- From: <meijer@natlab.research.philips.com>
- Date: Tue, 16 Feb 1999 09:22:37 +0100 (MET)
- To: w3c-wai-ig@w3.org
Note: It seems like posting directly to the w3c-wai-ig-d digest list does not end up in the w3c-wai-ig archive? I'm sorry if you received the following posting twice, as I now sent it to w3c-wai-ig... The following web page contains a Java applet with interactive audio output. The applet has a sound cursor that is first activated via a Javascripted text link, after which mouse position determines the sound output of the sound cursor. So it should in principle be accessible to screen readers using a hardware sound synth or a second sound card (to get around the infamous audio conflicts in for instance Windows-95), while working with any browser that has at least Java 1.02 support. The test page is at http://ourworld.compuserve.com/homepages/Peter_Meijer/blindraw.htm and at my mirror site page http://www.gironet.nl/home/meijerpb/blindraw.htm Notes for blind visitors: Full instructions are given on the web page, but basically you just wait up to a few minutes for the Java applet to load until you hear a low rate clicking, meaning that the Java applet is ready for use. Then you activate the "sound cursor" text link on the page using your screen reader, and move the mouse around more or less randomly (or better still, by manual scanning) until you find you are over the drawing canvas. You will hear this happening because there will be a sound cursor beep when the mouse is hovering over the canvas. This beep also indicates the mouse position and you can start to draw and hear your own "soundscapes". The page has been tested to work well without a screen reader in Microsoft Explorer 4.01, Netscape 3.0 and Netscape Communicator 4.06. It will be an acid test for your screen reader though. Your screen reader must allow for audio applications to sound, so in practice this will typically mean that you are using a second sound card or a hardware synth, because in this example it is not possible to switch sound between screen reader and Java sound output. A Java engine will often just fail to give any sound once it cannot immediately get hold of your sound card. Is the page accessible? If not, why not? Which screen reader / browser combinations succeed, and which don't? I welcome reports on the various quirks/bugs/flaws in combinations of screen reader and Java-enabled browsers. In my opinion, this particular Java page should prove accessible without requiring any special "accessibility extensions" for Java, because it was designed to work with only regular features commonly supported by browsers and screen readers. If the page appears not accessible, there must be bugs in need of fixing? Best wishes, Peter Meijer E-mail: meijer@natlab.research.philips.com Soundscapes from The vOICe - Seeing with your Ears! http://ourworld.compuserve.com/homepages/Peter_Meijer/
Received on Tuesday, 16 February 1999 03:26:53 UTC