Apparently you can using VOCR. I have no experience with this. When I did use Mac OS, I would use either VMWare or UTM, both of which are actually fully voiceover accessible.
I'd also say, however, though windows works fine once you have it installed, trying to access parallels settings is also difficult. There are some shortcuts you might want to play with or re-map within parallels, but it's really difficult to do.
I know parallels is the official way of running windows on apple silicon and may have some performance benefits but, considering you're never going to be running AAA games, it ight be worth looking at a different virtual machine environment which has better accessibility.
Use vo ocr, and you won't need sighted assistance at all. Re, shortcuts, realistically speaking, the only thing's you might want to remap are the vm shortcuts. This is fairly easy to do once you focus on the table with vo OCR then voiceover works as normal. That beeing said, however, other accessible options... The only other alternative is fusion which is kinda going down the drain. Utm, while it can run windows will not run it as smoothly as parallels, and of course, you will get the same problem with the lack of audio in Windows 11 you will need to plug in a external adaptor to get audio in the first instalation phase. Plus vmware no longer offers automatic updates which, given the headache the site is... I wouldn't recommend it myself. Vertual box... Might work however compared to Parallels... I have no idea how well.
I've found parallel settings quite easy to navigate without ocr passed the first not accessible setup screen for windows 11. Just for the price alone and given my needs, and especially considering I have only an m2pro and apple arbitrarily limits nested virtualization to m3>, I am fine with Fusion which is free and the only downside to it as far as I am concerned is the company owning it :(
When you say passed the installer, of which OS? If windows, 10 or 11? Intel or arm? I'm asking because as said, windows 11 both for intel and arm as far as I can tell, don't have the audio drivers in the first installer phase so you'll either need a audio adaptor like a usbc to headphone jack to hear narrator during that first phase or VOCR or sighted assistance to get through that. Windows 10 doesn't have this problem if memory serves. But yeah, you can get passed the installer but you'll need either an adaptor or sighted help or to use VOCR to get passed it, its possible, however.
Given that you explicitly mention requiring sighted assistance, and other users have mentioned requiring using an OCR, I'm kind of confused on how that software can be considered accessible in any way. Therefore, as a mental exercise, what exactly would they have to remove from parallels for you to consider it inaccessible to blind people?
Being brutally honest here, I think that any disabled people who consciously decide to pay for software from vendors who demonstrate complete disregard for accessibility, which is the case here, are self-sabotaging by enabling bad behavior. UTM might not be as convenient, performant, and feature-rich as other alternatives, but on the other hand it's a highly accessible native application, and disabled people not making accessibility their top priority leaves me completely baffled.
Most of Parallels is accessible. The settings? Mostly fully usable with VoiceOver. The only other time you need VOCR is once during setup, to tick the “install Windows automatically” box. That’s not inaccessible software, that’s one checkbox with an easy workaround. Day to day, Parallels is perfectly usable.
Calling blind people “self-sabotaging” for using Parallels is laughable. If you want to talk about blind people actually self-sabotaging, I’ll give you real examples. Still paying thousands for JAWS or Freedom Scientific’s subscription racket when NVDA is free and often better, that is self-sabotage. Throwing money at obsolete junk like Kurzweil 1000/3000 long past its prime, that is self-sabotage. Buying overpriced blind-only hardware like Victor Readers, BrailleNotes, talking calculators, kitchen gadgets, when mainstream tech does the same for a fraction of the price, that is self-sabotage. Paying obscene monthly fees for Aira instead of using Be My Eyes or cheaper alternatives, that is self-sabotage.
Those are real cases of enabling companies that exploit blind people. Parallels doesn’t belong anywhere near that list. Most of it works natively, and the one checkbox that needs VOCR is nothing compared to companies that flat-out block us from using their products at all.
And your UTM point? Falls flat. Installing Windows 11 in UTM still requires VOCR, a sighted person, or an external audio dongle, because Windows gives you no Narrator at first boot. So pretending UTM is the accessible alternative is dishonest, it hits the same wall in the exact same place.
