What about the price??? To evaluate a software, you may need to consider
cost and easy updrade--the rate of functionality and convenience over
price. To measure value of IBM Home Page, what do you think?
Ren
On Thu, 21 Jan 1999, David Chittenden wrote:
> ---------- Forwarded message ----------
> Date: Thu, 21 Jan 1999 22:00:33 -0800
> From: "Stephen C. Greeley" <[log in to unmask]>
> To: David Chittenden <[log in to unmask]>
> Subject: Re: tech: ibm home page reader (fwd)
>
> Sg] I think these people need a look at SWB 2.54 with Microsoft Internet
> Explorer 4.01 with the MSAAUPD.exe patch applied and the MSAA 1.2 update.
> What they will find is that SWb can do everything tghat this document
> describes that IBM Home Page is doing.
>
> Stephen Greeley
> Email: [log in to unmask]
>
> -----Original Message-----
> From: David Chittenden <[log in to unmask]>
> To: [log in to unmask] <[log in to unmask]>
> Date: Thursday, January 21, 1999 7:08 PM
> Subject: tech: ibm home page reader (fwd)
>
>
> >If not interested, let me know and I'll stop forwarding them to you. I
> >have 5 or 6 of these reports to date.
> >
> >David
> >
> >
> >---------- Forwarded message ----------
> >Date: Thu, 21 Jan 1999 20:33:33 -0600
> >From: Kelly Pierce <[log in to unmask]>
> >Reply-To: "VICUG-L: Visually Impaired Computer Users' Group List"
> > <[log in to unmask]>
> >To: [log in to unmask]
> >Subject: tech: ibm home page reader
> >
> >Here's more information about "Home page Reader" from the International
> >business machines corporation as to be presented at csun.
> >
> >kelly
> >
> >
> >
> > IBM Home Page Reader: The Voice of the World Wide Web
> >
> > Catherine Laws and Chieko Asakawa
> > [log in to unmask] and [log in to unmask]
> > IBM Special Needs Systems
> > 11400 Burnet Road
> > Austin, Texas 78758
> >
> >Introduction
> >
> > Web browser solutions for people who are blind suffer from a growing
> > list of problems including the inability to easily obtain page layout
> > information, difficulty navigating the grammatical and structural
> > elements of a web page, synthesizer inaccuracies, the inability to
> > accurately read tabular information, and limited document search
> > capabilities (Vanderheiden, Chisholm, & Ewers, 1996). In the last
> > year, the World Wide Web Consortium, as part of its Web Accessibility
> > Initiative, has authored accessibility guidelines for user agents,
> > which include screen readers and screen magnifiers working with web
> > browsers as well as independent web browsers (Gunderson & Jacobs,
> > 1998). These prioritized guidelines offer recommendations for browser
> > implementations which significantly improve access to WWW documents.
> >
> > This paper discusses how IBM Home Page Reader, a new web browser
> > solution for blind users, implements some of these guidelines in its
> > approach to address World Wide Web accessibility problems for blind
> > users.
> > _________________________________________________________________
> >
> >
> >History
> >
> > In 1996, blind people in Japan had only two sources of published
> > information: Braille books and cassette tapes. With computer users
> > able to get information easily and quickly from all over the world
> > using the Internet and blind users unable to access the web easily,
> > the information gap between sighted and blind users was becoming
> > wider. When Japanese blind users did try to access the web in the DOS
> > environment, the screen reading and navigation of hypertext links and
> > two-dimensional information was difficult and incorrect (Asakawa &
> > Itoh, 1997).
> >
> > Since the IBM Screen Reader/2 product had been translated into
> > Japanese, the IBM Tokoyo Research lab first tried to create a
> > prototype system using SRD/2 to read Netscape Navigator web pages.
