RE: mouse replacement software?

Let's all understand that this may well work for sighted users who cannot 
use the mouse, but it is a very inefficient compared to what a screen 
reader provides with keyboard navigation and short cuts for a blind user. 
In my opinion, mouse replacement software still really requires that you 
know where your mouse pointer is and more importantly where you want to 
go. 

If you can't see the screen, then how do you know which quadrant you want 
to go into?  Would you expect the user to memorize everything on the 
screen after exploring every quadrant and sub quadrant?   That's what a 
screen reader does for the user. 

Regards,
Phill Jenkins
IBM Worldwide Accessibility Center





"Derek Featherstone" <feather@wats.ca> 
Sent by: w3c-wai-ig-request@w3.org
10/11/2004 12:50 PM

To
"'Patrick H. Lauke'" <redux@splintered.co.uk>, <w3c-wai-ig@w3.org>
cc

Subject
RE: mouse replacement software?







Patrick H. Lauke wrote:
> From what I remember, it superimposed a numbered grid over the page,
allowing the
> user to activate or further refine (adding additional grid
> subdivisions) specific sections of the page by invoking the related
> number. I was wondering if anybody here on the list knew the name of
> said software, or could point out applications that do a similar job?

Not sure what they were actually using, but it sounds very much like the
mechanism used by Dragon NaturallySpeaking from ScanSoft. The user speaks
the voice command "mouse grid" to show the initial grid (3 by 3 overlay,
numbered 1 through 9) and then speaks additional numbers to further refine
until they have zeroed in on their target...

Hope this helps...

Cheers,
Derek.
-- 
Derek Featherstone     feather@wats.ca
phone: 613.599.9784;   toll-free: 1.866.932.4878 (North America)
Web Accessibility:  http://www.wats.ca
Personal: http://www.boxofchocolates.ca