By your logic, using VOCR in Parallels equals self-sabotage. Okay then, let’s apply that standard. Using Screen Recognition on iOS to handle apps that aren’t accessible, self-sabotage. Using a cane or guide dog to navigate a sighted-designed world, self-sabotage. Shopping at a supermarket where aisles aren’t labeled in Braille, self-sabotage. Buying food or medicine where packaging isn’t blind-labeled, self-sabotage. Using barcode scanners or Seeing AI to identify products, self-sabotage. Cooking in a pan and flipping food by sound, smell, or timing instead of sight, self-sabotage. Using bump dots on a microwave, or tactile markers on a stove, or timers in the kitchen, self-sabotage. Crossing the street using auditory traffic cues instead of vision, self-sabotage. And while we’re at it, using screen readers themselves to access computers built for sighted users would count as self-sabotage too.
See how absurd your argument sounds when you follow it through? Adaptation isn’t sabotage, it’s how blind people live. It’s how we work, shop, cook, travel, and exist.
So no, blind people buying Parallels aren’t self-sabotaging. The real sabotage is pushing this all-or-nothing purity test that shames blind people for using tools that actually work for them. That mindset is the enemy, not Parallels.
I agree that it's not self sabotage. Once it's set up, I believe it is a better experience. Setup happens only once, you need to use it for the long haul.
I do get your point though. There is the question of giving our money, on mass, to a company who hasn't done anything about including accessibility for the last six years. On the other side of that, is personal choice and need. If one is willing to put up with the pain of it for a greater reward, it's really down to the individual but this is why forums such as this one are so good as, despite the hyperbole and between the flames, there is some good information that can inform people's purchasing decision.
Live and let live, I say. We're all different, we all have varying requirements and, though none of us like to admit it, we all make poor choices, from time to time... And learn from them.
It's pretty tiring hearing people get upset when they find out, yet again, people have a differing view. The world will be better when we finally understand that no one is objectively correct, and the more interesting thing is lots of people being correct about their own experience and requirements.
Comments
kinda
You'll need sighted assistance to set up the VM but after that you can use the windows part if you have a windows screen reader like NVDA.
Parallels Desktop
Is there a way you can do this and not need sighted assistance? if so what is that solution?
Apparently you can using…
Apparently you can using VOCR. I have no experience with this. When I did use Mac OS, I would use either VMWare or UTM, both of which are actually fully voiceover accessible.
This is correct. You need to…
This is correct. You need to use VOCR.
I'd also say, however, though windows works fine once you have it installed, trying to access parallels settings is also difficult. There are some shortcuts you might want to play with or re-map within parallels, but it's really difficult to do.
I know parallels is the official way of running windows on apple silicon and may have some performance benefits but, considering you're never going to be running AAA games, it ight be worth looking at a different virtual machine environment which has better accessibility.
RIP bootcamp.
Needing sighted assistance is incorrect
Use vo ocr, and you won't need sighted assistance at all. Re, shortcuts, realistically speaking, the only thing's you might want to remap are the vm shortcuts. This is fairly easy to do once you focus on the table with vo OCR then voiceover works as normal. That beeing said, however, other accessible options... The only other alternative is fusion which is kinda going down the drain. Utm, while it can run windows will not run it as smoothly as parallels, and of course, you will get the same problem with the lack of audio in Windows 11 you will need to plug in a external adaptor to get audio in the first instalation phase. Plus vmware no longer offers automatic updates which, given the headache the site is... I wouldn't recommend it myself. Vertual box... Might work however compared to Parallels... I have no idea how well.
I've found parallel settings…
I've found parallel settings quite easy to navigate without ocr passed the first not accessible setup screen for windows 11. Just for the price alone and given my needs, and especially considering I have only an m2pro and apple arbitrarily limits nested virtualization to m3>, I am fine with Fusion which is free and the only downside to it as far as I am concerned is the company owning it :(
re, i've found parallels settings
How? I mean I tried it as far as shortcuts but getting to the table of keyboard shortcuts kinda, difficult without VOCR, any tips?
u t m
Has anyone gotten u t m to work successfully on mac, I never could get it past the installer screen. any advice is appreciated.
Re, UTM
When you say passed the installer, of which OS? If windows, 10 or 11? Intel or arm? I'm asking because as said, windows 11 both for intel and arm as far as I can tell, don't have the audio drivers in the first installer phase so you'll either need a audio adaptor like a usbc to headphone jack to hear narrator during that first phase or VOCR or sighted assistance to get through that. Windows 10 doesn't have this problem if memory serves. But yeah, you can get passed the installer but you'll need either an adaptor or sighted help or to use VOCR to get passed it, its possible, however.
