We have been hearing rumors for quite some time about the impending acquisition of Freedom Scientific. In the past week, we have been hearing that Freedom Scientific would be acquired by Wafra Investment Advisory Group, Inc. It turns out these rumors are true according to this press release directly from Wafra. There is one question that comes to mind right now. How can a company that appears to have no clue about web site accessibility purchase a company that works to make accessibility a reality for the blind and visually impaired? What changes in direction will Freedom Scientific take after this acquisition?
Uncategorized
Making Ajax Work with Screen Readers
Reagan reports that there is an effort underway to devise and implement techniques for making AJAX based technologies work with screen readers. See this interesting article for details.
FileDir 2.5 and TextPal 3.7 released
FileDir 2.5
May 11, 2007
http://www.EmpowermentZone.com/dirsetup.exe
Fixed the Zip List command, Control+Shift+Z. In the Web Download command,
Alt+Shift+W, a different, more reliable technique is implemented for getting
the web address of a page open in Internet Explorer.
With the optional JAWS scripts, made Control+Equals a synonym of Control+E
for the Evaluate command (to be consistent with the Homer interface). Added
the Manual Options command, Alt+Shift+M, for adjusting FileDir settings
directly in a text editor.
Doubled the number of special folders available via the Open Special Folder
command, Control+Shift+O. You can now have greater control over
your computer by conveniently examining and managing the following 35
folders as needed:
Administrative Tools
Application Data
Common Administrative Tools
Common Application Data
Common Desktop
Common Documents
Common Favorites
Common Files
Common Programs
Common Start Menu
Common Startup
Common Templates
Cookies
Desktop
Favorites
Fonts
Internet Cache
Internet History
Local Application Data
My Documents
My Pictures
MyMusic
Network Neighborhood
Printer Neighborhood
Program Files
Programs
Recent
SendTo
Start Menu
Startup
system32
Temp
Templates
UserName
WINNT
———-
TextPal 3.7
May 11, 2007
http://www.EmpowermentZone.com/palsetup.exe
Fixed some of the optional JAWS scripts, as well as command descriptions in
the Alternate Menu (Alt+F10), to reflect recent changes in key
assignments. Fixed TextPal copying selected text to the clipboard in a
small font rather than as unformatted plain text.
In the Grab URLs command, Alt+Shift+G, a different, more reliable
technique is implemented for getting the web address of a page open in
Internet Explorer. Reassigned the Insert Time command to
Alt+Shift+Semicolon. Alt+Semicolon still says the time and date.
Modified the Order Lines and Keep Unique Lines commands, Alt+Shift+O and
Alt+Shift+K, to ignore case. Enhanced the Yield command, Alt+Y, to
operate on either all or selected text.
Added two commands that are part of the developing "Homer editor interface."
Press Alt+Backslash to open the folder of the current file in
Windows Explorer, or Control+Backslash to open a command prompt there. Also
for Homer consistency, the evaluate command, Control+E, has a
synonym, Control+Equals. In addition, this command is enhanced to operate
on either the current line or selected text. Thus, one could write several
lines of code in the Ruby language, select the text, and then evaluate the
result. For example, the following algebra calculates the cumulative total
of an initial $100 deposit compounded for 12 months at 5% interest:
interest = 1.05
deposit = 100
months = 12
total = (interest ** months) * deposit
179.585632602213
The result, about $180, was placed on the line below the previously selected
text, and the cursor was placed at the start of that line.
A list of accessible software I have developed for Windows, with download
links, is available at
http://GrabBag.AlacornComputer.com
For upgrading to the latest FileDir and TextPal, remember that you may
elevate on May 11 with F11!
Jamal
GW Micro Announces New Window-Eyes Payment Plan for $39/Month
GW Micro is showing that they are serious about doing all they can to run a profitable business while making their screen reading software available to as many blind and visually impaired people as possible. We applaud GW Micro for making this option available, and are thus happy to redistribute the following announcement:
One of the largest barriers to technology for blind and visually impaired people has always been the high cost, but that is about to change. GW Micro, maker of Window-Eyes, is breaking down those barriers, and now offering a low-cost payment plan for the most advanced screen reader available.
Do you need a screen reader that already has official support for Office 2007, Windows Vista, and makes the Outlook Calendar fully accessible? This is your chance to take advantage of the latest screen reading technology at an affordable price.
