Hi Reina,
My name is Reina Grosvalet, and I am displeased about the fact that Open Office is not accessible for blind computer users, as this program does not work with screen reading and other assistive technologies. Blind people, just like everyone else, want a free word processing option that works just as well as MS Office. Blind freelancers can especially benefit from your program beingaccessible, as well as blind entrepreneurs, students and professionals.
Some of the tools you're using with MS Office don't work well with other programs that use it's own UI controls instead of native controls. OpenOffice currently exposes it's information to accessive technology via Java Accessibility API on Windows and via GNOME Accessibility API on Linux/Solaris with GNOME and on Mac via NSAcessibility. Some developers here are currently working on support for IAccessible2.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/IAccessible2 http://wiki.openoffice.org/wiki/Accessibility/IAccessible2_support Have a look here: http://www.openoffice.org/ui/accessibility/at-support.html http://wiki.openoffice.org/wiki/Accessibility
Because I am a certified 508 Compliance Analyst, I can provide detailed feedback concerninghow you can make your program one hundred percent accessible, so the millions of blind computer users around the world will be able to benefit from it along with everyone else. If you need proof of my certificates, I will be glad to send them to you. A plus is that I am also totally blind, so I can provide feedback from the point of view of someone who is blind. in order to give you an idea of some of the problems I see, I am going to provide you with a mini report below. this report states: 1. The installer has buttons that are clearly labeled with text that can be clearly accessed using keyboard navigation. this is a plus because a blind computer user is able to successfully install the program on his or her computer without any sighted help. 2. The buttons in the installer all have corresponding access keys, like alt+n for next and alt+f for finish. This is very helpful for screen reader users and for those who use assistive technologies because these access keys allow such users to complete functions quickly. 3. Upon opening the program, however, i notice that a blind computer user is not able to access any of its functions using keyboard navigation. the blind user cannot select the type of template heor she wishes to use, like a spreadssheet or text document. Drop down menus cannot be accessed using any form of keyboard navigation, like using the alt key to access the menus like in the windows operating system.
Use funktion key F6 to toggle between the menu, menu bar and tool bars
as soon as you contact me, I can construct a detailed report that contains each problem I see as well as provide detailed fixes to these problems. It is my hope that Open Office becomes completely accessible, so people with disabilities can utilize this software and enjoy its benefits.
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