Thanks, Ronald. You said, "When needed," but I sincerely hope it won't be needed, as I'm sure everybody hopes. We'll see soon enough. Thanks again.
Slau On Nov 15, 2012, at 3:52 PM, Ronald van Rhijn wrote: > Dear Slau, > You did great, really great! My sincere thanks for your many efforts. > When needed, I will support getting the funds through Kickstarter. > > Ronald > > Op 14 nov. 2012, om 21:14 heeft Slau Halatyn <[email protected]> het > volgende geschreven: > >> As some of you might recall, David Gibbons, the person who was truly to >> thank for finally making the work of accessibility happen at Digidesign, >> left the company a couple of years ago. He was and continues to be a great >> source of support for the cause of making Pro Tools more accessible. The >> reigns within Avid were handed to Bobby Lombardi. Bobby was present at the >> meeting where we saw the first results of the programming work done for >> VoiceOver. Bobby, in fact, was the first and only person of those who >> attended that meeting to respond to my follow up email thanking those in >> attendance. Unfortunately, Bobby took over at a time when Avid began to >> slash their workforce. Massive layoffs commenced and Avid underwent severe >> cutbacks. During this time, my limited contact with Bobby made one thing >> clear: Avid was not going to do anything concerning accessibility when they >> were scrambling to minimize their bleeding. It was also quite clear that >> Avid's focus was on their video market. It's widely known that Avid bought >> Digidesign to ensure a robust audio platform for their video business. With >> Pro Tools in the service of their Avid video production environment, the >> music production aspect of Pro Tools was cut back. Hence, the sale of >> M-Audio (where they lost tens upon tens of millions) and the cutting of >> Advanced Instrument Research or AIR plug-ins. With resources at a minimum >> and continuing to shrink, it was communicated to me that things were highly >> uncertain because of their inner crises. there was never a time when Bobby >> outrightly said they would not continue the work. He only indicated that >> they essentially had no development capacity. He suggested that they might >> be able to gain some headway through something called "hack-a-thon" where >> engineers essentially spend a weekend to take on a programming project just >> to throw things on the wall and see what sticks. Sometimes, it's a pet >> project, a new feature, a shot in the dark. Sometimes it can be an idea put >> forth by a given team. He suggested that it might be a way to address the >> immediate issue of the AAX plug-in accessibility. After weeks had gone by >> and there seemed to be no word, I scheduled the meeting for October. >> >> Bobby, as nice of a guy as he is, is not the best at returning emails. He >> did, however, promptly reply to me and agreed to the meeting. In fact, he >> invited a couple of other people at Avid including Rich Holmes, another >> attendee from our last meeting. Bobby did mention in his reply that someone >> had taken a look at the AAX issue and they didn't see any easy way to fix >> it. This didn't concern me at the time because I felt it was more important >> to have the meeting and address the bigger picture first. By the time it got >> to our meeting there were several more people present including guys from UI >> design, programming, special projects and partnering. The partnering guy is >> the one in charge of third-party developers. This was probably going to be >> an important person at some point along the way. >> >> When I got to the meeting, I saw Rich Holmes first. As I mentioned, Rich was >> at the previous meeting. He was quite impressed with the work Xiang, the >> intern, had done with VoiceOver support in Pro Tools back in 2009. At that >> meeting, Rich asked a lot of questions and took a very genuine interest in >> the subject. He was the one who was concerned with plug-in accessibility >> when we faced the possibility of not having plug-in accessibility in the >> initial 8.0.3 release. His concern was, if we didn't have accessible >> plug-ins, what was the point? In other words, he felt that it was important >> enough to pursue a solution somehow. I indicated to him that, while >> plug-ins were certainly critical, it would at least be usable for recording >> and editing, at least for a start. As it turned out, Xiang figured out a >> work-around and managed to implement it for the 8.0.4 release. Anyway, >> that's just a little background about Rich. back to our previously scheduled >> meeting… >> >> I was told that Bobby would probably not be joining us. It wasn't entirely >> surprising to me because I had learned, quite accidentally, from an >> interview with bobby on Pensado's Place that bobby was no longer in charge >> of Pro Tools and that he was moving over to the Sibelius side of things. >> rich Holmes was the new person in charge of Pro Tools, both hardware and >> software. Frankly, I was relieved that the new person to take over was a >> person with whom I've already interfaced and had some background with. >> >> The next person to walk in was a bit of a surprise. It was Ed Gray, the >> person in charge of partnering, like I said, the third-party developer >> liaison. Ed's been with Digidesign/Avid for about 17 years. Several years >> ago, Ed started having trouble with his vision due to glaucoma. Two years >> ago he lost a significant amount of sight and he is now legally blind and >> uses a white cane. Surprise, surprise, eh? >> >> Once the others were in attendance, I went over