The new Window-Eyes Payment Plan replaces the Window-Eyes Lease-to-own program. Here is how it works: Instead of the blind consumer immediately paying the full price to buy Window-Eyes, they can opt between two plans. Both plans include Window-Eyes and a Software Maintenance Agreement (SMA) which provides three major upgrades of Window-Eyes.
The first choice is the Short Term Payment Plan, which costs $50 the first month (plus shipping), and $100 per month for the next 12 months. The second choice is the Long Term Payment Plan which costs $41 the first month (plus shipping) and $39 per month for the next 31 months. There are no penalties for paying off the balance early, and there is no interest on top of your monthly payment.
If you have been waiting to upgrade your copy of Window-Eyes, now is the time! If your upgrade costs $400 or more, you can use the Window-Eyes Payment Plan to upgrade. Contact our orders department for more information.
The new Window-Eyes Payment Plan is shipping now, and you can place your order now by calling our orders department at (260) 489-3671, or by sending an email to orders@gwmicro.com. For more information, check out www.gwmicro.com/paymentplan.
Accessibility Issues On U.S. Senate Web Site Impact Constituents Who Are Blind
Mika Pyyhkala wrote the following letter to the Senate webmaster not only reiterating the accessibility issue already reported but also identifying some additional concerns with links missing appropriate descriptive alt text tags. He also provides some resources for webmasters to begin to learn about and address accessibility issues.
Dear U.S. Senate Webmaster,
I am a blind resident of Massachusetts writing to bring to your attention at least two accessibility concerns on the senate.gov web site. Firstly, Essentially, it is not currently possible for a blind person relying on a screen reader to find their Senators. After selecting the state and pressing the Go button, the contact information for the appropriate two Senators is not provided as expected. Your web site may be rendering the expected information in a picture, or with some sort of nonstandard mark up conventions. This form can be found at the url:
http://www.senate.gov/pagelayout/general/one_item_and_teasers/contacting.htm
In a brief review of the Senate web site, I also encountered a number of unlabeled links to key areas. A screen reader speaks these links as “teaser/teaser_btmgo”. You can find these unlabeled links at the url:
http://www.senate.gov/general/contact_information/senators_cfm.cfm?State=MA
You can use a text browser rendering tool to get an idea of how such a page appears in a screen reader. Here is an example for the above mentioned page:
http://www.delorie.com/web/lynxview.cgi?url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.senate.gov%2Fgeneral%2Fcontact_information%2Fsenators_cfm.cfm%3FState%3DMA
This tool gives you an idea about how the page controls might be read by a screen reader to a person who is blind.
I would like to request that you engage people with disabilities in your business requirement design, , development, beta testing, quality assurance, and other internal processes used to maintain the web site and other in use technologies. For example, if people who are blind who use assistive technology were part of your testing process, it is very unlikely that these two particular issues would have materialized on the in production web pages. From a web development perspective, it is easier and less resource intensive if you build accessibility in to processes from the ground up, instead of so-called “bolted on” accessibility after a web site or other technology solution has gone in to production.
As a taxpaying citizen who has paid in part for the creation of this web site, I am asking that you work to correct these issues so that blind and visually impaired citizens may fully utilize the capabilities and resources offered by the web site. Again, also, accessibility testing and validation exercises should be conducted before new content or features are placed in production to assure that such implementations and changes are accessible. Accessibility and usability by people who are blind should not be simply a one-off process, or something only evaluated when usability feedback like this is received. Instead, as I have noted, accessibility should become a key part of your business process and corporate DNA. Under Section 508, the U.S. government has pledged to be a model citizen in this regard, and making accessibility an ongoing front burner initiative is part of this commitment. Furthermore, these actions will aid the private sector in modeling similar standards and behaviors.
I would be pleased to help you in these endeavors. I will also provide some web addresses where you can obtain more information about accessibility and assistive technology used by people with disabilities:
Making Your Web Site Accessible to the Blind
http://www.nfb.org/nfb/Web_accessibility.asp?SnID=2798332
by Curtis Chong
Director of Technology
National Federation of the Blind
Watchfire WebXACT, a tool that can be used to create an initial and preliminary check on a web sites accessibility and Section 508 compliance:
http://webxact.watchfire.com/
These automated testing tools are useful, but are not a substitute for involving people with disabilities in your business and technical processes as outlined above.