Re: kinda
Given that you explicitly mention requiring sighted assistance, and other users have mentioned requiring using an OCR, I'm kind of confused on how that software can be considered accessible in any way. Therefore, as a mental exercise, what exactly would they have to remove from parallels for you to consider it inaccessible to blind people?
Being brutally honest here, I think that any disabled people who consciously decide to pay for software from vendors who demonstrate complete disregard for accessibility, which is the case here, are self-sabotaging by enabling bad behavior. UTM might not be as convenient, performant, and feature-rich as other alternatives, but on the other hand it's a highly accessible native application, and disabled people not making accessibility their top priority leaves me completely baffled.
Re, kinda
Most of Parallels is accessible. The settings? Mostly fully usable with VoiceOver. The only other time you need VOCR is once during setup, to tick the “install Windows automatically” box. That’s not inaccessible software, that’s one checkbox with an easy workaround. Day to day, Parallels is perfectly usable.
Calling blind people “self-sabotaging” for using Parallels is laughable. If you want to talk about blind people actually self-sabotaging, I’ll give you real examples. Still paying thousands for JAWS or Freedom Scientific’s subscription racket when NVDA is free and often better, that is self-sabotage. Throwing money at obsolete junk like Kurzweil 1000/3000 long past its prime, that is self-sabotage. Buying overpriced blind-only hardware like Victor Readers, BrailleNotes, talking calculators, kitchen gadgets, when mainstream tech does the same for a fraction of the price, that is self-sabotage. Paying obscene monthly fees for Aira instead of using Be My Eyes or cheaper alternatives, that is self-sabotage.
Those are real cases of enabling companies that exploit blind people. Parallels doesn’t belong anywhere near that list. Most of it works natively, and the one checkbox that needs VOCR is nothing compared to companies that flat-out block us from using their products at all.
And your UTM point? Falls flat. Installing Windows 11 in UTM still requires VOCR, a sighted person, or an external audio dongle, because Windows gives you no Narrator at first boot. So pretending UTM is the accessible alternative is dishonest, it hits the same wall in the exact same place.
By your logic, using VOCR in Parallels equals self-sabotage. Okay then, let’s apply that standard. Using Screen Recognition on iOS to handle apps that aren’t accessible, self-sabotage. Using a cane or guide dog to navigate a sighted-designed world, self-sabotage. Shopping at a supermarket where aisles aren’t labeled in Braille, self-sabotage. Buying food or medicine where packaging isn’t blind-labeled, self-sabotage. Using barcode scanners or Seeing AI to identify products, self-sabotage. Cooking in a pan and flipping food by sound, smell, or timing instead of sight, self-sabotage. Using bump dots on a microwave, or tactile markers on a stove, or timers in the kitchen, self-sabotage. Crossing the street using auditory traffic cues instead of vision, self-sabotage. And while we’re at it, using screen readers themselves to access computers built for sighted users would count as self-sabotage too.
See how absurd your argument sounds when you follow it through? Adaptation isn’t sabotage, it’s how blind people live. It’s how we work, shop, cook, travel, and exist.
So no, blind people buying Parallels aren’t self-sabotaging. The real sabotage is pushing this all-or-nothing purity test that shames blind people for using tools that actually work for them. That mindset is the enemy, not Parallels.
I agree that it's not self…
I agree that it's not self sabotage. Once it's set up, I believe it is a better experience. Setup happens only once, you need to use it for the long haul.
I do get your point though. There is the question of giving our money, on mass, to a company who hasn't done anything about including accessibility for the last six years. On the other side of that, is personal choice and need. If one is willing to put up with the pain of it for a greater reward, it's really down to the individual but this is why forums such as this one are so good as, despite the hyperbole and between the flames, there is some good information that can inform people's purchasing decision.
Live and let live, I say. We're all different, we all have varying requirements and, though none of us like to admit it, we all make poor choices, from time to time... And learn from them.
It's pretty tiring hearing people get upset when they find out, yet again, people have a differing view. The world will be better when we finally understand that no one is objectively correct, and the more interesting thing is lots of people being correct about their own experience and requirements.