The non-visual or dual-mode browser p w WebSpeak is provided by
- The Productivity Works
- 7 Belmont Circle
- Trenton, New Jersey 086128
- Telephone +1-609-984-8044
- Fax +1-609-984-8048
- E-Mail: info@prodworks.com
- Web Site: http://www.prodworks.com
Browser p w WebSpeak provides both text-to-speech rendering and an
enlarged and augmented visual text presentation. It is designed specifically
to interact directly with the information on the Web pages and to translate
the information content into speech. The user may navigate through the
structure of a document based on its coontents, paragraphs, and sentences,
rather than having to deal with scrolling and interpreting a structured
screen display.
- The tested version of p w WebSpeak is
- pwWebSpeak - 2.5 Release Revision 14 EN
This evaluation checklist outline is as far as Harvey Bingham got in
his attempt to apply the checklist from an appendix to the draft W3C
"User Agent
Accessibility Guidelines 1.0 dated 199908". I have restyled the
checklist as Jim Thatcher did with IBM Home Page Reader.
That styling altered the table columns:
| Column | Caption | Content |
|---|
| 1 | # | Checkpoint number, linked to source guideline |
|---|
| 2 | [Category] | Checkpoint description |
|---|
| 3 | P | Priority of checkpoint |
|---|
| 4 | Rate | Ranking: Y=Yes, N=No, N/A=Not Applicable |
|---|
| 5 | Comment | Observation about checkpoint or its applicability |
|---|
In the following tables are my evaluation of p w WebSpeak to the list of all checkpoints from the User
Agent Accessibility Guidelines 1.0, organized by concept. Please refer to the
Guidelines document for introductory information, information about related
documents, a glossary of terms, and more.
This document is based on the checklist from the draft source document
at the time of its publication. Other documents may supersede that document.
The latest status of that document series is maintained at the W3C.
The intent of this document is both to assess p w WebSpeak and the checklist,
Comments in the evaluation indicate issues that may need clarification in
future versions of the checklist or the User Agent Guidelines.
It is inappropriate to use W3C Working Drafts as reference material or
to cite them as other than "work in progress". This is work in progress and does
not imply endorsement by, or the consensus of, either W3C or Members of the WAI
User Agent (UA) Working Group.
Please send comments about this document to the public mailing list:
w3c-wai-ua@w3.org.
Priorities
Each checkpoint in this document is assigned a priority that indicates its
importance for users.
- [Priority 1]
- This checkpoint must be implemented by user agents as a
native feature or through compatibility with assistive technology, otherwise
one or more groups of users with disabilities will find it impossible to access
information. Satisfying this checkpoint is a basic requirement for some
individuals to be able to use the Web.
- [Priority 2]
- This checkpoint should be implemented by user agents as a
native feature or through compatibility with assistive technology, otherwise
one or more groups of users will find it difficult to access information.
Satisfying this checkpoint will remove significant barriers to accessing Web
documents.
- [Priority 3]
- This checkpoint may be implemented by user agents as a
native feature or through compatibility with assistive technology, to make it
easier for one or more groups of users to access information. Satisfying this
checkpoint will improve access to the Web for some individuals.
Priority 1 checkpoints
| # |
In General (Priority 1) |
P |
Rate |
Comment |
| 3.1 |
Ensure
that the user has access to document content, including alternative
representations of content. |
1 |
|
|
| 3.2 |
For
dependent user agents only. Ensure that the user has access to the content
of an element selected by the user. |
1 |
|
|
| 3.3 |
For
dependent user agents only. Render content according to natural language
identification. For unsupported natural languages, notify the user of language
changes when configured to do so. |
1 |
|
|
| 4.5 |
Allow
the user to turn on and off rendering of audio captions. |
1 |
|
|
| 12.1 |
Provide
a version of the product documentation that conforms to the Web Content
Accessibility Guidelines. |
1 |
|
|
| 12.2 |
Ensure
that all user agent functionalities that promote accessibility are documented.
