Planet-Accessibility

Japan robotics experts unveil sci-fi wheelchair

CynthiaL — Fri, 28 Aug 2009 10:21:25 -0500

From Space Daily, Tokyo (AFP), 26 August 2009 Robotics and medical experts in Japan on Wednesday unveiled the prototype of a new hi-tech electric wheelchair that resembles a scooter and promises greater mobility. Users ride astride the four-wheeled Rodem—rather than sitting in it, as in a conventional wheelchair—steer it with a joystick and hold onto motorbike-style handles [...]

Snow Leopard Assistive Technology Compatibility List

Ricky Buchanan — Fri, 28 Aug 2009 08:59:39 -0500

It can be a tough job to check out that your system is fully compatible with a new operating system before you install it. To help out assistive technology users, I’m compiling compatibility information for assistive technology and AT-related software.

I’ll be updating this post as new information is available, so come back and look again. If you have information that isn’t here, leave a comment or contact me and I’ll add it to the post.

General Assistive Technology Software

MacSpeech Dictate - Not functional with Snow Leopard. There are no known workarounds at this time, and no information about when an update will be available and if it will be free or paid.

KeyStrokes - Current version has been tested and is fully compatible with Snow Leopard.

SwitchXS - Current version has been tested and is fully compatible with Snow Leopard.

TouchStrokes - Current version has been tested and is fully compatible with Snow Leopard.

Layout Kitchen - Current version has been tested and is fully compatible with Snow Leopard.

VisioVoice - Version 1.2 has been tested and is fully compatible with Snow Leopard.

Proloquo - Current version has been tested and is fully compatible with Snow Leopard.

SmartNav - No information is available at this time. I have requested compatibility information from the company and will update as soon as there is news.

CrossScanner - No information is available at this time. I have requested compatibility information from the company and will update as soon as there is news.

SmartClick - No information is available at this time. I have requested compatibility information from the company and will update as soon as there is news.

MagicCursor OS X - No information is available at this time. I have requested compatibility information from the company and will update as soon as there is news.

Discover Envoy - No information is available at this time. I have requested compatibility information from the company and will update as soon as there is news.

Envoy Create - No information is available at this time. I have requested compatibility information from the company and will update as soon as there is news.

VirtualKeyboard No information is available at this time. I have requested compatibility information from the company and will update as soon as there is news.

Third Party System Voices

Note: Due to changes in the depths of Snow Leopard, it is highly unlikely that any third party voices will function without upgrades.

InfoVox iVox voices - Current version does not work with Snow Leopard. Version 2.0 will soon be released to public beta and will fully compatible with Snow Leopard although without the older “HD” quality voices. Version 2.0 will be a free upgrade for existing users.

Cepstral voices - Official word from the company is “The Cepstral voices have not yet been certified with Snow Leopard. We are working through some porting issues at this time. An update will be announced soon, but it’s not available for Beta yet.” It appears that “not yet certified” is a code phrase meaning “does not work”.

Text Expansion Software

TextExpander - The current version, 2.7 has been tested and is fully compatible with Snow Leopard.

TypeIt4Me - Version 4.1.2 and above have been tested and are fully compatible with Snow Leopard.

Typinator - The current version has been tested and is fully compatible with Snow Leopard.

OCR Software

Abbyy FineReader - [Added 29 August, 1:50am] Abbyy have advised me “our testing shows that ABBYY FineReader Express Edition for Mac can work under this OS correctly except for some non-critical issues which are going to fixed in future releases of the program.” I have requested clarification of these “non-critital issues” and whether releases to fix them will be free upgrades.

ReadIris Pro - The current version is ReadIris Pro 11 which has not been tested with Snow Leopard. ReadIris Pro 12, to be released in September, will be fully Snow Leopard compatible but a paid upgrade with prices probably comparable to current prices, which are US$129 for USA buyers and significantly higher for the rest of the world.

Other

Other software that’s commonly used in assistive/adaptive technology contexts.

KeyCue - Version 4.5 above have been tested and are fully compatible with Snow Leopard.

