Hello Tracy,
Whether an application will talk straight from the box is mainly up to the
application's speech-friendliness, which is up to the developer's use of
controls, classes, screen output, input routines, and graphics.
Classes and controls: are they standard classes and controls, or did the
developer take advantage of the customizing resources offered in most
development packages and customized his classes for more enhanced class
capability?If so, then regardless the screen reader, some reclassifying will
need to take place. For example, if the developer added some alterations in
the standard List box control in order to create a custom class that is
tailored to the purpose of that particular application. If so, then it is a
customized item, and you have to tell your screen reader that when it
detects that particular custom item, treat it as if it were a standard List
box, rather than an "unknown."
Screen output: What type of screen output is it using? Is it in a standard
dialog, frame, status line, menu bar, header, or list display, or are they
using items that will, (if not conflict altogether), cause the screen reader
to read an item that isn't truly the item the user needs read at that
particular time? Examples are: Your system cursor, and/or mouse cursor
stays parked on one area of the screen, but the data you need read is in a
totally different area, requiring a frame/hyper window be set around that
data box so the user can monitor the changing contents. Example#2: A clock
is displayed on the screen, causing the time to be announced with each
second count, requiring a quiet window/frame around that puppy. Example#3:
There are buttons you need to click on for a specific task, but the system
cursor doesn't go to that area, so a search and click routine is needed with
the screen reader so that a single keystroke macro/script/user-defined key
will find it, move the mouse there, then click it all with that single
keystroke.
Does the application use a standard Windows caret cursor, or have they
decided to use a cursor resembling the company's logo, thereby throwing
normal cursor tracking out the window, which in turn leaves the screen
reader with no idea where the focus is at any given time?
Input routines: Does the application take control of the keyboard,
remapping keystrokes in order to perform a specific, proprietary function?
Mainframe applications do this quite frequently, taking total control of the
numeric keypad, and thereby taking away most of your screen review
capability. Does the application depend mainly on mouse usage, and thereby
leaving the user with a dependency on hand/eye coordination--the button you
need to click on is at the bottom of the screen, and your mouse is somewhere
else; not an insurmountable obstacle if your screen reader has a means of
allowing the user to activate the mouse cursor tracking, and a means of
finding that particular button, and having the mouse move there when it does
find that graphic.
Or the Control key being mapped to the Enter key while in that particular
application--again, something mainframes like doing.
Graphics: Did the developer use ToolTips on all the buttons? Can the
graphics be labeled with text labels? Are they using bitmaps instead of
standard Tool bars? Are they having an animated graphic of the earth
spinning in one corner of the screen? Do they have the graphics inan area
that the system cursor can't reach, but that takes focus away whenever that
graphic becomes active?
Are they changing the color of an item in order to make the user aware of
it's significance?
Examples: A little green man runs out and pulls a menu down when you click
on that menu item.
A line in a Police/Fire management dispatch software changes color when that
particular unit is available again for the next emergency call.
The examples are numerous with each one of these items, and there is no way
of telling if the screen reader will handle each of these common obstacles
until you actually sit down and try it, but a mainstream application, or
even more so, a proprietary application,, that doesn't include some
variation of those obstacles, is extremely uncommon. That is why the screen
readers have the capability of getting around these items in one form or
another; quiet frames, monitored screen areas, reclassifying classes,
searching functions, graphic labeling, key-mapping, verbosity restrictions,
etc.
The more tools a screen reader offers the user to get around such items is,
(in my opinion), a benefit to the end-user--all screen readers can handle
the standard windows, dialogs, buttons, lists, etc., but being flexible
enough to handle the non-standard items is where a screen reader's
capability is truly tested, after that, it is just personal preference to
which the user likes best among the available packages.
The only screen reader that can read an application with absolutely no
configuration from the screen reader is called Eyesight. Now was that
profound or what?
Thanks,
Dennis Brown, DB Tech! 770-465-9621
http://www.BlindProgramming.com
To join the discussion, send empty message to
[EMAIL PROTECTED]
----- Original Message -----
From: Tracy Son <[EMAIL PROTECTED]>
To: <[EMAIL PROTECTED]>
Sent: Wednesday, October 13, 1999 9:51 PM
Subject: Re: Travel Agents and the Databases They Use
> Hello.
> This script thing seems to get in the way a lot of times.
> I know a lot of these programs such as travel agent and or reservation
> programs are complex.
> My question is are there any way to use most difficult programs with out
> any kind of scripts?
> This could require a lot of extra key strokes and switching between
cursors
> I realize that but it would be ashamed to have to turn down a job that
used
> one of these programs just because there are no scripts to make it
> accessable.
> I hope to get some answers from list members.
> Tracy Son.
>
> ----------
> > From: Alton Family <[EMAIL PROTECTED]>
> > To: [EMAIL PROTECTED]
> > Subject: Re: Travel Agents and the Databases They Use
> > Date: Wednesday, October 13, 1999 7:44 PM
> >
> > Hi guys,
> >
> > >From what I understand it is possible to write scripts to work with
> Apollo,
> > PARS, SaBRE and the sorts. I guess it is really hard and a real pain in
> the
> > back side. Hope that this has helped you out. Good luck and may the
> shwartz
> > be with you.
> >
> > Dale
> >
> > ----- Original Message -----
> > From: Nancy Feldman <[EMAIL PROTECTED]>
> > To: JFW Mailing List <[EMAIL PROTECTED]>
> > Sent: Wednesday, October 13, 1999 6:29 PM
> > Subject: Travel Agents and the Databases They Use
> >
> >
> > : Several of my students have shown an interest in becoming travel
> agents.
> > : This is a fairly popular job in this area, with several companies
> > providing
> > : options.
> > :
> > : However, many of the companies use software developed by American
> Airlines
> > : (my mind has gone blank on the name; it's in my records at work) and
> they
> > : say that it isn't accessible.
> > :
> > : Can anyone help me fill in the gaps in this area to determine what is
> and
> > : isn't accessible, and what has been done about it? Again, I'm not a
> fan
> > of
> > : reinventing the wheel if someone else has done the legwork.
> > :
> > : Thanks in advance.
> > :
> > : Nancy
> > :
> > :
> > : -
> > : Visit the jfw ml web page: http://jfw.cjb.net
> > :
> >
> > -
> > Visit the jfw ml web page: http://jfw.cjb.net
> -
> Visit the jfw ml web page: http://jfw.cjb.net
-
Visit the jfw ml web page: http://jfw.cjb.net