|
1 |
|
|
| # |
User Interface (Priority 1) |
P |
Rate |
Comment |
| 4.6 |
Allow
the user to turn on and off animated or blinking text. |
1 |
|
|
| 4.7 |
Allow
the user to turn on and off animations and blinking images. |
1 |
|
|
| 4.9 |
Allow
the user to turn on and off support for user style sheets. |
1 |
|
|
| 4.10 |
Allow
the user to turn on and off support for author style sheets. |
1 |
|
|
| 4.11 |
Allow
the user to turn on and off support for spawned windows.
|
1 |
|
|
| 5.1 |
Allow
the user to control font family. |
1 |
|
|
| 5.2 |
Allow
the user to control the size of text. |
1 |
|
|
| 5.3 |
Allow
the user to control foreground color. |
1 |
|
|
| 5.4 |
Allow
the user to control background color. |
1 |
|
|
| 5.5 |
Allow
the user to control selection highlighting (e.g., foreground and background
color). |
1 |
|
|
| 5.6 |
Allow
the user to control focus highlighting (e.g., foreground and background color).
|
1 |
|
|
| 5.14 |
Allow
the user to control speech playback rate. |
1 |
|
|
| 8.1 |
Allow
the user to navigate viewports (including frames). |
1 |
|
|
| 8.2 |
For
user agents that offer a browsing history mechanism, when the user returns to a
previous view, restore the point of regard in the viewport. |
1 |
|
|
| 9.1 |
Provide
a mechanism for highlighting and identifying (through a standard interface
where available) the current viewport, selection, and focus. |
1 |
|
|
| # |
Keyboard Support (Priority 1) |
P |
Rate |
Comment |
| 2.1 |
By
default and without additional customization, ensure that all functionalities
offered by the user agent are accessible using the keyboard. |
1 |
|
|
| 2.2 |
Provide
documentation on default keyboard commands and include with user agent
documentation and/or user help system. |
1 |
|
|
| 2.3 |
Provide
information to the user about the current keyboard configuration. |
1 |
|
|
| # |
Device Independence (Priority 1) |
P |
Rate |
Comment |
| 1.1 |
Ensure
that all functionalities offered through the user interface may be operated
through standard input device APIs supported by the operating system. |
1 |
|
|
| 1.2 |
Ensure
that the user can interact with all active elements of a document in a device
independent manner. |
1 |
|
|
| 1.3 |
Ensure
that the user can install the user agent software in a device independent
manner. |
1 |
|
|
| 1.4 |
Ensure
that the user can configure the user agent in a device independent manner.
|
1 |
|
|
| 1.5 |
Ensure
that the user can access user agent documentation in a device independent
manner. |
1 |
|
|
| 1.6 |
Ensure
that all messages to the user (e.g., warnings, errors, etc.) are available
through standard output device APIs supported by the operating system. |
1 |
|
|
| # |
For Tables (Priority 1) |
P |
Rate |
Comment |
| 8.3 |
For
dependent user agents only. Allow the user to navigate just among table
cells of a table (notably left and right within a row and up and down within a
column). |
1 |
|
|
| 9.8 |
For
dependent user agents only. Provide access to header information for a
selected table cell. |
1 |
|
|
| # |
For Images, Animations, and Image Maps (Priority 1) |
P |
Rate |
Comment |
| 4.1 |
Allow
the user to turn on and off rendering of images. |
1 |
|
|
| 4.2 |
Allow
the user to turn on and off rendering of background images. |
1 |
|
|
| |
For Synchronized Multimedia (Priority 1) |
P |
Rate |
Comment |
| 3.4 |
Provide
time-independent access to time-dependent active elements or allow the user to
control the timing of changes. |
1 |
|
|
| 3.7 |
Allow
the user to specify that description tracks (e.g., caption, auditory
description, video of sign language, etc.) be rendered at the same time as
audio and video tracks. |
1 |
|
|
| 3.8 |
If
a technology allows for more than one description track (e.g., caption,
auditory description, video of sign language, etc.), allow the user to choose
from among the tracks. |
1 |
|
|
| 3.9 |
If
a technology allows for more than one audio track, allow the user to choose
from among tracks. |
1 |
