Private beta testers wanted: Access Chat, an accessibility-first Windows app for AI chat and Codex

Hello everyone,

I’m looking for private beta testers for Access Chat, a Windows application I’m developing with accessibility as its first priority.

Although this is a Windows project, I know some AppleVis members also use Windows, JAWS, NVDA, and refreshable braille displays. I would welcome your help testing it.

Access Chat provides an accessible interface for conversations with OpenAI models and for working with Codex. You can use it to ask questions, write and edit text, work with supported files, and get assistance with coding and troubleshooting. You do not need to be a programmer to help test it.

This is an independent project, not an official OpenAI application.

Why I started this project

I developed an NVDA add-on for the main ChatGPT desktop application to improve its screen reader accessibility. That work helped shape Access Chat.

An add-on can improve accessibility, but it depends on what the underlying application exposes. It also does not provide the same solution for someone using another screen reader.

Some of the accessibility barriers that motivated this project include:

• Finding and reading responses efficiently.
• Knowing whether the AI is still working or has finished.
• Discovering questions and approval requests that need an answer.
• Moving predictably between messages and the reply field.
• Getting useful feedback without relying on visual progress indicators.

I don’t want to suggest that the official application is unusable for everyone. Experiences vary depending on the app version, screen reader, and task. My goal is to provide a more consistent Windows interface with accessibility built into the application itself.

Access Chat does not require custom JAWS scripts or an NVDA add-on. It uses native Windows controls and accessibility support. Equal access across screen readers is the goal, although broader compatibility testing is still needed.

What Access Chat does

The application has separate Chat and Coding modes.

Chat mode lets you write messages, read responses, attach supported files, and manage local conversations.

Coding mode connects to Codex for working with projects and files, understanding or changing code, and carrying out supported tasks. It includes access to activity information, approval requests, working folders, usage information, and integrations.

Features available for testing include:

• Keyboard navigation and a standard menu bar. Commands are organized into familiar menus, with shortcuts for common tasks.

• A message list and full message reader. Select a message and press Enter to read it. Escape returns to the message list. The reader supports text navigation, selection, copying, and refreshable braille.

• Configurable sounds and announcements. Feedback can identify activity, completed responses, mode changes, pending requests, and other events. Individual feedback settings can be adjusted.

• Conversation management. Chat and Coding histories are separated, with options for finding, continuing, archiving, and deleting supported conversations.

• File attachments and created files. You can attach supported files, review queued attachments, and locate files produced during a conversation. Created files can be opened in their containing folder.

• Pending questions and approvals. Requests needing your attention remain available for review.

• Message queuing. You can prepare additional messages while a response is in progress and manage the waiting queue.

• Codex usage information. You can review account limits and reset information, open the official credits page, and use an earned reset when the service reports that you are eligible.

• Plugins, skills, and connectors. There is an interface for reviewing supported integrations. This area is still being refined, and availability depends on what Codex and your account expose.

• A standard Windows installer. Installation uses an .exe file.

• An in-app updater. Private beta updates are distributed through GitHub.

Browser sign-in and setup use your default browser, so you can use familiar browser and screen reader commands.

Speech and braille testing

A considerable amount of work has gone into the message reader. Testing has included JAWS and NVDA, speech navigation, braille panning, cursor routing, and positioning at the beginning of messages.

Recent testing has produced good results with both JAWS and NVDA, including Focus braille displays. However, success on my equipment does not guarantee identical behavior on yours. That is one of the main reasons I want more testers.

I’m interested in whether you can:

• Read comfortably without unexpected repetition.
• Navigate longer messages using standard reading commands.
• Pan through messages with a braille display.
• Use cursor routing keys correctly.
• Open a message at its beginning.
• Return to your draft without losing your place.

Account requirements and current limitations

There are important differences between Chat and Coding modes:

• Chat mode currently requires an OpenAI API key. API usage is billed separately from a ChatGPT subscription.

• Coding mode uses an installed Codex runtime and its supported sign-in. Access through a ChatGPT account depends on the account’s current Codex eligibility and restrictions.

• Access Chat does not provide unlimited usage or bypass account limits.

• Ordinary ChatGPT website conversation history is not imported. Supported Codex history is handled separately.

• The application is primarily focused on text. It does not reproduce every feature of the official ChatGPT application. Voice features and rich table navigation are not currently implemented.

• Plugin and connector support is still developing. Problems loading the service’s catalog can limit which integrations are available to browse.

• Browser pages and third-party services retain their own accessibility behavior. Access Chat cannot fix every accessibility problem in those external interfaces.

• Computer-control features are subject to permissions and Windows restrictions. They do not provide unrestricted access to every Windows screen or security prompt.

• This is still a private beta. Bugs, confusing messages, and accessibility gaps may remain.

An offline demonstration mode is available for exploring parts of the interface without sending requests to an AI service.

What I would like testers to try

You do not need to test every feature. Feedback on a few everyday tasks is useful.

Areas I would particularly like feedback on include:

• Installing the application and completing the initial setup.
• Finding settings and understanding connection choices.
• Sending messages, reading replies, and returning to the message draft.
• Using speech and braille to read longer responses.
• Finding saved conversations and distinguishing Chat from Coding history.
• Attaching files, reviewing attachments, and locating created files.
• Discovering and answering pending questions or approval requests.
• Understanding activity announcements, sounds, usage information, and error messages.
• Downloading and installing an update.
• Identifying excessive tabbing, unclear labels, or features that are difficult to find.

When reporting a problem, please describe:

• What you were trying to do.
• The keys you pressed or controls you used.
• What you expected to happen.
• What actually happened.
• Your Windows version.
• Your screen reader and its version.
• Your braille display model, if relevant.

You are also welcome to report usability problems that are not strictly accessibility bugs. If something is technically possible but unnecessarily confusing, I want to know.

How to join the private beta

If you are interested, please email me privately at:

[email protected]

Please include:

• Your GitHub username so I can invite the correct account to the private beta repository.
• A little about yourself and what interests you about testing Access Chat.
• The screen reader you use.
• Whether you use a braille display and which model.
• Whether you are interested in general AI chat, coding, troubleshooting, or a combination.

You do not need development experience. GitHub is being used to distribute the private beta and collect reports. You do not need to write code to participate.

Please do not send passwords, API keys, or other account credentials.

Once you have been added to the private beta list, I can provide access and getting-started instructions.

Thanks for considering helping me test Access Chat. Feedback from people with different equipment, experience levels, and ways of working will help keep Access Chat the best it can be, with Accessibility as a priority, not an afterthought!