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Date: Thu, 29 Sep 2011 12:52:32 +0200
To: ooo-dev@incubator.apache.org
From: Christophe Strobbe <christophe.strobbe@esat.kuleuven.be>
Subject: Re: Iaccessible2 in OOo
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Hi,

I would like to add something to what Jean-Philippe Mengual already wrote.
I am involved in the development of a few=20
OpenOffice.org extensions that are related to=20
accessibility: an extension that exports ODT to=20
digital talking books in the DAISY format=20
(odt2daisy on SourceForge), an extension that=20
exports ODT to Braille (odt2braille, also on=20
SourceForge) and a soon-to-be-released=20
accessibility checker for ODT files. I have=20
presented these extensions at various=20
conferences, and the question I invariably get=20
when there are people with disabilities in the=20
audience (especially blind users) is: "When will=20
OpenOffice.org become accessible on Windows?" I=20
then explain that OpenOffice.org uses the Java=20
Accessibility API on Windows and that this needs=20
to be replaced with IAccessible2 code. Until then=20
the extensions are not (or very poorly)=20
accessible on Windows, the OS used by most people with disabilities.
At the next conference I will be able to say that=20
we can expect this to happen after the release of=20
A00o 3.4. (After the integration of IAccessible2,=20
I will need to check how this impacts UI created=20
by the extensions, but that is for later.)

Best regards,

Christophe


At 15:47 28-9-2011, you wrote:
>Hi,
>
>Very interesting answer, thanks:
>
> >
> > I say 'potentially' as the developers in the community will make it a
> > priority if, and only if, it is clear there is a strong demand for IA2
> > and someone leads the work and use of it. So I would encourage you to
> > continue your work of letting us know of the need and also suggest you
> > guide other users and developers who require IA2 support in AOO  to
> > join in the discussion here. (...)
>
>I will try doing that. But I'd like to mention=20
>one problem and several elements which make me=20
>think I represent an enormous part of users who=20
>want IA2 to be integrated. The problem is that I=20
>have feedbacks essentially from France or=20
>French-speaking people, and they decided me to=20
>be intermediate between English-speaking=20
>community and them. So, they have difficulties=20
>to write here directly. The language is a problem for the major part of=
 them.
>
>However, several things make me think there's a large demand:
>- In the public administrations in France, where=20
>OOo is choosen, we have thousands of people who=20
>work and who are blind or sight-impaired;
>- The workgroup "Accessibilit=E9 et logiciel=20
>libre" (A11y and Free software), from April (the=20
>main French organization which Promote the Free=20
>Software in France) asked for this evolution. It=20
>appeared in our "bug tracker" (used to enable=20
>not English-speaking users to report problems so=20
>that we forward, as I do now). 4 bugs appear about this issue.
>- The LibreOffice project expressed the desire=20
>to wait for AOOo integration to integrate itself IA2 in their utility.
>- The problems with OOo are very often denounced=20
>on French mailing list of blind people (for instance, ALLOS mailing list).
>- The CFPSAA, an official enormous organization=20
>which defends the blind people rights,=20
>published, this June, a newsletter where they=20
>explained that migrating a desktop to OOo was a=20
>mistake as it's not accessible (it's a pitty! ).=20
>I tried answering and communicating about this,=20
>but of course if such official organization has=20
>this approach, it proves the need.
>- I met 60 people in France IRL a few weeks ago,=20
>to show them what free software gives to=20
>accessibility. The cain problem where I had to fight was OOo.
(...)

--=20
Christophe Strobbe
K.U.Leuven - Dept. of Electrical Engineering - SCD
Research Group on Document Architectures
Kasteelpark Arenberg 10 bus 2442
B-3001 Leuven-Heverlee
BELGIUM
tel: +32 16 32 85 51
http://www.docarch.be/
Twitter: @RabelaisA11y
---
Open source for accessibility: results from the=20
AEGIS project www.aegis-project.eu