1Password - Current version of 1Password is 2.*, version 3.* will be needed for Snow Leopard (further technical information about 1Password and Snow Leopard). Version 3 is currently in beta testing, with the test version available for all Snow Leopard users. 1Password version 3 will be a paid upgrade unless you bought version 2 during 2009, the price is not yet decided.

EyeTV - The current version 3.1.2 is expected to be fully compatible with Snow Leopard, but this is not final information. See the EyeTV Forums for full details.

PhoneValet Home - A free upgrade will be required for Snow Leopard compatibility. Parliant advised us this should be available “within a few days” of Snow Leopard’s release.

PhoneValet Message Center - The current version 6.0.2 works with Snow Leopard on all machines except XServes. A free update for XServes will be issued shortly - if you don’t know what this means then you don’t have an XServe.

Growl - Several things in the current version of Growl don’t work under Snow Leopard. The Growl development team are hard at work to finish the version 1.2 update which will be fully Snow Leopard compatible, and hope to have it available by Friday (further details about Growl upgrade).

Other Information Sources

The two places with great compilations of information at the moment are:

Both of these documents are Wiki based so they can be edited by any user with new information. If you test something and it’s not on the lists, add the information so others can look it up!

Which of your essential programs have I missed, and do you know if they’re compatible with Snow Leopard? I’ll be updating this post as new information is available, so come back and look again.

- Ricky Buchanan

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Snow Leopard Assistive Technology Compatibility List

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Snow Leopard, Above and Beyond

Guest Post — Thu, 27 Aug 2009 23:20:27 -0500

Guest post by Alex Jurgensen.

Apple once said that you could “Live the digital life in stylish simplicity.” They were talking about the Mac Mini, but this statement could easily encompass all of Apple’s products. Apple is known for making products that are powerful and customer friendly, but what kind of accessibility can be expected from a modern mainstream technology company? What does all this talk about fancy Apple products mean for the average end user? Moreover, what does this mean for the end user with a visual impairment?

Apple has always had products with innovations that most assistive technologies traditionally seem to have found hard to support. Trends in assistive technology would tend to indicate that no support can be expected for such advanced technologies, but Apple is not a company which often follows trends set by others.

In June of this year Apple unveiled some of their plans for iPhone and iPod Touch operating system 3.0 and the new iPhone 3GS. The blind community had been bracing for the worst; version 2.0 of the iPhone operating system had offered some limited accessibility for those with low vision but no screen reader. To everybody’s amazement, Apple announced that iPhone OS 3.0 running on the new hardware, iPhone 3GS, would include support for a built-in screen reader. Prior to this announcement, it was “common sense” that any touch screen device was inaccessible to blind users and nobody expected this to change.

The screen reader, called VoiceOver allows blind and visually impaired individuals to use the touch-screen interface of iPhone like any sighted person would. When a finger is placed on-screen, the item below the finger is read. VoiceOver also supports Flick Navigation, which allows users to find icons even if they don’t know where they are on-screen. Probably the nicest feature of VoiceOver on iPhone is the Rotor. This gesture, which resembles turning a dial on a radio, allows people to select the mode in which to navigate. When on web pages, this allows users to jump quickly through headings, links and other elements.

And as if the new and shiny iPhone with VoiceOver wasn’t enough, Apple releases Snow Leopard today. The operating system that Apple calls “the world’s most advanced operating system, finely tuned,” has redefined Universal Access. Before we look at some of the new features, let’s look at some history at how Apple came to where it is now.

In the late 1980s, back in the days of the “Classic Mac”, Berkley Systems had developed a screen reader for the Mac called outSPOKEN. This screen reader was excellent for its time but was third party software, not integrated with MacOS itself. When OS X was introduced, outSPOKEN became obsolete as the operating system itself had changed too much. It was never made functional on OS X, and no other screen readers were developed to fit the space.

In 2004, Apple debuted an OS X application called Spoken Interface that allowed blind and visually impaired individuals to hear descriptions of what was on the screen. This step is now almost forgotten, but it marked a critical turning point in Apple’s attitude toward the visually impaired community.

In April of 2005, Apple truly began its journey to become one of the best known universal access names in the mainstream market place. Their operating system Mac OS X 10.4, commonly known as Tiger, shipped with a built-in screen reader called VoiceOver, a large text screen magnifier called Zoom and numerous other accessibility features for hearing impaired and physically disabled users.

