This document summarizes the past, present, and future of open accessibility on the desktop according to Peter Korn. It discusses the history of accessibility standards and frameworks like GNOME and Java accessibility. It outlines key accessibility components in GNOME like Orca and applications like OpenOffice.org. It also envisions future improvements in areas like assistive technologies, applications, and developer tools to further accessibility.

1. Open Accessibility at the Desktop:
Present and Future
Peter Korn, Accessibility Principal
& ÆGIS Technical Manager

2. A Brief History...
• 3rd generation started on the desktop in
1992
– Remote Access Protocol for X Windows
– AccessAware for Macintosh
• 3rd generation realized on the desktop
– Java Accessibility; GNOME Accessibility
Project
– OpenOffice.org Accessibility & ODF
– MSAA & later IAccessible2

3. Brief History cont.
• GNOME & Macintosh 3rd gen. include AT
– GNOME AT
• Gnopernicus, Orca, GOK, Caribou, Dasher,
OpenGazer, MouseTweeks
– Macintosh AT
• VoiceOver, magnifier
• Also 3rd party commercial AT using 3rd generation

4. What is the “Open Desktop”?
• [UNIX | GNU/Linux] + GNOME + apps
• Built by a community of communities
• Packaged by many in the community
• Used by lots of folks
– Schools in Extremadura & Andalusia, Spain
• Used by folks with disabilities

5. GNOME Self-definition
• GNOME project provides two things:
– Desktop: intuitive & attractive for users
– Development platform: extensive framework for
building applications that integrate into the desktop
• GNOME is:
– “Free; Usable; Accessible; Organized; Supported;
International; Developer-friendly; A community”

6. GNOME Accessibility Statement*
“Free Software is about enabling software
freedom for everyone, including users and
developers with disabilities. GNOME's
Accessibility framework is the result of several
years of effort, and makes GNOME the most
accessible desktop for any Unix platform.”
* from: http://www.gnome.org/about/

7. GNOME Accessibility Communities
• Communities of users
– Orca users, Caribou users, Dasher users
– English, Spanish, Brazilian, Czech
• Communities of developers
– AT developers (Orca, Caribou, ...)
– AT library developers (eSpeak, OpenTTS, …)
– App developers (OOo, Firefox, ...)

8. Key Accessibility Components
• OAF Step 1: Definition of Accessibility
– AT-SPI, theme support in GTK+
• OAF Step 2: Stock Elements
– GTK+ with ATK; Also XUL, UNO, Java/Swing
• OAF Step 3: Developer/Authoring Tools
– Glade, NetBeans, OpenOffice.org

9. Key Accessibility Components, cont.
• OAF Step 4: Platform Support
– GNOME, Firefox, Java
• OAF Step 5: Accessible applications
– Hundreds of apps written with GTK+
– Firefox, Thunderbird, Pidgin, OpenOffice.org, ...
• OAF Step 6: Assistive Technologies
– Orca, GOK & Caribou, Dasher, ...

10. Peering into the Future...
• Further building accessibility into GNOME
– GNOME Shell & magnification
– Automated accessibility regression testing
• Connecting with the KDE/Qt desktop &
going small for OLPC & Linux mobile
– DBUS work

11. Peering into the Future, cont...
• Improvements for vision impairments
– GNOME Shell Magnifier
– Orca improvements
– SUE
– eSpeak

12. Peering into the Future, cont...
• Improvements for motor impairments
– Caribou
– OpenGazer
– VEDICS

13. Peering into the Future, cont...
• Improvements in applications
– OpenOffice.org with odt2daisy, odt2braille,
CCF addition <need its name!>
– Firefox & ARIA
– Evince & OCR Feeder

14. Peering into the Future, cont...
• Improvements for developers
– Clutter & Cally
– NetBeans & DIAS
• Improvements in usability
– ÆGIS pilots
– Ubuntu accessibility survey & Personas

15. Peering into the Future, cont...
• Support & funding
– Junta de Andalusia
– German Ministry of Labour and Social Affairs
– Tamil Nadu & ELCOT
– Training blind users in Brazil
– GNU Accessibility

16. Realizing the Future – Here This Week
• GNOME Accessibility Hackfest
– live.gnome.org/Accessibility/HackfestAEGIS2010
– www.aegis-conference.eu/pages/hackfest.html
– Go to Hackfest room to participate
• eSpeak tuning sessions
– www.aegis-conference.eu/pages/espeak.html
– Sign up at registration desk

17. Experiencing Open Desktop Accessibility
• Stay for the remaining talks
• Visit the exhibition hall
• Get a GNOME LiveCD & boot from it
• Try OpenOffice.org
– With odt2daisy
– With odt2braille
– With CCF addition <need name!>

18. Participating in Open Desktop
Accessibility
• After you have used it...
– Become part of the user community:
live.gnome.org/Accessibility
– File bugs (and fix bugs!)
– Translate documentation & programs
– Train folks in how to use it
– Give talks (like this one)

19. Remainder of this Parallel Session
• José Félix Ontañón
– <need title here>
• Alejandro Piñeiro Iglesias
– Accessibility API for GNOME Shell UI toolkit Clutter
• Joseph Scheuhammer
– Building 3rd generation magnification into GNOME Shell
• Christophe Strobbe
– Generating Braille from OpenOffice.org

20. Remainder of this Parallel Session, cont.
• Andrea Gaal
– SUE: an open source screen reader
• Nishchal Rao
– VEDICS: open source speech recognition – command
& control; eventual dictation
• Kris Van Hees
– Research into parallel renderings of user interface
elements