FWD about FLASH

The following came through from another list describing the now available
accessibility feature of Dreamweaver, and the coming improvements to Flash.
(Note there is an intended date for release given). 

				Anne

>To: EASI@MAELSTROM.STJOHNS.EDU
>Subject:      Macromedia  increasing web access
>Date:         Fri, 27 Oct 2000 10:18:35 -0400
>
>Macromedia Enables Creation Of Accessible Web Content
>Company ships Dreamweaver accessibility extensions,
>outlines Macromedia
>Flash plans
>
>Macromedia Inc (NASDAQ: MACR) today outlined its commitment to ensuring the
>immersive Web experiences created by its market-leading products are
>accessible to everyone.  Macromedia is working to help overcome the Web
>technology challenges for people with disabilities through community
>involvement, software features and documentation, third party support,
>promotion of accessibility standards and company awareness.  Macromedia
>today delivered free downloadable extensions to its Macromedia Dreamweaver
>platform to enable developers to more easily create accessible content.
>Information about Macromedia's accessibility program is available at
>http://www.macromedia.com/accessibility/
><http://www.macromedia.com/accessibility/ .
>"Macromedia is dedicated to providing software that enables our customers
>to deliver the fullest potential of the Web," said Kevin Lynch, President
>of products for Macromedia. "We will continue to innovate in providing and
>promoting accessibility standards across our market-leading Web authoring
>solutions to ensure the vision of what the Web can be includes everyone."
>Macromedia today announced the availability of free extensions to
>Macromedia Dreamweaver and Macromedia Fireworks that make it easier for its
>customers to deliver accessible Web content.  The Dreamweaver extension
>enables developers to evaluate their Web pages for accessibility based on
>the guidelines of the World Wide Web Consortium (W3C).  The extension
>performs a test similar to that of Bobby ( http://www.cast.org/bobby/)
><http://www.cast.org/bobby/) , which has become a standard
>online benchmark
>for accessibility.  The free extensions are immediately
>available for
>download from the Macromedia Exchange for Dreamweaver
>at
>http://exchange.macromedia.com
><http://exchange.macromedia.com .
>
>Macromedia also announced plans for a Macromedia Flash Accessibility
>Developer Kit and future enhancements to the Macromedia Flash Player,
>expected by the end of the year.  The Macromedia Flash Accessibility
>Developer Kit will contain guidelines, Smart Clips and sample code to fully
>support development efforts.  An upcoming version of the Macromedia Flash
>Player will be modified to allow access to underlying data within a
>Macromedia Flash (SWF) file, permitting the text within to be interpreted
>by assistive devices.  Further, developers can choose to expose their
>Macromedia Flash content, making properties such as scale and visibility
>controllable by end users.
>As part of its accessibility initiative, Macromedia today delivered
>extensions that assist developers with accessible design. Two new commands
>for Fireworks confirm that ALT Tags (which describe the information
>contained in images) are being used, and that complex sliced image maps are
>properly tagged for readers with disabilities and reading software.
>About Macromedia
>Macromedia is passionate about what the Web can be.  Its award-winning
>products empower developers to provide the most engaging experiences on the
>Web and enable more effective e-business.  Headquartered in San Francisco,
>Macromedia (NASDAQ: MACR) has more than 1,200 employees worldwide and is
>available on the Internet at www.macromedia.com/uk
><http://www.macromedia.com/uk .
>Macromedia is a member of the Business Software Alliance (BSA)
>· ENDS-
>
>
>For Further Information Please Contact:
>Sarah Mowatt
>Macromedia Europe
>Tel: 01344 458600
>Fax: 01344 458666
>Email: smowatt@macromedia.com
><mailto:smowatt@macromedia.com
>
>Or
>Nigel Cayless/Caro Bamforth/Julie Elliott
>Stewart-Muir Communications
>Tel: 020 8943 2111
>Fax: 020 8943 2888
>Email: macromedia@stewartmuir.com
><mailto:macromedia@stewartmuir.com
>
>
>25th October 2000
>
>-- 
>Ann K. Parsons:  email:  akp@eznet.net
>evoice:  2440477     ICQ Number:  33006854
>WEB SITE:  http://home.eznet.net/~akp
>"All that is gold does not glitter.  Not all those who wander are lost."
JRRT
>
>
Anne L. Pemberton
http://www.pen.k12.va.us/Pav/Academy1
http://www.erols.com/stevepem/Homeschooling
apembert@crosslink.net
Enabling Support Foundation
http://www.enabling.org

Received on Thursday, 2 November 2000 06:33:58 UTC