|
|
| 4.3 |
Allow
the user to turn on and off rendering of video. |
1 |
|
|
| 4.4 |
Allow
the user to turn on and off rendering of sound. |
1 |
|
|
| 5.8 |
Allow
the user to control video frame rates. |
1 |
|
|
| 5.9 |
Allow
the user to control the position of audio captions. |
1 |
|
|
| 5.11 |
Allow
the user to control audio playback rate. |
1 |
|
|
| # |
For Events, Applets, and Scripts (Priority 1) |
P |
Rate |
Comment |
| 4.8 |
Allow
the user to turn on and off support for scripts and applets. |
1 |
|
|
| 10.1 |
Provide
information about document and viewport changes (to users and through
programming interfaces). |
1 |
|
|
| # |
For Standards and Conventions (Priority 1) |
P |
Rate |
Comment |
| 6.1 |
Use
and provide accessible interfaces to other technologies. |
1 |
|
|
| 6.2 |
Provide
programmatic read and write access to user agent functionalities and user
interface controls (including selection and focus) by using operating system
and development language accessibility resources and conventions. |
1 |
|
|
| 6.3 |
Notify
dependent user agents of changes to the document and user interface controls
(including selection and focus) by using operating system and development
language accessibility resources and conventions. |
1 |
|
|
| 6.4 |
For
graphical desktop browsers only. Comply with W3C Document Object Model
specifications and export interfaces defined by those specifications. |
1 |
|
|
| 7.1 |
Implement
the accessibility features defined for supported specifications. |
1 |
|
|
Priority 2 checkpoints
| # |
In General (Priority 2) |
P |
Rate |
Comment |
| 3.5 |
When
no alternative text representation has been specified, indicate what type of
object is present. |
2 |
|
|
| 8.4 |
Allow
the user to navigate just among all active elements in the document. |
2 |
|
|
| 8.5 |
Allow
the user to search for rendered text content, including alternative text
content. |
2 |
|
|
| 8.6 |
Allow
the user to navigate the document structure. |
2 |
|
|
| 9.4 |
Describe
a selected element's context within a document (e.g., numerical or relative
position). |
2 |
|
|
| 12.3 |
Describe
product features known to promote accessibility in a section of the product
documentation. |
2 |
|
|
| # |
User Interface (Priority 2) |
P |
Rate |
Comment |
| 5.15 |
Allow
the user to control speech volume, pitch, gender and other articulation
characteristics. |
2 |
|
|
| 9.3 |
For
dependent user agents only. Allow the user to view a document outline
constructed from its structural elements (e.g., from header and list elements).
|
2 |
|
|
| 10.2 |
Ensure
that when the selection or focus changes, it is in the viewport after the
change. |
2 |
|
|
| 11.1 |
Allow
the user to configure the user agent in named profiles that may be shared (by
other users or software). |
2 |
|
|
| # |
Keyboard Support (Priority 2) |
P |
Rate |
Comment |
| 2.4 |
Allow
the user to configure the keystrokes used to activate user agent
functionalities. Wherever possible, allow single key activation of functions.
|
2 |
|
|
| 2.5 |
Allow
the user to turn on and off author-specified keyboard configurations. |
2 |
|
|
| 2.6 |
Use
platform conventions to indicate which keys activate which user agent
functionalities. |
2 |
|
|
| 2.7 |
Avoid
default keyboard configurations that interfere with system conventions. |
2 |
|
|
| # |
For Links (Priority 2) |
P |
Rate |
Comment |
| 9.5 |
For
a selected link, indicate whether following the link will involve a fee. |
2 |
|
|
| # |
For Frames (Priority 2) |
P |
Rate |
Comment |
| 4.12 |
Allow
the user to turn on and off rendering of frames. |
2 |
|
|
| 5.16 |
When
new windows or user interface components are spawned, allow the user to control
window size and position. |
2 |
|
|
| 9.2 |
For
dependent user agents only. Provide the user with information about the
number of viewports. |
2 |
|
|
| # |
For Forms (Priority 2) |
P |
Rate |
Comment |
| 9.10 |
Provide
the user with access to any label explicitly associated with a form control.