the agenda. I did break the >> ice, so to speak and not that there was any ice to begin with necessarily, >> by saying I would be happy if 3 things happened: Number 1, if the San >> Francisco Giants won the World Series against the Detroit Tigers. This >> yielded the desired response until I also mentioned that, although I was >> from New York, my ex-wife is from Detroit. This got an even better response. >> This is all to say that the atmosphere was friendly and, although the nature >> of the meeting was serious business, I felt it was important to balance it >> with some levity. That mission accomplished, we discussed the issues of >> plug-in format, the fact that the current aAX is essentially a transitional >> format, the various tables that are not accessible because they're custom UI >> elements, the various windows that are not yet accessible, etc. We covered a >> lot of areas including the fact that the 64-bit version of Pro Tools would >> be in alpha in the near future and that it would likely be released some >> time next year, perhaps the middle of the year. Rich Holmes said that this >> was a perfect time to consider these issues because of the imminent new >> version. >> >> The gorilla in the room was the issue of development capacity. I did make it >> clear fairly early on that I recognized the issue and that it wouldn't deter >> me from laying out the issues and discussing possible solutions. When we >> finally got through the major points, I proposed an idea that I hoped would >> prompt a certain response. It was a bit of a gamble but I thought it was >> worth it. The response was, in a way, actually better than I had hoped. >> Here was my proposal: >> >> Given that Xiang had spent roughly 4 weeks working on accessibility, I >> suggested that if someone were to spend another, say two or three months >> exclusively working on the same issue, we'd probably get just about >> everything working. Now, this, of course, takes money. Money is something >> they are not rolling in. Pick up the Wall Street Journal and you'll get a >> good idea of how Avid's doing when articles about them appear in the >> financial section. I do know that Avid has historically outsourced their >> work to a company called Global Logic in Kiev, Ukraine. As some of you know, >> I regularly travel to Kiev to engineer orchestral recording sessions and I'm >> fluent in Ukrainian. First of all, Avid wouldn't outsource to anybody >> outside their established corporate relationships so this covered that >> angle. From a project manager standpoint, I could personally interface with >> a programmer from global Logic to handle the work, Avid wouldn't have to >> worry about that aspect. A programmer could work alongside the normal >> development without stepping on anyone's feet. >> >> The last part of the puzzle was the funding. I suggested that I could start >> up a KickStarter campaign to raise funds to pay Global Logic for the work. >> Yes, it would place a burden on me to raise the money and, yes, it would >> take some time but I'm confident that it could be done. It would mean no >> burden for Avid whatsoever and we could get it done. Stay with me. >> >> Before we could discuss any more details about that approach, Rich made it a >> point to say that he felt this might not be necessary. The way he saw it, >> just as there was an initiative in Pro Tools 10 for international language >> support, there should be a similar initiative for VoiceOver support. He >> posited that accessing Pro tools through VoiceOver is not really different >> than accessing it through another language. Naturally, I was glad to hear >> that coming from him. Others chimed in with similar support of his position. >> In fact, they felt it should be an initiative throughout the product line >> including Sibelius. The person in charge of special projects, Phil something >> (his surname escapes me), actually comes from Sibelius. He's well aware of >> the accessibility that JAWS users had under Windows. Again, the support of >> the people in Daly City was clear and, in my opinion, genuine. >> >> Of course, taking this path would require essentially going to the top, to >> the CEO of Avid, Gary Greenfield. Everyone at the meeting spoke highly of >> Gary. They referred to him as a good guy and conscientious. This might sound >> strange in light of the fact that Avid has gone through a horrible time. >> rich and I agreed that we would both write letters to Mr. Greenfield. If >> successful, this approach would ensure that the work of accessibility would >> simply become part of the process of programming and in-house testing. >> Without that, it's likely that things would just continue to break down. >> Now, that's not to say that nothing could be done in the future but there's >> absolutely no telling when and it seemed like a more durable choice to get >> it sanctioned rather than to hope for a window of opportunity that would >> likely never come. >> >> As some of you know, I attended the 133rd Aes convention that weekend and, >> consequently, was stranded in San Francisco for several more days. When I >> got back, I had to catch up with a number of issues. Two days ago, on >> Monday, I sent a letter to Gary Greenfield. At the risk of making this >> message entirely too long, I'm posting it below: >> >> >> "Dear Mr. Greenfield, >> >> I'm writing to you on behalf of blind Pro Tools users throughout the world >> with an urgent request regarding the accessibility of the software. At the >> outset, I should mention that I recently met with several people in Daly >> City and