> > However, this solution read only the text information displayed on the
> > screen; it was unable to read and navigate tables, forms, long web
> > pages, and frames. To address these problems, the research lab decided
> > to develop a talking web browser solution for Japan that analyzed HTML
> > tags rather than simply reading the screen. In October, 1997, the IBM
> > Japan Entry Systems Business Unit (ESBU) announced IBM Home Page
> > Reader as a Japanese consumer product for blind user access to the
> > web. In 1998, the IBM Special Needs Systems organization in Austin,
> > Texas, worked with IBM Japan to develop Home Page Reader as a U.S.
> > English, IBM Independence Series product that offers blind users
> > better access to the World Wide Web.
> > _________________________________________________________________
> >
> >
> >Overview
> >
> > IBM Home Page Reader offers a number of features that enable it to
> > provide better access for blind users to the World Wide Web:
> >
> > * Netscape Navigator synchronization. Because Home Page Reader
> > communicates with Netscape Navigator to get web information (HTML
> > source), HPR reads tables, frames, forms, and images on graphical
> > web pages logically, as they should be read. While HPR speaks web
> > pages to a blind user, sighted users can see the Netscape
> > rendering of the same web page the blind user is reading to
> > provide sighted assistance, if needed.
> > * Software text-to-speech support. HPR supports IBM's software
> > text-to-speech, SAPI-compliant engine, IBM ViaVoice OutLoud. No
> > extra hardware expense is required.
> > * Numeric keypad web page navigation. HPR provides a logical,
> > numeric keypad interface for navigation and manipulation of web
> > page elements, such as image and text links, text, form elements,
> > tables, maps, lists, headers, and frames. Keys help mode allows
> > users to press any HPR key combination and hear its description.
> > * Web pages are read with speed and auditory distinctions. HPR's
> > fast-forward key allows users to skim web pages to locate desired
> > information quickly. Using a female voice to read links and a male
> > voice to read text, HPR provides the user with easy, auditory
> > distinctions when reading web pages. Optionally, the user can
> > select the word "link" or a MIDI sound to identify links, or
> > select no announcement of links, if desired.
> > * Web page authoring accessibility features are utilized. HPR reads
> > ALT or other descriptive text, when it exists, for all images,
> > maps, and other web page objects. Otherwise, it reads the URL link
> > information. HPR reads other new HTML 4.0 information provided by
> > web authors, such as table captions, headers, and summaries.
> > * Web page orientation. Page summary information and "where am I"
> > numeric keypad commands tell the user information about the number
> > and location of page elements on the current web page and at the
> > current location.
> > * Online help and bookmarks accessed as web pages. HPR online help
> > and bookmarks are easily retrieved as local web pages with
> > hypertext and help the user get started quickly using HPR.
> > * Electronic mail feature. HPR provides an integrated electronic
> > mail feature consisting of forms and menus that can be read and
> > handled by HPR. This feature requires the Microsoft Personal Web
> > Server or Peer Web Services. Also, for sending mail, HPR can
> > handle mailto tags.
> > * Easy, self-voicing installation. Spoken instructions guide
> > non-sighted users through a standard installation program. HPR
> > setup includes installation of the IBM ViaVoice OutLoud software
> > TTS engine and an optional installation of Netscape Navigator for
> > new Internet users.
> > _________________________________________________________________
> >
> >
> >Logical Numeric Keypad Layout
> >
> > HPR uses a logical layout of the numeric keypad for its users to read
> > and navigate web pages. Basic numeric keypad keys are assigned to read
> > the previous, current, and next link (1, 2, and 3), page element (4,
> > 5, and 6), and word or character (7, 8, and 9), to read the page (0)
> > and to stop reading (Enter). Other basic keys provide access to a
> > history list (Num Lock), online help (slash), a settings menu
> > (asterisk), and bookmarks (minus). In settings mode, basic keys (2, 4,
> > 6, and 8) are used to logically navigate and select settings in a
> > non-visual menu system.
