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In my opinion, Apple has been very indifferent about the needs of users who are blind, so this doesn't come as a surprise. I almost never recommend the Mac for this reason to my consumers, unless there's a damn good reason.
----- Original Message -----
From: [log in to unmask] href="mailto:[log in to unmask]">Jim Tobias
To: [log in to unmask] href="mailto:[log in to unmask]">[log in to unmask]
Sent: Tuesday, June 17, 2003 2:48 PM
Subject: Re: Alva ceases development of outspoken and enlarge for macintosh

Hi All,
 
Well, I don't know what kind of cooperation is needed.  I'm not a Mac developer, so I don't know how public everything about the Mac is.  On the surface, there are thousands of other third-party products for MacOS, some with pretty small markets themselves.  So either everyone else is getting the right kind of cooperation and Apple is self-destructively ignoring the AT world, or AT requires some sort of special cooperation, or there is something else going on (possibly in addition to a cooperation problem).  Can the "other developers" you mention be persuaded to tell us what they are not getting?  When Windows AT companies were not being let into the Windows development cycle early enough, they made a semi-public stink about it.
 
I'm not trying to let Apple off the hook, just trying to understand where Apple's legal responsibility ends.  There are similar cases elsewhere in the land of "AT and UD".  For example, some combinations of digital wireless phones and hearing aids create noisy interference.  Should the phones emit less RF, or should the hearing aids be more immune, or both?

*****
Jim Tobias
Inclusive Technologies
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732.441.0831 v/tty
www.inclusive.com
 

-----Original Message-----
From: * EASI: Equal Access to Software & Information [mailto:[log in to unmask]] On Behalf Of Steven M. Sawczyn
Sent: Tuesday, June 17, 2003 12:45 PM
To: [log in to unmask]
Subject: Re: Alva ceases development of outspoken and enlarge for mackintosh

I don't doubt that other developers are interested in developing screen readers for the Mac, however, the feedback I've gotten is that Apple isn't generally supportive of these development efforts.  Without cooperation from Apple, I don't see how any vendor can develop accessibility products.
 
Steve
 
-----Original Message-----
From: * EASI: Equal Access to Software & Information [mailto:[log in to unmask]] On Behalf Of Jim Rebman
Sent: Sunday, June 15, 2003 3:25 PM
To: [log in to unmask]
Subject: Re: Alva ceases development of outspoken and enlarge for mackintosh

Jim,
 
Mostly agreed, and support for other assistive technologies on the Mac is certainly well established, and nobody would argue with that, but if it doesn't work for blind students, then it just can't be considered legal or ethical for educational purposes.  Also remember that Apple made a conscious decision to drop their accessibility group and has done very little, if anything to support the screen reader manufacturers in the same ways Microsoft has with things like MSAA (flawed as it is), internal policy changes, developer support, accessible web pages and documentation, and so on.  If it takes the same kind of threat that was necessary to get Microsoft to "find religion", as it were, then I would think we would support that, as well as hope it never came to an actual suit or proceeding.  They dropped the ball and it's time for them to pick it up again.
 
-- Jim