|
2 |
|
|
| 10.6 |
Prompt
the user to confirm any form submission not explicitly initiated by the user.
|
2 |
|
|
| # |
For Images, Animations, and Image Maps (Priority 2) |
P |
Rate |
Comment |
| 5.7 |
Allow
the user to control animation rate. |
2 |
|
|
| # |
For Synchronized Multimedia (Priority 2) |
P |
Rate |
Comment |
| 5.10 |
Allow
the user to start, stop, pause, and rewind video. |
2 |
|
|
| 5.12 |
When
the user agent renders audio natively, allow the user to control the audio
volume. |
2 |
|
|
| 5.13 |
Allow
the user to start, stop, pause, and rewind audio. |
2 |
|
|
| # |
For Standards and Conventions (Priority 2) |
P |
Rate |
Comment |
| 6.5 |
For
graphical desktop browsers only. Provide programmatic exchange of
information in a timely manner.
|
2 |
|
|
| 6.6 |
Follow
operating system conventions and accessibility settings. In
particular, follow conventions for user interface design, default keyboard
configuration, product installation, and documentation. |
2 |
|
|
| 7.2 |
Support
appropriate W3C Recommendations. |
2 |
|
|
Priority 3 checkpoints
| # |
In General (Priority 3) |
P |
Rate |
Comment |
| 3.6 |
When
alternative text has been specified explicitly as empty (i.e., an empty
string), render nothing. |
3 |
|
|
| 8.7 |
Allow
the user to configure structured navigation. |
3 |
|
|
| 9.7 |
Provide
a mechanism for highlighting and identifying (through a standard interface
where available) active elements of a document. |
3 |
|
|
| 10.4 |
When
loading a resource (e.g., document, video clip, audio clip, etc.) indicate what
portion of the resource has loaded and whether loading has stalled. |
3 |
|
|
| 10.5 |
Indicate
the relative position of the viewport in a resource (e.g., the percentage of
the document that has been viewed, the percentage of an audio clip that has
been played, etc.). |
3 |
|
|
| # |
User Interface (Priority 3) |
P |
Rate |
Comment |
| 4.13 |
Allow
the user to turn on and off author-specified page forwards that occur after a
time delay and without user intervention. |
3 |
|
|
| 4.14 |
Allow
the user to turn on and off automatic page refresh.
|
3 |
|
|
| 9.11 |
Maintain
consistent user agent behavior and default configurations between software
releases. Consistency is less important than accessibility and adoption of
system conventions. |
3 |
|
|
| 11.2 |
Allow
the user to configure the graphical arrangement of user interface controls.
|
3 |
|
|
| # |
Keyboard Support (Priority 3) |
P |
Rate |
Comment |
| 2.8 |
Provide
a default keyboard configuration for frequently performed operations. |
3 |
|
|
| # |
For Links (Priority 3) |
P |
Rate |
Comment |
| 9.6 |
For
a selected link, provide information to help the user decide whether to follow
the link. |
3 |
|
|
| # |
For Tables (Priority 3) |
P |
Rate |
Comment |
| 9.9 |
For
dependent user agents only. Indicate the row and column dimensions of a
selected table. |
3 |
|
|
| # |
For Events, Applets, and Scripts (Priority 3) |
P |
Rate |
Comment |
| 10.3 |
Allow
the user to selectively turn on and off notification of common types of
document and viewport changes. |
3 |
|
|