> >
> > Extended HPR functions use the plus (+) key then a basic key that is
> > usually related to the extended function. Extended numeric keypad keys
> > are assigned to read the first or last link (+ then 1 or 3), page
> > element (+ then 4 or 6), and word or character of an element (+ then 7
> > or 9). Other extended functions include reloading a web page (+ then
> > Num Lock), getting keys help (+ then slash), adding or deleting
> > bookmarks (+ then -), setting word/character reading mode (+ then 8),
> > getting "where am I" information (+ then 5), opening a link (+ then
> > 2), fast-forward page reading (+ then 0), getting a new URL or
> > searching (+ then dot), and canceling a connection (+ then Enter).
> >
> > Jump keys in Home Page Reader use the dot (.) key to provide
> > additional navigation capabilities for tables (dot then Num Lock,
> > slash, or *) , headers (dot then 1, 2, or 3), frames (dot then 0),
> > paging up and down (dot then 4 or 6), and structures (dot then 7, 8,
> > or 9). A structure can be a list, select menu, table row, form, or
> > map. A page summary key (dot then 5) is also a jump key.
> >
> > Functions for managing bookmarks require the user to hold down the
> > bookmarks key (minus) and then press a basic key. Functions for
> > history list navigation involve holding down the history list key (Num
> > Lock) and then pressing a basic key.
> > _________________________________________________________________
> >
> >
> >Screen Reader compatibility
> >
> > Since HPR requires a screen reader for access to some of its advance
> > customization features, it provides some screen reader compatibility,
> > such as the use of standard Windows controls. However, HPR must be
> > silenced when using a screen reader and vice versa. The Ctrl+F12 key
> > silences and reactivates HPR keys and functions. Unchecking a setting
> > called "Active in the background" also enables HPR to coexist with a
> > user's screen reader. The online help provides additional information
> > that suggests how specific screen readers can coexist with HPR.
> > _________________________________________________________________
> >
> >
> >More Information
> >
> > For more information about IBM Home Page Reader and other IBM
> > Independence Series products, visit the IBM Special Needs web site at
> > http://www.ibm.com/sns. In addition to the web site, you can obtain
> > information about IBM SNS products by calling 1-800-IBM-CALL and
> > through our dealers.
> > _________________________________________________________________
> >
> > | Top |
> >
> >References
> >
> > Asakawa, C. and Itoh, T. (1998). User interface of a Home Page Reader.
> > Proceedings of the ASSETS '98 ACM Conference on Assistive
> > Technologies, 1998-4.
> >
> > Gunderson, J. and Jacobs, I. (1998, July 3). WAI accessibility
> > guidelines: User agent. Working draft. [Online].
> > http://www.w3.org/TR/WD-WAI-USERAGENT/
> >
> > Vanderheiden, G., Chisholm, W., and Ewers, N. (1996, March 27). Making
> > screen readers work more effectively on the web. [Online].
> > http://trace.wisc.edu/docs/screen_readers/screen.htm
> > _________________________________________________________________
> >
> >
> >VICUG-L is the Visually Impaired Computer User Group List.
> >To join or leave the list, send a message to
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> > VICUG-L is archived on the World Wide Web at
> >http://maelstrom.stjohns.edu/archives/vicug-l.html
> >
> >
> >
>
>
> VICUG-L is the Visually Impaired Computer User Group List.
> To join or leave the list, send a message to
> [log in to unmask] In the body of the message, simply type
> "subscribe vicug-l" or "unsubscribe vicug-l" without the quotations.
> VICUG-L is archived on the World Wide Web at
> http://maelstrom.stjohns.edu/archives/vicug-l.html
>
VICUG-L is the Visually Impaired Computer User Group List.
To join or leave the list, send a message to
[log in to unmask] In the body of the message, simply type
"subscribe vicug-l" or "unsubscribe vicug-l" without the quotations.
VICUG-L is archived on the World Wide Web at
http://maelstrom.stjohns.edu/archives/vicug-l.html
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