Nonvisual Accessibility Web Application Certification
http://www.nfb.org/nfb/certification_intro.asp?SnID=887575
This is a program of the National Federation of the Blind which enables organizations to seek consulting services and certification once a web site is made accessible. The program combines automated testing as well as real world end user acceptance testing using assistive technologies.
http://www.nfb.org/nfb/certification_intro.asp?SnID=887575
This is a program of the National Federation of the Blind which enables organizations to seek consulting services and certification once a web site is made accessible. The program combines automated testing as well as real world end user acceptance testing using assistive technologies.
Jaws For Windows Screen Reader (including free demo version):
http://www.freedomscientific.com/fs_products/JAWS_HQ.asp
This is the software used by people who are blind which reads computer information in synthetic speech or provides it using refreshable braile displays.
Web Accessibility Initiative (WAI) – home page
http://www.w3.org/WAI/
This is a standards organization that provides guidelines on web development including accessibility considerations.
Section 508: The Road to Accessibility
http://www.section508.gov/
The federal government has pledged by law to be a leader in this area, and holds itself accountable to ensuring that web sites and other technologies are accessible to people who are blind as well as those with other disabilities. The above links to a federal government Section 508 portal.
Thank you in advance for your effrorts in these areas. I trust that the information and links are helpful to you, and again I look forward to working with you in the near future.
Best regards,
Mika Pyyhkala
cc: Jennifer Fay, Help Committee, Senator Edward M. Kennedy of Massachusetts
Help Committee General Office, U.S. Senate
Blind College Students in Maryland Will Have Textbooks on Time
PR Newswire
Tuesday, May 08, 2007
Blind College Students in Maryland Will Have Textbooks on Time
By National Federation of the Blind
Governor O'Malley Signs Landmark Legislation Providing for Electronic Access
ANNAPOLIS, Md., May 8 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ — Maryland Governor
Martin O'Malley signed legislation today that will ensure that blind
college and graduate students in the state will have timely access to
textbooks and course materials in a format they can use. The legislation,
passed at the urging of the National Federation of the Blind of Maryland,
provides for textbooks to be converted into an electronic format specified
by the Maryland Library for the Blind and Physically Handicapped. The
electronic format will allow blind students to download their textbooks to
computers or Braille devices.
"In the past, blind students in Maryland have had to wait for their
books to be produced in Braille or in recorded form by volunteers or by the
state," said Dr. Michael Gosse, president of the National Federation of the
Blind of Maryland. "Technology now makes it possible for students to have
access to their books and course materials at the same time as their sighted
peers, as long as the books are in a standard electronic format.
This legislation requires that publishers provide electronic copies of their
books so that blind students can access them directly with a computer
or Braille device. It is a historic piece of legislation, because never
before have blind students had access to textbooks at the same time as the
sighted." Amy Herstein, a blind sophomore at the University of Maryland of
Baltimore County, said: "Today is truly a great day for students like me. I
will no longer have to worry about hiring someone to read to me or spending
hours scanning my textbooks into a computer. Having timely access to my
books means that I will never get behind in my course work simply because a
book isn't available in an accessible format. College is hard work, but my
life as a blind college student has just been made a whole lot easier."
About the National Federation of the Blind
With more than 50,000 members, the National Federation of the Blind is
the largest and most influential membership organization of blind people in
the United States. The NFB improves blind people's lives through advocacy,
education, research, technology, and programs encouraging independence and
self-confidence. It is the leading force in the blindness field today and
the voice of the nation's blind. In January 2004 the NFB opened the
National Federation of the Blind Jernigan Institute, the first research and
training center in the United States for the blind led by the blind.
SOURCE National Federation of the Blind
http://www.nfb.org/
Senate Responds to Web Site Accessibility Issue
Liz Horrell from the United States Senate has promptly responded to my
initial accessibility request indicating that the problem is being
worked. She also delivered us an alternative method of locating our
Senators.
Thank you for your e-mail and for alerting us to the problem. The
Webmaster has been notified and is looking into how to correct the
problem.
Screen readers will read the Senators Contact list. You can access this
by going to the Senator's tab (labeled Senators Home) on Senate.gov.
Once again thank you for your e-mail and we are working to correct the
problem.
