I thought people might be interested in the information below.

----- Original Message -----
From: "debbie sitar" <[log in to unmask]>
To: "Betty Nobel" <[log in to unmask]>; "Betty@work" <[log in to unmask]>
Sent: Thursday, August 12, 2004 7:48 AM
Subject: FWD: Accessibility in Windows


> Hi Betty
> I thought you might be interested in this article.
> Deb
>
>
> Greetings,
>
> A recent article in PC World (June 2004) invites readers to submit any
recommendations they have for improving Microsoft Windows to the following
e-mail address:
>
>  <mailto:[log in to unmask]> [log in to unmask]
>
> Below a person has included a letter that will be sent to the above
address.  It addresses several general areas of accessibility in Windows.
Anyone who is interested could mail a copy of this letter to that address,
or modify the letter and mail something similar. Below the copy of this
letter there is a copy of the entire article from PC World for your
convenince that may address areas that are of particular concern to you.
>
> We are frequently told that blind people are a small minority and our
needs will never be taken into account by mainstream software developers
and/or media companies. While this may be true in many cases, we need to
remember the resounding success we had several years ago when we were able
to fix the Internet Explorer 4.0 debacle. In that case, droves of concerned
people contacted Microsoft and a service release of IE4 came out in a mere
three months that returned the application to the accessible list.
>
> Hopefully, you won't get caught up in the self defeating belief that our
needs won't be heard.  Perhaps, if enough people express their concerns,
either the people at PC World, or the people at Microsoft will take an
interest.
>
>  --- begin letter to PC World ---
>
> Dear PC World and Microsoft Staff,
>
> In a recent article your readers were asked to send in a list of things
that Microsoft can do to the next version of Windows to improve it. Here is
my list.
>
> 1. Imagine purchasing a new piece of software, bringing it home and
inserting the CD in your computer only to find that you cannot install the
software. This is the situation faced by millions of people with
disabilities around the world. In the case of Windows, there are many
reasons for this. The foremost reason for this problem is that the Windows
installation program cannot speak to let a blind person know what is going
on or what choices they need to make. A secondary reason for this is that,
during Windows installation, the user must enter a 25 character code that is
available on a print label. This print label, of course, is not readable by
a blind computer user.
>
> 2. Once a blind or visually impaired user has the operating system
installed, they must install special software that will either enlarge
information on the screen, speak that information or present it on special
hardware known as a refreshable Braille display. Depending upon the user's
needs, this software can cost more than a low end computer!
>
> The reason for this is that, to date, Microsoft has only provided a
difficult to use, and very poorly documented, mechanism by which developers
of this type of software can obtain information about what is happening on
the desktop. Microsoft is now talking, in very vague terms, about a new
mechanism that they promise will revolutionize the way this sort of software
works and, in fact, will change the way mainstream programs are developed in
order to enhance them in two significant ways. First, the programs will
become more easily tested via automated mechanisms. This is useful to all
computer users since it will hopefully lead to less buggy software.
Secondly, it will make it easier for developers of applications such as
voice input products, screen readers for the blind, and screen magnifiers
for the visually impaired to do there jobs. This is all wonderful. The
problem is that technical details are extremely slow in coming. Without
these details, it's hard to imagine how developers will implement support
for this mechanism.
>
> 3. After installing this expensive, specialized software, people are
instructed to make changes to their Windows configuration in order to
disable the Windows XP user interface and revert back to the classic
interface. Developers of these specialized applications feel that their
software works better with the classic user interface. Now Microsoft is
talking about discontinuing support for the classic user interface. This
will leave many people with disabilities struggling with oddities, caused by
both the user interface and their specialized software, that they've never
needed to deal with before.
>
> 4. Imagine running a piece of software very successfully and deciding to
upgrade it when a new version is released. You install the new version and,
surprise, it doesn't work. This is frequently a problem faced by users with
disabilities. Two current examples of this are Microsoft's Windows Media
Player and Windows Messenger. Both of these programs were once quite easy to
use. With each successive version, however, they become less and less
usable. Developers of the special software used by people with disabilities
need to work harder and harder to make successive versions of programs like
these usable. New technologies are introduced that enhance the messaging and
media playing experience and no thought is given to how these changes effect
people with disabilities. Obviously we all are for enhancing the user's
experience, what many people with disabilities don't understand is why some
of the smartest software developers, working for one of the most visionary
software companies cannot add these features without taking away features
that used to work for us. Should anyone think that this is a problem
specific to a small number of unimportant applications, it is not. Each new
release of the Microsoft Office suite causes developers of usability
products, users of those products and employers of people who use those
products to all loose enormous amounts of sleep!
