Re: Cross-reference for accessibility APIs (fwd)

Aaron's article says:
> An interesting problem is that Netscape/Mozilla is a cross-platform
browser,
> but there is currently no cross-platform Accessibility API.

PJ: I don't agree.

Charles wrote:
> I think it is valuable as a link form the techniques

PJ: Yes, so is the old comparison table on the TRACE site
http://trace.wisc.edu/world/java/java.htm

> ...In particular it deals with the question of
> what does it mean for a cross platform product
> to follow standards that don't exist in cross-platform form.

PJ: The article does ask the question, but doesn't really answer the
question.  The Java Accessibility API is cross-platform, but it won't work
for Windows C++ or GNOME applications, because they are NOT cross-platform.
I can't take Netscape for UNIX and run it on Windows, while I can take
Bobby and run it anywhere (Windows, UNIX, OS/2, etc.) Java is running.
Netscape & Mozilla are know as running on lots of platforms -
multi-platform, but it is not implemented in a cross-platform technology.
I view it as being ported to run on each platform.  So the question Mozilla
has, and other applications [very common in IBM and Lotus] that want to run
on multiple platforms have, is to which accessibility API do I right to on
each platform?  It would be useful to have a chart showing the platforms
and where the APIs exist, it should also include "standard OS controls"
since they are generally accessible on the specific platform; in other
words assistive technologies write to standard controls.  It would also be
useful to list the assistive technologies that support the accessibility
APIs.  For example, JAWs on Windows supports the Java Accessibility API via
the Java Access Bridge; while the IBM Self Voicing Kit supports the Java
Accessibility API on any platform that supports Java.

If all the assistive technology vendors got together and created the
standard API that they wanted all the OS and app developers to write to,
then the OS and app developers would want to listen, especially in light of
508 and other regulations.  But who has the mandate to heard all the AT
vendors together?

Regards,
Phill Jenkins
IBM Research Division - Accessibility Center



Charles McCathieNevile <charles@w3.org>@w3.org on 01/31/2001 06:59:59 AM

Sent by:  w3c-wai-au-request@w3.org


To:   WAI AU Guidelines <w3c-wai-au@w3.org>
cc:
Subject:  Cross-reference for accessibility APIs (fwd)



The following message from teh mozilla-accessibility list points to an
interesting document looking at techniques for implementing accessibility
standards (essentially guideline 7.1 stuff). It discusses the things that
are
equivalent but have different names etc between MSAA, Gnome and Java
accessibility. I think it is valuable as a link form the techniques. In
particular it deals with the question of what does it mean for a cross
platform product to follow standards that don't exist in cross-platform
form.

(and it is short :)

Cheers

Charles

From: Aaron Leventhal
To: mozilla-accessibility@mozilla.org
Subject: Cross-reference for accessibility APIs
Resent-Date: Wed, 31 Jan 2001 01:06:44 -0800 (PST)
Resent-From: mozilla-accessibility@mozilla.org

Hello,

I've begun the process of posting a cross reference on-line describing
the difference between the way MSAA & Java Accessibility define
characteristics like role and state of an object. There's also a short
intro. Perhaps this document will evolve to more fully describe what
we're doing with MSAA, so we can use it to garner feedback.

http://access-mozilla.sourceforge.net/article.php?sid=11&mode=thread&order=0

Aaron

Received on Wednesday, 31 January 2001 16:38:04 UTC