Hi,

I've found VS 2017 to be great in accessibility, mostly because it implements UIA rather than whatever Microsoft was using when VS 2005 was around.

I'd argue that 2017 is the most accessible version yet. I use it at work every day and it works really well with both JAWS and NVDA.

Why does updating Windows "break" things for you? I'd get that sorted out if I were you; people really shouldn't be using VS 2005 nowadays. Technology is so different from what it used to be and I strongly recommend staying current, especially with development tools. Things like the VC++ runtimes are updated with each new version of Visual Studio as well, and many of these updates patch security holes that you really don't want floating around.

Hi, it's Annabelle.

I've read somewhere that Visual Studio has a version that's fully accessible to JAWS. The version I was told is fully accessible is Visual Studio 2005. The problem is, I'm not sure where to get that one, especially a copy that's clean and free of viruses, malware, adware, spyware, and the like. I've tried the new version, but it updates Windows, which breaks screenreader compatibility on my machine. I've already had to restore it back to working order by reimaging the hard drive three times within 8 years! The first time, I formatted the wrong hard drive by accident, and now I have to recover what I didn't get the chance to back up on that hard drive. If I can't get Visual Studio 2005, I wonder what programming alternative I can use? Particularly I want to program my own virtual instruments and audio software, as well as software that lets customers write their own scripts for ceremonies. The site where I read about the accessibility of Visual Studio 2005 is here: https://stackoverflow.com/questions/118984/how-can-you-program-if-youre-blind