But is the real issue screen reader availability versus braille output?
On 1/17/08 4:26 AM, "Greg Kearney" <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> wrote: > According to Microsoft this morning Microsoft Office 08 is not > accessible to the blind or print disabled using VoiceOver. So don't > bother going out and buying it. I will now editorialize: > > At some point someone is going to start raising the issue of consumer > products, in this case Microsoft Office, not being accessible and if > producing such products is actionable under the Americans with > Disabilities Act. That aside what in the world is Microsoft thinking? > This was a product that was delayed because the code was changed to > Xcode and here we have a major productivity application that is not > accessible? Microsoft should be ashamed of itself and I for one would > like to have someone from Microsoft offer some kind of explanation for > this oversight. > > It is one thing for some small company with limited resources to not > have an accessible application it is inexcusable for a company the > size of Microsoft to re-write a major application like office and not > have it be accessible. If Xcode would not compile non-accessible > application we might have avoided this. It is interesting to note that > the only accessible spreadsheet for the Mac, Tables, is the work of a > lone programer who managed to do it with out the resources of a > Microsoft or Apple. > > On a related note developer at Sun have been asking questions about > accessibility on a developer list at Apple so perhaps there is hope > that Sun will be developing an accessible version of Open Office. > Let's hope so anyway. And let's hope that someone at Apple is able to > get and explanation from Microsoft as to why an application written > after VoiceOver's release is not able to be used by the blind and > print disabled. And Apple your not off the hook here either Pages and > Numbers are not accessible either I might add. > > Greg Kearney > 535 S. Jackson St. > Casper, Wyoming 82601 > 307-224-4022 > [EMAIL PROTECTED] >