we concluded that we should go to the top to ensure that the matter >> is resolved in a lasting manner. There's some history to this situation >> which I'll address as briefly as I can, and will gladly provide more >> background if needed. Hopefully I can paint a clear picture of how we've >> come to this point and the crisis we currently face. >> >> Back in the mid '90s, there were a number of blind audio professionals who >> were interested in using Pro Tools. Using a third-party program called >> outSPOKEN, they attempted to navigate Pro Tools within Mac OS 9, but there >> was a problem with the systems crashing. Rick Boggs, a blind producer in Los >> Angeles, managed to get the folks at Digidesign and the folks from Berkeley >> Systems (the makers of outSPOKEN) to put their heads together to figure it >> out. They found that some code in the DAE (Digidesign Audio Engine) software >> was causing the problem, so Digidesign altered it. With that, Pro Tools >> became the most accessible DAW platform for blind users. It was at that time >> that I and other blind engineers invested in our Pro Tools HD systems. >> >> When Apple released OS X, there were no third-party screen readers on the >> market available for it. Blind users stuck to OS 9 for a few years and it >> wasn't of great concern to those who used Pro Tools because Digidesign >> didn't make its own transition to OS X support for quite a while. >> Eventually, Apple decided to build a screen reader called VoiceOver right >> into the operating system. At that point, Pro Tools was already available >> for OS X and a few of us were eager to upgrade to the latest version (v6.4). >> >> Unfortunately, the upgraded version of Pro Tools turned out to be >> inaccessible. The only things one could access were the menu bar and a >> handful of dialogs that used the Apple framework. Everything else, it >> seemed, was invisible to VoiceOver. A few of us tried to contact Digidesign >> regarding these issues but were unable to make much headway. Eventually, we >> began a petition calling for Digidesign to commit to action, gathering over >> 1,200 signatures. We were about to send it to various officers in the >> company when I received a call from David Gibbons (then V.P. of Marketing) >> inviting me to come to Daly City to discuss the situation. Digidesign had >> become aware of the petition and the issue had finally reached someone who >> took interest. At our first meeting in 2006, I demonstrated the level of >> accessibility I had under OS 9 with outSPOKEN and how, under OS X, the >> latest version of Pro Tools was completely inaccessible. It was clear to >> David that we had something that used to work but that was now broken and >> needed to be fixed. Incidentally, more details about our meeting and the >> actual petition can be found at: >> http://www.protoolspetition.org >> >> It turned out that Avid had been planning a few transitions in the code, >> which needed to happen before undertaking any work on accessibility. >> Essentially, they needed to follow Apple's programming guidelines to define >> the windows and controls in such a way that VoiceOver would recognize them. >> In 2008, an intern was assigned to the project and spent a few weeks adding >> the required bits of code. I flew out to Daly City toward the end of the >> process to provide feedback. It was amazing to see how much he had completed >> in that short amount of time. >> >> Pro Tools 8.0.4, released in 2009, was the first version to include those >> coding additions, which allowed it to support the VoiceOver feature in OS X. >> Though still perhaps only 70% accessible, it was at least usable. Subsequent >> versions continued to be mostly accessible until version 10, where something >> broke. The new AAX plug-in format was significantly different and, >> unfortunately, the issue of accessibility wasn't foremost in anyone's mind >> as they developed it. To add to this, David Gibbons was no longer at Avid >> and the issue of VoiceOver compatibility appeared to fall by the wayside. >> >> Since I was going to San Francisco for this year's AES show, I scheduled a >> meeting with several people in Daly City. It became clear during our meeting >> that the actual work isn't especially difficult. Rich Holmes suggested that >> accessing Pro Tools through VoiceOver is really no different than accessing >> it in another language. Given the push for international language support in >> Pro Tools 10, it would seem that VoiceOver support could fit naturally >> within this effort. However, we agreed that rather than take a skunkworks >> approach to accessibility (as had been done before), it would behoove us to >> make it official and have the support of the CEO to ensure that it simply >> becomes part of the UI process and in-house testing. I was encouraged to see >> genuine support for making sure that Avid's product line is fully >> accessible. Rich said that he would write a letter to you and I agreed to do >> the same. >> >> Please pardon the somewhat lengthy journey I've taken to this point but >> here's where I make an appeal to you as the person who can make this happen. >> I know that Avid receives requests of all kinds for new features. Please >> consider the fact that while most people's requests have to do with >> preferences or workflows, our request for access to Pro Tools means the >> difference between being able to use Pro Tools or not. Yes, we currently >> have some degree of accessibility but, now that plug-ins are not accessible, >> we're seeing stuff beginning to break. With the shift to 64-bit, it's