Accessibility Equal Access to Free Software

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Accessibility Equal Access to Free Software

• Hema Seetharamaiah
• Wipro Technologies

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Agenda

• Understanding Accessibility
• Impetus for accessibility
• Accessibility Solutions
• Understanding and designing for disabilities
• Current Work in Linux Accessibility
• Example - Gnome Accessibility
• Challenges in making Linux accessibility happen.

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What is Accessibility?

• Helping people with disabilities to gain the same
  benefits of technology that people without
  disabilities currently have today.
• Includes the software and technologies that
  enable users with disabilities to interface,
  access, obtain and communicate information using
  a desktop computer.

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Impetus for making providing accessibility

• Provide fair and equal access to free software to
  disabled users
• Relevant Laws
• US - Sec 508,ADA, UK DDA (1995)
• Australia, Canada, EU, Denmark, Ireland,
  Portugal, Sweden.
• Increased customer base
• Access to a bigger, untapped talent pool
• Accessibility also means 'power' use for normal
  users

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Understanding disabilities

• Visual Impairments
• Blindness
• Low Vision
• Color Blindness
• Hearing Impairments
• Deafness
• Mobility Impairments
• Arthritis, Parkinson's disease,
  temporary/permanent loss of limbs or digits
• Poor muscular control, inability to use standard
  mouse, keyboard devices

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Understanding disabilities contd.,

• Cognitive and Learning Impairments
• Dyslexia
• Difficulties in remembering, resolving complex
  sensory information.
• Age-related Impairments
• natural deterioration of eyesight, co-ordination,
  etc.
• Temporary disabilities
• 'normal' users can also be temporary disabled!

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Accessibility Solutions

• Hardware Solutions
• Speech synthesizers, sip and puff systems
• braille printers, eye gaze pointing devices
• Software Solutions
• Console
• Graphical

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Designing S/W for Disabilitiessupport
input/output methods, consistency and flexibility

• Adhere to general principles of (universal)
  design
• Human Interface (usability) Guidelines
• Theme Compliance and Keyboard navigation
• Facilitating for Assistive technology (AT) usage
• Framework for interfacing with AT Tools
• Assistive technology tools

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Linux Accessibility Current Work

• Desktop Accessibility GNOME Accessibility
  Project, KDE Accessibility Project
• Low Vision Gnopernicus, Gmag
• Speech Via Voice
• Screen Readers - Screader
• Console - Emacspeak
• Braille - BRLtty
• Keyboard Mouse GOK, AccessX

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GNOME Accessibility - 1
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GNOME Accessibility contd.,

• Theme Compliance
• GNOME 2.0 Accessibility Themes.
• Large print theme for sawfish
• Keyboard Navigation
• GNOME Keyboard Navigation Proposal, specs.
• Assistive Technologies Projects
• Gnopernicus
• Gnome Online Keyboard (GOK)
• Project site - http//developer.gnome.org/projects
  /gap
• Mailing lists - http//mail.gnome.org/mailman/list
  info

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Making Linux Accessibility Happen - Challenges

• Technical Challenges
• X and toolkits accessibility
• Development for braille, screen readers etc.
• Lack of drivers for AT hardware
• Need for more easy-to-use general tools
• Building up awareness within the community
• Inter-community awareness.
• Extra-Community awareness
• Dialogues with the AT Industry, vendors, etc.

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Getting Involved

• Gnome Accessibility Project
• KDE Accessibility project
• Mozilla Accessibility
• BLINUX
• Ocularis
• Free-b-Software

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In Conclusion

• Providing accessible technologies will
• Be a catalyst of independence and freedom for
  disabled people
• Bring free, affordable software closer to
  disabled people
• Increase scholastic and employment opportunities
  and facilitate upward mobility for the disabled.
• Level the playing field for all
• Provide enhanced computing experience for all

Acknowledgments Muktha.Narayan_at_wipro.com Anand.su
bra_at_wipro.com
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Contact Information

• Hema Seetharamaiah
• Wipro Technologies,
• 53/1 Hosur Road, Madivala,
• Bangalore 560 068.
• Tel [phone] - 8, Ext. 5045
• Email hema.seetharamaiah_at_wipro.com