Best Wishes,
Liz Horrell
On behalf of the Senate Webmaster
Coming up on Main Menu for the week of May 9
This week on Main Menu we hear again from Rick Harmon from the Blind Geek
Zone web site. He reviews for us JAWS for Windows Public Beta 2 on Windows
VISTA.
During the second hour of Main Menu Live we bring on Raul Gallegos from GW
Micro. Raul recently joined the GW Micro staff and he joins us to talk all
things Voice Sense, new Braille displays and updates concerning Window-Eyes
6.1. If you have any questions about these new products or have any
questions pertaining to Window-Eyes 6.1, then make sure to call into the
show.
The number to call into the show is 866-400-5333. You can also email your
questions to mainmenu@acbradio.org. You can also interact with the show via
MSN Messenger. The MSN Messenger ID to add is:
mainmenu@acbradio.org
Would you like to interact with a group of Main Menu listeners about the
topics heard on Main Menu and Main Menu Live? You can do this by joining the
Main Menu Friends email list. The address to subscribe is:
main-menu-subscribe@googlegroups.co. Come join an already lively group of
users.
Would you like to subscribe to podcasts feeds for Main Menu and Main Menu
Live? The RSS feeds to add to your podcatching application are:
Main Menu
http://www.acbradio.org/podcasts/mainmenu
Main Menu Live
http://www.acbradio.org/podcasts/mainmenulive
Main Menu and Main Menu Live can be heard on Tuesday evening at 9:00
Eastern, 6:00 Pacific, and at 1 universal on Wednesday morning on the ACB
Radio Main Stream channel. To listen to the show, just click this link:
Jeff Bishop and Darrell Shandrow
The Main Menu Production Team
Visual Verification: Do Not Call Register failing blind
The Australian is reporting that the web site for the Australian equivalent
of the Do Not Call registry is inaccessible to the blind and visually
impaired as it requires passing a CAPTCHA. As we all know, this represents
no less than a "no blind people allowed" sign locking us out.
The Australian
Saturday, May 05, 2007
Do Not Call Register failing blind
By Simon Canning, Marketing writer
HUNDREDS of thousands of blind and vision-impaired people have been unable
to sign on to the Government's new Do Not Call register as questions
continue to arise about the decision to rush the system into action.
Call centre operators yesterday continued their criticism of the move,
saying the system could cost up to 30,000 jobs.
Human rights and disability discrimination commissioner Graeme Innes said
the failure of the Do Not Call website to allow vision-impaired people to
list their numbers was in breach of the Disability Discrimination Act.
Communications Minister Helen Coonan launched the register on Thursday, but
minutes after its unveiling, the computerised system had gone into meltdown,
unable to cope with thousands of people wanting to block phone marketers.
Mr Innes said the website for the federal Government's $33million register
contained features designed to stop fraudulent registrations. These required
people to copy a series of letters and numbers that had been altered to make
them impossible for hacking programs to read. But these could not be
accessed by the blind.
"We would expect that any Commonwealth Government website would comply with
access requirements," Mr Innes said. "It's been the law for several years."
The Do Not Call registration system was expected to handle 700,000
registrations an hour, but 36 hours after its launch had processed only
250,000.
http://www.theaustralian.news.com.au/story/0,20867,21674764-2702,00.html
Accessible Devices – Sunday’s TapMemo Presentation
We are pleased to announce that Nir Dvash, the developer of the New TapMemo Voice Activated Personal Data Assistant,, will be with us on Sunday May 6 th in the Accessible Devices Event Room at VIP Conduit to present his product. Be sure to mark your calendar for 2:00 PM Eastern on that date. This will be a presentation you won’t want to miss. We’re including some information about the TapMemo. You’ll need to be with us on Sunday May 6 th to learn more.
TapMemo -Voice Activated Personal Data Assistant
TapMemo is a revolutionary, handheld, battery powered voice activated personal assistant. It contains only one multi-functional button and two volume buttons. All verbal commands are Speaker Independent which means the user does not need to train the unit -it will work right out of the box.
Some of the features include memos, phone book, calendar, alarm, unit locator and more.
We hope you’ll be with us for this presentation. Access to the voice chat room for this event requires a free guest membership to VIP Conduit. Visit http://www.vipconduit.com to sign up and join the event.
Parker, Terry and Randy