>
> It is worth taking a moment to mention that I recently downloaded,
installed and ran Redhat's Fedora Core II distribution of Linux. I did it
with no assistance from a sighted person, because the installation system I
downloaded speaks quite nicely. I was required to type in no lengthy strings
of characters. I did not need to spend hundreds of dollars on software to
speak or Braille the contents of the screen, because it is included. There
is a wealth of software available that is quite usable by a blind user.
>
> Additionally, it is worth noting that federal laws in this country require
government agencies to purchase only products that are usable by people with
disabilities. While certain exemptions apply, the majority of federal, state
and local government entities are covered by these laws. It is in everyone's
best interest that software developer's produce products that are usable by
people with disabilities. Microsoft has the staff and either has or can
obtain the know-how to do so. What they need, is a company wide commitment
to do so!
>
> Sincerely,
>
> John Mattioli
>
>  Software Developer
>
> Arlington, Massachusetts
>
>  --- end letter to PC World ---
>
>  --- Begin PC World article ---
>
> PCWorld.com   - Full Disclosure: Help Fix Microsoft's Next Windows!
>
> http://www.pcworld.com/resource/printable/article/0,aid,115633,00.asp
>
>  Topics Software Windows Longhorn
>
>  Full Disclosure
>
>  Contributing Editor Stephen Manes's pointed commentary on everyday
computing headaches, technology trends, and more.
>
>  Help Fix Microsoft's Next Windows!
>
>  Chime in now, or Longhorn may inherit XP's annoyances.
>
>  Stephen Manes
>
> >From the June 2004 issue of PC World magazine
>
>  A few weeks ago Microsoft invited a bunch of journalists to dinner with
a couple of its Windows honchos, including Jim Allchin, "Mr. Longhorn."
Allchin asked what we'd like to see in that forthcoming-someday version of
Windows. So I put in my 2 cents. Okay, maybe a quarter. I started with
startup. How come both of my Win XP machines sometimes display a log-in
field into which I can type my password--but when I do, Windows demands that
I click my icon and retype my password? Why should your very first daily
experience with the OS have to be so awful?
>
> Allchin nodded sagely and hinted that Longhorn's new graphics engine would
change that. Good.
>
> Somebody mentioned how hard it is to switch from an old PC to a new one.
Allchin extolled the Files and Settings Transfer Wizard--which I pointed out
doesn't always work and doesn't move programs. The latter problem, it
appears, will not be solved. But at least Allchin implied that upgrading to
Longhorn would be easier than the maddening track from 98 or Me to XP.
>
> Things got downright disappointing when I turned to Longhorn's new search
features. When I asked whether the indexing service would work better than
XP's, which mostly serves as a way of slowing your machine to a crawl,
Allchin mumbled something to the effect that not everybody would use it.
When I asked whether we'd be able to use Windows' search tool to find
individual e-mail messages, Allchin said that was the  intention--implying
that it may not actually happen.
>
> And after Microsoft "retired" Office's animated paper clip helper with
much fanfare (even though it's still around), why did Windows 2000's usable
search function go to the dogs--or at least to Windows XP's animated pooch?
I got Allchin to commit to eliminating the bastard pup of Microsoft Bob. But
just in case Jim has second thoughts, I'm starting a campaign. If you care
about this, send e-mail to [log in to unmask], and we'll forward it to
him.
>
> Given that Longhorn will sport yet another makeover, I asked whether the
Classic View for the desktop, Start menu, and folders would survive.
Allchin's "yes" turned out to refer not to the interface we've known since
Windows 95, but to the screen-wasting XP look--which is what he  seemed to
think was on most people's machines. But a quick poll revealed  that though
Microsoft's people were using XP in its default mode, only one out of five
reporters was--in part because several were still in the pre-XP world. I
suggested that Allchin ought to reconsider trashing the best-known version
of the Windows interface. He said he'd think about it. If you don't want
Microsoft to ditch the Classic interface, send your vote to
[log in to unmask] and we'll forward it, as well.
>
> I have lots of ideas on how to fix Windows, and I bet you do, too. So send
your grievances to  <mailto:[log in to unmask]> [log in to unmask] .
We'll publish the most egregious--and send every last one to Jim Allchin.
Since Microsoft says it listens to its customers, I'm sure he'll be
grateful. And if Longhorn is rife with annoyances when it finally ships,
we'll know just how Microsoft really feels about us users. I have a sneaking
suspicion I know already.
>
> Contributing Editor Stephen Manes has been writing about technology for
the past two decades.
>
>  --- End PC World article ---
>
>
>
>
>
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