Re: Newbie question: Section 508 and "full keyboard access" on Mac OS X
Re: Newbie question: Section 508 and "full keyboard access" on Mac OS X
- Subject: Re: Newbie question: Section 508 and "full keyboard access" on Mac OS X
- From: "Marshall F. Scott" <email@hidden>
- Date: Wed, 03 Sep 2003 09:24:11 -0600
I don't know about Section 508, but wouldn't the inability to know what
items you are selecting be a major problem to someone who cannot see?
Marshall
--
Marshall F. Scott
University of Utah
CVRTI
95 South 2000 East
Salt Lake City, UT 84112-5000
Voice: (801) 587-9523
FAX: (801) 581-3128
Cellular: (801) 232-5316
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>
From: Smith Kennedy <email@hidden>
>
To: "Accessibility-Dev Mail" <email@hidden>
>
Subject: Re: Newbie question: Section 508 and "full keyboard access" on Mac OS
X
>
Date: Wed, Sep 3, 2003, 8:51 AM
>
>
Hi,
>
>
It seems like what really should happen is that anything that has the
>
"keyboard focus" should have its label string spoken in a similar way
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that label strings are read aloud when the "Text under the mouse"
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checkbox is checked in "System Preferences->Speech->Spoken User
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Interface". I will write up a Radar issue requesting this.
>
>
Would this limitation we have been discussing compromise the ability to
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have a Macintosh for browsing the Web that meets Section 508
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requirements?
>
>
Smith
>
>
>
On Wednesday, September 3, 2003, at 08:32 AM, Marshall F. Scott wrote:
>
>
> One thing that is not spoken is (in Jagaur, at least) is the menu bar
>
> and
>
> menu items. I also think that items in the docck are not spoken
>
> either. As
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> far as screen readers go, I think there will be more information
>
> available
>
> once Panther is released.
>
> Marshall
>
>
>
> --
>
> Marshall F. Scott
>
> University of Utah
>
> CVRTI
>
> 95 South 2000 East
>
> Salt Lake City, UT 84112-5000
>
> Voice: (801) 587-9523
>
> FAX: (801) 581-3128
>
> Cellular: (801) 232-5316
>
>
>
> ----------
>
>> From: Andrew Kirkpatrick <email@hidden>
>
>> To: Accessibility-Dev Mail <email@hidden>
>
>> Subject: Re: Newbie question: Section 508 and "full keyboard access"
>
>> on Mac OS
>
> X
>
>> Date: Wed, Sep 3, 2003, 7:00 AM
>
>>
>
>
>
>> Apple offers some great features for a variety of disabilities, but a
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>> person
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>> who is blind will not currently be able to to use OSX. The ability
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>> to speak
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>> the text under the mouse is not useful for people who are not using a
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>> mouse.
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>> This support is beneficial for people with some degree of visual
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>> impairment,
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>> many of whom many opt to use it in concert with the zoom features of
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>> the OS.
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>>
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>> As expected, the amount of spoken text in different applications
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>> varies
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>> widely. AOL instant messenger, for example, voices the window title
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>> and not
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>> much else until you go into dialogs where some standard controls are
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>> used.
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>> Mail.app does a far better job, but isn't perfect. The text that is
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>> part of
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>> the OS is better still, and examples of unspoken text are fewer in
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>> number
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>> (e.g. Apple system profiler/logs).
>
>>
>
>> Since there is no screen reader that is currently available for OSX,
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>> the
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>> "spoken text under the mouse" feature can get away with certain
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>> requirements
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>> for a blind user such as speaking the state of controls as well as
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>> the text.
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>> (e.g. Mouse over the mail.app toolbar and notice that grayed icons are
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>> spoken the same as active ones).
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>>
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>> Apple has done a great deal of work laying the groundwork so that it
>
>> is
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>> prepared for a day when a screen reader is developed, but until such
>
>> time,
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>> OSX will not be the choice of people who are blind.
>
>>
>
>> AWK
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>>
>
>>> The speech support in Mac OS X is very good. There are some settings
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>>> you
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>>> have to turn on in the Speech preference pane (Spoken User Interface
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>>> tab,
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>>> especially the "Text Under the Mouse" checkbox) and the Universal
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>>> Access
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>>> preference pane in System Preferences. If you set it up right, your
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>>> Mac will
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>>> speak every item under the mouse, and the text of alerts as they
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>>> appear.
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>>>
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>>> I believe the location of these settings will be rationalized a bit
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>>> better
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>>> in Panther.
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>>>
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>>> I should say that I haven't tested this exhaustively to see what, if
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>>> anything, does not get spoken. But the head of Apple's speech group,
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>>> Kim
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>>> Silverman, makes a point of telling developers every year at WWDC to
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>>> test
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>>> their choice of text for user interface items with speech turned on,
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>>> to make
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>>> sure the words are easily understood. This is something that every
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>>> Mac OS X
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>>> application, even old ones, get "for free" as Apple likes to say.
>
>> --
>
>> Andrew Kirkpatrick
>
>> CPB/WGBH National Center for Accessible Media
>
>> 125 Western Ave.
>
>> Boston, MA 02134
>
>> E-mail: email@hidden
>
>> Web site: ncam.wgbh.org
>
>>
>
>> 617-300-4420 (direct voice/FAX)
>
>> 617-300-3400 (main NCAM)
>
>> 617-300-2489 (TTY)
>
>>
>
>> WGBH enriches people's lives through programs and services that
>
>> educate,
>
>> inspire, and entertain, fostering citizenship and culture, the joy of
>
>> learning, and the power of diverse perspectives.
>
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