Though Tiger’s screen reader was not deemed appropriate for production environments by many of those who worked in the business of technology consulting for the visually impaired, it still was a topic that gave hope to those in the blind community. It stirred up much controversy as to which direction Apple was heading in regards to its commitment to accessibility. While some members of the visually impaired community argued that Apple was attempting to be all inclusive and break down barriers between the visually impaired and sighted communities, there were those who claimed that Apple only sought to meet the American 508 legislation and would go no further than the minimum requirements of the law. Despite these mixed feelings, Tiger adoption by members of the blind community increased at a slow but steady rate.

In October of 2007, Apple released a major update to their desktop and server operating systems. This release, Mac OS X 10.5, known as Leopard, held even more surprises in store for the visually impaired community. VoiceOver, had received a major update and was now ready for production use, putting it on equal footing with screen readers such as JAWS. VoiceOver was now shipped localized in eight languages and included support for about twenty refreshable USB Braille displays, and the visually impaired community saw a large jump in the number of Mac users.

Apple’s accessibility team dove head first into the iPod market with an unusual angle. At Apple’s “Let’s Rock” Event, on September 09, 2008, Apple revealed an iPod like none before. The iPod Nano G4 included spoken menus that could easily be accessed by all users. This was followed by the porting of the VoiceOver technology to the iPod Shuffle 3G in January of 2009. In both instances Apple advertised VoiceOver as a feature that had a benefit to all, not merely those who are visually impaired or blind. Sighted runners could now check album and artist data while on the run, drivers could operate their iPods safely while driving. This placed a big shift on how people viewed text to speech and Universal Access in general on OS X.

And tomorrow Apple releases Snow Leopard, an operating system that, as far as blind and visually impaired community is concerned, is more than “finely tuned.” Apple has yet again surprised the market with something unexpected, but this time it is something most people never dreamed possible. Through VoiceOver, the mouse has been marginally usable for those with visual impairments since Tiger, but totally blind people often found the feature to be more of a hinderance than a help.

Snow Leopard strove to change all that and the brilliant minds at Apple’s accessibility team have pulled it off yet again. The same technology used for VoiceOver on the iPhone 3GS, is now used in MacBooks with multi-touch trackpads to provide a “feelable” view of what is on-screen. Using gestures nearly identical to those on iPhone, blind and visually impaired users can access on-screen elements easily and effectively.

It seems that Apple has now removed all limits the blind and visually impaired face when using graphical environment. This lays to rest a fear that stretches back to the introduction of the graphical user interface and brings new possibilities to what the visually impaired community can achieve on their Macs.

Apple’s road is long, but it is one they have chosen and they strive to meet to the 110% mark. It is an accessibility model that the visually impaired community has come to embrace, and one that has removed boundaries in more ways than one.

Personally, I applaud Apple for their efforts and will be picking up a Snow Leopard family pack as soon as it becomes available here in Canada. Snow Leopard is now available for order through the Apple online stores and other authorised Apple retailers. It retails at an upgrade price of US$29 for a single license and US$49 for a five user family license.

I’ll be going into the Apple store with high hopes for this new operating system. What is your feeling toward this historic release? What issues that were present in Leopard do you most wish to see addressed?

- Alex Jurgensen

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Making Sense of WCAG 2.0– Part 4

Ken Nakata — Wed, 26 Aug 2009 13:18:21 -0500

I’m happy to say that this project is finally coming together.� My latest version is my August 19 WCAG 2.0 chart, which is viewable in Word 2007 or the Word Viewer.

Why do I say it’s finally coming together?� Because it’s shaping up to be the stepping stones for a flowchart or decision tree that can make it easy for developers who have to just pick up WCAG 2.0 and implement it.� Of course, it’s no where near that stage yet, but it’s getting there.

