Re: Screen reading & audio browsing plugs-ins, etc. (fwd)

Working with Neal Ewers on some websites, I am reminded that there
is a very simple evaluation method that is an effective test of
how convenient a site is for most blind visitors.

This is "close your eyes and listen to what you hear as you tab
through the links on the page."

How cheaply can a conscientious web author get enough speech
technology to do that?  How hard would it be to put together a
couple of plugins that would make this test audible?  ..A couple
of plugins for a couple of browsers...

Al

----- Forwarded message from Al Gilman -----

From: Al Gilman <asgilman@access.digex.net>
To: cochand@pobox.com (Jeff Cochand)
Date: Fri, 18 Sep 1998 08:56:48 -0400 (EDT)
Subject: Re: Screen reading & audio browsing plugs-ins, etc.

For a quick introduction to what kinds of devices exist, you
could consult the technology glossary at the following site:

   Linkname: ATRC Home Page
        URL: http://www.utoronto.ca/atrc/index.html

   Linkname: Technical Glossary
        URL: http://www.utoronto.ca/atrc/tech/techgloss.html

On the other hand, this may not really be what you need.  This
technology is not free, nor is it always easy to set up.  There
are things you can do with various websites and mainline tools
which are useful for checking out your site.  But not all these
things are under one roof, so to speak.

The WAI Evaluation and Repair Interest Group has been set up for
people like you to compare notes on what works for you.  Your
post is as good a match to "an interest in evaluation and repair"
as I can imagine, as meant in the charter of this group.

Under the ER home page at http://www.w3.org/WAI/ER/ you will find
a list of existing tools and services.  We need people like you
to try them out and post your reactions to w3c-wai-er-ig@w3.org.

The Evaluation and Repair Working Group exists to point
toolsmiths at the holes that are not covered by existing
capabilities.  But the toolsmiths need to hear from their
customers, like you, as to what works and doesn't work in the
current offerings.

Al

to follow up on what Jeff Cochand said:
> From w3c-wai-ig-request@w3.org  Fri Sep 18 07:28:14 1998
> Resent-Date: Fri, 18 Sep 1998 07:22:35 -0400 (EDT)
> Resent-Message-Id: <199809181122.HAA23953@www19.w3.org>
> Message-ID: <36024254.39C9FD17@pobox.com>
> Date: Fri, 18 Sep 1998 07:21:56 -0400
> From: Jeff Cochand <cochand@pobox.com>
> X-Mailer: Mozilla 4.06 [en] (Win95; I)
> To: w3c-wai-ig@w3.org
> Subject: Screen reading & audio browsing plugs-ins, etc.
> Resent-From: w3c-wai-ig@w3.org
> X-Mailing-List: <w3c-wai-ig@w3.org> archive/latest/1551
> X-Loop: w3c-wai-ig@w3.org
> Sender: w3c-wai-ig-request@w3.org
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> Hi,
>     I am building a web site & attempting to incorporate the Web
> Accessibility guidelines as much as possible.  Are there software,
> Netscape Navigator & Internet Explorer plug-in's, hardware devices, etc.
> that I should be aware of, using, and building to their standards?
>     As best as I can tell, guidelines exist, but plug-in's, etc. for
> Screen Reading & Audio Browsing do not exist.  Would someone be kind
> enough to give me/point me to baseline material that defines the state
> of Web Accessibility tools?  Do Screen Readers & Audio Browsers exist?
> Do "plug-ins" exist for standard browsers that can perform these
> functions?  I noticed the afternoon meeting coming up on 9/23 in Boston,
> and thought that attending that meeting might be a good source of
> information.
>     Thanks for you help.
> 
> Jeff
> 
>    Below is the original question I sent to Ian & Daniel before becoming
> aware of this group.  I've reformed my question based on looking thru
> the w3c-wai-ig questions, but thought I'd include the original question
> in the event that it provides more clarification.
> 
> You should send this query message to w3c-wai-ig, not just to Ian and
> I.
> 
> I personally don't know much about NS and IE plug-in, I know that
> there are some web proxy that can show you what a Lynx user would see.
> 
> I don't think a Screen Reader plug-in makes sense actually, since by
> definition, a Screen Reader is an external agent that reads the whole
> screen.
> 
> For audio browsing plug-in, I'm not sure the plug-in API allows one to
> completely take care of the presentation, I think that plug-in are
> just for OBJECT/APPLET element.
> 
> > Hi Ian & Daniel,
> >     I'm trying to build a web site which incorporates the Web
> > Accessibility guidelines as much as possible.  Do browser plugins
> exist
> > which allow Netscape Navigator & IE to perform functions like Screen
> > Reading & Audio Browsing?
> >     Thanks,
> > Jeff
> 
> 
> 
> 

----- End of forwarded message from Al Gilman -----

Received on Saturday, 19 September 1998 09:59:55 UTC