likely >> that other things might break if left unchecked. The actual amount of work >> necessary is not great when you consider that it's largely a matter of >> defining and labeling elements. We're not asking for anything more than for >> Avid to follow Apple's published programming guidelines, which will ensure >> that Pro Tools is accessible. >> >> Gary, I regularly receive emails from blind students and professionals from >> all over the world who, when they encounter Pro Tools, are so excited to >> learn that it's fairly accessible right out of the box. They're equally >> concerned when they learn that the new plug-in format is not accessible. Who >> knows what the future will hold unless universal design is made a >> consideration. I, too, have a personal stake in this. I make my living as an >> audio engineer and recording studio owner. I'm a trained professional who >> wishes to use the platform of choice alongside my sighted colleagues. I have >> no esoteric requests. I'll leave that to the sighted folks ;) My request—our >> request is that Avid follow Apple's programming guidelines and maintain an >> accessible Pro Tools for blind users through the VoiceOver feature built >> into Mac OS X. >> >> I know that you will appreciate the weight of this request. It's probably >> one of the most important letters I've ever had to write. I also have >> hundreds of blind audio professionals waiting anxiously with the hope that >> Avid will commit to making its products accessible. Thank you so much for >> taking the time to read this and I hope you can make it happen. >> >> Best regards, >> >> Slau Halatyn" >> >> So, the above message went out to Gary Greenfield and chris Gahagan, EVP of >> Avid. I also copied Rich Holmes. The letter also made its way to Ed Gray who >> sent me a message. I'm sure he wouldn't mind that I post part of it below: >> >> "Dear Slau, >> >>> Your letter to Gary was passed on to me and I can’t express how much I >>> appreciate it. You expressed yourself extraordinarily well and gave a >>> transparent history which is essential. I know, having spoken to Rich >>> since our meeting, that he is dedicated to delivering the results you are >>> asking for. I will stay on top of this for you and I am your ally in this >>> initiative." >> >> So, that's where we currently stand. We're awaiting word from the top to see >> if accessibility can officially become part of the process. It would, >> indeed, be the best scenario for us. If we do get a commitment, great. If >> not, I won't let it drop. Gary Greenfield is unaware of my initial proposal >> for a fund-raising campaign. I still feel that it would be feasible and >> successful if we had to undertake it. There are those who will undoubtedly >> feel that we shouldn't have to raise funds for something Avid should do on >> their own dime. Yes, I agree in principle. However, it is a viable option >> and, if we must go there, so be it. That's where public outreach and social >> networking will be required big time. For now, we need to wait and see what >> the official response from Gary Greenfield will be. Whatever the response, I >> will inform him that I plan to make it public. I don't mean that as a >> threat. I mean, I will ask him for a formal statement either way. I trust >> that his response will be hopeful and that Avid will make a formal >> commitment to action. The commitment made some years ago was on the part of >> several conscientious individuals at Digidesign. It's time for Avid, as a >> company, to respond. That's what I'm looking for before the next move. We'll >> see how it goes from here. >> >> As I stated in a previous message, my personal commitment is to see this >> through at least until we have a response. At that point, I'll make a >> personal decision. If the response is positive, I'll continue to work with >> Avid in the near future to ensure they have whatever they need in terms of >> feedback, beta testing, etc. My involvement beyond that, by design, will be >> minimal because, by nature, if the issue of accessibility is part of the >> process, it won't require high maintenance. >> >> If, however, the official response is not in our favor, I will proceed with >> Plan B involving possible fund-raising through KickStarter. I will only do >> this if enough people on the list support me in that approach because it >> will certainly require pounding the pavement. We did that before and we can >> do it again. Even this approach would require Avid's approval. They may go >> along with it, they may not. We'll cross that bridge if we get to it. >> >> Some of you might have the possibility of legal action in the back of your >> mind. For the record, I'm against it at all costs. Actually, I should more >> accurately say that, to me, it should be an absolute last resort. I >> personally will not spearhead such an approach. It'll have to be up to >> somebody else to take the reigns under such conditions. I have no experience >> with such matters. Perhaps someone like Rick Boggs, who has had firsthand >> experience with access-related legal action, could find the time to step in, >> if necessary. Again, in my book, legal action is Plan C. Barring subtle >> variations, I don't see any other major outcomes, A, B or C. >> >> Thanks for reading this very lengthy post. I hope it answers some questions, >> perhaps it might prompt some questions. I suspect that some of the potential >> questions might depend on the response from Mr. Greenfield. We'll see. >> Naturally, as soon as I receive any word, I'll immediately post it here. >> >> Slau >> >
