Linux desktop push could benefit disabled (fwd)

Wed Oct 17 13:25:17 EDT 2001

---------- Forwarded message ----------
Date: Mon, 15 Oct 2001 20:38:58 GMT
From: Maurice A. Mines <mmines at mines-family.net>
To: mmines at qwest.net
Subject: Linux desktop push could benefit disabled

   Click Here to Vist CMPNET

   EE Times    www.cmpnet.com
   The Technology Network

   Linux desktop push could benefit disabled
   By Terry Costlow, EE Times
   Oct 10, 2001 (2:01 PM)
   URL: http://www.eetimes.com/story/OEG20011010S0069

   If the push to extend Linux to the desktop is successful, the disabled
   will  be  big  beneficiaries.  The  Gnome  Accessibility  Framework is
   finalizing   a   release  that  incorporates  support  for  accessible
   applications  programs,  a  move  that  will  make  it far simpler for
   developers  to  link  peripherals  such  as  screen readers to systems
   running the open-source Linux operating system.

   The project to develop the hooks needed for accessibility hardware and
   software  was  begun by Sun Microsystems Inc. (Palo Alto, Calif.), but
   has  now  gained  the help of a number of companies within and without
   the  small  industry  that  focuses  on  accessibility for handicapped
   people.  Among  them  are IBM, HP-Compaq and Linux proponents Red Hat,
   Eazel and TurboLinux.

   "Gnome 2.0 has been completely redesigned; we're building full support
   for  disabilities  into it," said Peter Korn, accessibility manager at
   Sun, referring to the GNU project's Gnome platform for home and office
   desktop PCs. "It's no longer just a Sun effort. We have gotten lots of
   help from the open community."

   "Those  of  us  on  the receiving end of this haven't seen anything to
   base a firm reaction on, but in theory what they're doing will be very
   beneficial," said Bud Rizer, director of the Center on Disabilities at
   California  State  University,  Northridge (CSUN). "I'm sure this will
   come to market soon; they've put too much into it not to get it out."

   The  Gnome  Accessibility Framework is expected to ship late his year,
   and  those involved in simplifying computer access for disabled people
   are anxious to see it in action. (The word, an acronym for GNU Network
   Object Model Environment, is pronounced guh-nome.)

   Moreover,  the  timing  for  the  framework's  arrival  is propitious.
   Earlier  this year, Section 508 of the Rehabilitation Act was enacted,
   directing  federal agencies to provide computer and Internet access to
   people with disabilities or face being sued.

   Some  observers  contend that 54 million Americans, about one in five,
   have  some  form  of  disability,  from carpal-tunnel syndrome to more
   severe   impairments.  Proponents  of  accessibility  technology  also
   contend  that  many of the developments which make products useful for
   disabled  people benefit other citizens as well. Sidewalk cutouts, for
   example,  are  an  aid  not  only to people in wheelchairs but also to
   bicyclists and skateboarders.

   Whether  or  not  the  Gnome  Accessibility  Framework sees widespread
   usage,  of course, hinges on the overall acceptance of Gnome itself on
   the  desktop.  Sun  has  pledged  to  adopt  Gnome for its own desktop
   environment, and a number of major companies also support it.

   Gnome  is up against stiff competition, however, since it hopes to vie
   with  Microsoft  Office  for desktop preeminence. Meanwhile, Microsoft
   Corp.  too is putting a strong emphasis on accessibility software. The
   Redmond, Wash., company has mustered a 40-member team that has contact
   with  all  in-house development groups, advising them on accessibility
   issues.  Microsoft  last  year  won an award for 12 years of effort in
   computer accessibility.

   Hooks   for  accessibility  have  been  built  right  into  the  Gnome
   framework,  making  it  far simpler to integrate hardware and software
   that   meets   the   needs  of  handicapped  people.  Screen  readers,
   voice-recognition  programs and speech-synthesis systems are among the
   types  of gear that can help the disabled operate computers. "Products
   can  work  with  the  full  operations of the operating system they're
   running  on  instead  of  being  bolted  on and working just with some
   things," said Sun's Korn.

   Java  has  these  hooks,  and its developers at Sun have garnered much
   praise  for including them in that OS. "A few months ago, the American
   Foundation  for  the  Blind  [gave  an award to] Java for building the
   hooks in. Java was a predecessor to Gnome," Korn said.

   Many  of  the  companies  that  serve the disabilities marketplace are
   looking  forward to the availability of Gnome because it will simplify
   their   development  cycles.  The  open-source  Linux  environment  is
   expected  to go through fewer changes than other operating systems, so
   the  time  and  expense of upgrading to new OS versions will be vastly
   diminished.  That's  a  big  concern in the accessibility world, since
   many  of  the  companies in the field have just a handful of employees
   and limited resources.

   "Compared  with  the  mainstream  computer companies, companies in the
   disabled  marketplace are very, very small," said Rizer of CSUN. "Each
   time  there's  a  change in the desktop environment, going back to the
   time  of  DOS, they have had to do a total redesign of their products.
   If  Sun does this [Gnome framework] as planned, those types of changes
   won't  be  necessary  anymore, and they can focus on developing better
   products."

   Korn  added  that  Sun's  experience  in  making  Java  accessible  to
   designers  of  equipment  for  handicapped  people  has  helped in the
   creation  of  the  Gnome Accessibility Framework. "When people go from
   Windows  95  to  98  to  ME,  companies need to create new versions of
   screen  readers, or whatever product they make," Korn said. "They have
   not  had  to do that with Java, and they will not have to do that with
   Gnome.  We've  said  this  is the responsibility of the platform. It's
   like building a house with Legos: People usually use stock windows and
   doors.  In  software,  if  there  are stock pieces available for free,
   people will use them, so that's what we've done in Gnome."

   Affordable systems

   Korn  and  others believe that as more accessibility components become
   widely available, the cost of equipment will decline, making computing
   far  more  affordable  for the handicapped and the agencies that serve
   them, both of which often are on tight budgets.

   "There  are tremendous implications for supports and maintenance costs
   as  well  as for the initial costs," Korn said. "If it doesn't take an
   engineering  team  a  year  to  write a screen reader, a screen reader
   might not cost $1,200."

   In  addition  to the Accessibility Framework, Sun has released version
   1.4  of  its  Java  2  software development kit. The kit contains core
   support  for  accessibility  and  the  Swing user interface libraries,
   which  support  the Java accessibility API (also included in the kit).
   Other  elements  include the Java Runtime environment and plug-ins for
   browsers.  Sun  is also shipping version 0.4 of the Java Accessibility
   Helper, a test tool for Java accessibility.

   EE Times    www.cmpnet.com
   The Technology Network