Mobile Phone Accessibility APIs

Thomas Logan — Wed, 26 Aug 2009 12:45:33 -0500

Interesting to see accessibility APIs becoming available for mobile phones. If you are a developer for either of the major platforms you now have the ability to include accessibility information for your user interface.

iPhone Accessibility API

Blackberry Accessibility API

STC 2010 Summit call for proposals is now open

kmardahl — Wed, 26 Aug 2009 07:08:10 -0500

Only yesterday, we were saying that we didn’t know when the call for proposals would be out for STC’s Technical Communication Summit 2010 set in Dallas, Texas, 2–5 May 2010 (at the Hyatt Regency Dallas at Reunion.) Today, we are pleased to announce that the STC 2010 Summit Call for Proposals is now open. Go ahead and [...]

Thank You Teddy

Ken Nakata — Wed, 26 Aug 2009 01:30:39 -0500

No matter what your political affiliation, we all owe Senator Edward Kennedy a lot.� A few minutes ago, a news flash came across my computer that Ted Kennedy had just passed away.� My wife (Laura Ruby) and I were shocked… Ted has been such an icon in�the work we’ve both been�doing for the last 20 years.� It seems so sad and ironic that just tomorrow, the Disability Rights Education and Defense Fund (DREDF)— the first outside group I met when I joined the Justice Department— was going to be having a gala to celebrate his accomplishments.

When I joined the Justice Department back in 1992 (when the ADA first came into effect), Senators Kennedy and Harkins stood out as the two demigods who made the ADA possible.� It wasn’t until years later that I understood how important Senator Kennedy’s lifelong fight for civil rights was for creating the legal infrastructure that ultimately created the disability rights framework that we all�rely on�every day.� Without that framework of basic disability rights laws, IT accessibility would be just a distant pipedream.

As we all go through our day today, let’s all keep thoughts of praise in our hearts for a bold pioneer.� Senator Kennedy was not�the first person many of us might think about for�technology accessibility but, without him, our world would be a far worse place.

Media Fragment addressing into a live stream

silvia — Tue, 25 Aug 2009 21:56:44 -0500

A few months back, Thomas reported on a cool flumotion experiment that he hacked together which allows jumping back in time on a live video stream.

Thomas used a URI scheme with a negative offset to do the jumping back on the http stream:
http://localhost:8800?offset=-120

John left a comment pointing to current work being done in the W3C on Media Fragment addressing, but had to notice that despite Annodex’s temporal URIs having a live stream addressing feature, the new W3C draft didn’t accommodate such a use case.

We got to work in the working group and I am very happy to announce that as of today there is now a draft specification for addressing time offsets by wall-clock time.

Say, you are watching Thomas’ live stream from above at http://localhost:8800 and you want to jump back by 2 min. Your player would grab the current streaming time, e.g. 2009-08-26T12:34:04Z and subtract the two minutes, giving 2009-08-26T12:32:04Z. Then the player would use this to tell your streaming server to jump back by two minutes using this URL:
http://localhost:8800#t=clock:2009-08-26T12:32:04Z.

Or another example would be: you had a stream running all day from a conference and you want to go back to a particular session. You know that it was between 10am and 11am German time (UTC+2 right now). Then your URL would be as follows:
http://conference:8800#t=clock:2009-08-26T10:00+02:00,2009-08-26T11:00+02:00

Now if only there was an implementation…

Speak out – the conferences want your papers!

kmardahl — Tue, 25 Aug 2009 17:50:00 -0500

With all the open calls for papers for various conferences, it is easier to blog about them than to tweet about them. Why the call for papers? Conferences are excellent opportunities to exchange knowledge with your peers. It’s never too early or too late to share. Some even provide special student opportunities to encourage the new generation. Think [...]

Final Stretch: Help Needed for Drupal 7 Accessibility

Everett — Tue, 25 Aug 2009 10:14:20 -0500

Yesterday was the third Drupal 7 accessibility taskforce meeting, and the final meeting before code freeze. With September 1 just around the corner the Drupal accessibility community would like to reach out the the broader community for some additional help during this busy time to get as many accessibility improvements into Drupal 7 core as possible.

There are many ways to help and to get involved. If anyone is wondering what they can do or how their skills may be useful please e-mail Everett to find out where your skills can best be put to use.

There are five issues that we would like to request assistance with. They are listed below with links to their issue page.

Thank you so much to everyone who has contributed to Drupal accessibility thus far, and thanks in advance for those who can find the time to contribute over the next week.