were saved, asked me if i wanted to save or revert to the previous check point, did not realize it is the current checkpoint, clicked continue. got no audio. now i tried then starting and just says input and caps lock on and off. no narrator, no nvda. so have to wait for my trainer or a sighted friend to remote in using team viewer. should have speech for all operations, creating vms, starting vms, yes with narrator. and maybe a hot key to turn this on, if not started. frustrating. as have to wait till i get sighted help as got no audio. it just reverted back. and so have to do that. also took me three or four goes to get the domain controller read only done and then the view script file. and saved to the desktop. now did configure if for my network lab. other sighted students, only blind student at http://www.upskilled.edu.au doing certificate iv networking. had to use the windows 10 talking installer and did use a 30 day trial of vm ware workstation and that worked, able to install widnwos 10 1903 and 2004, as sighted students are using http://www.heropa.com which is not screen reader friendly, poorly laid out and full of accessibility issues as a learning management system. so using hyper v. so does microsoft read any of this feedback. or do you know of a javascript or visual basic script which will turn it on. frustrated. as well. learning to configure local networks. and then add rolls, features, add domain controllers, etc. frustrated.
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Thanks for sharing this feedback with us Christopher. We will pass this on to the engineering team. Please continue to share your feedback here and upvote posts that you agree with.
