[Accessibility] Linux Accessibility Workgroup Draft Minutes July 2, 2003

[John Goldthwaite]

Draft Minutes for Proposed FSG Accessibility Workgroup Meeting
7/2/03

Attending:
Doug Beattie
John Goldthwaite
Bill Haneman
Janina Sajka
Gunnar Schmidt
Matthew Wilcox

Action items:
Work on expanding the bulleted list for part A.
Work on sections B-F.
John will check on requirements for setting up Wicki.

Next meeting July 9, 2003 2 pm EST

The meeting focused on reviewing the 102 text and refining it.

Doug- questions on 1st paragraph: substitute word for Codify-

Bill =96 provision of appropriate contextual information and both
application and system services via well defined standards:
Standards can help in 2/several ways:
-	provision of appropriate contextual information and services
via ABI standards facilitates assistive and adaptive technologies
and user agents appropriate to a wide range of user abilities.
-	Adherence to clearly defined standards of practice can assure
that ...

(WORD CRASHED losing last 15 minutes !@#$%!?! )

Bill=92s Bullet points for "A", statement of the problem...
* users can use systems;
* systems can't meet legal requirements;
* developers can't make their apps accessible in a consistent
way;
* platform services to facilitate this don't exist;
* AT developers cannot create assistive techs for the platform.
* lack of standardization prevents leverage of prior art, sharing
of expertise, and reduces value of individual contributions.

Expect to be dealing with standardization in several areas- BIOS
to desktop.  Not just different layers of OS but different types
of standards:
- End user features
- Assistive technology - Service provision that helps with AT
development
- For applications- Platform services what will assist with
development of accessible application software
- By promoting Best practices we can assist application
developers

Linux is a heterogeneous environment =96 want the user to be able
to move smoothly through command prompt, desktop, utilities, and
applications.  Have platform services so that applications can be
accessible in a way that is consistent across the environment.

Gunnar Schmidt =96
Need more in section C and D.  Can we add more on KDE
application?  List the kind of work that=92s been done already such
as mouse tool and magnifier.

Should we name different AT technologies?  Points out that people
are working on these.
There is a gradation of things between platform services and AT.
We should require Access-X but hesitate to say a Linux version
should have an integrated screen reader.  Should say they need
sticky keys.  If these are not present, someone would have to
bring up the user interface for the disabled user.  Need to think
about what AT features should be standard on the platform and
which are added AT applications.  We will revisit this so think
about it.  It would be nice if you could attach a hardware voice
synthesizer to serial port and the kernel would detect it and
start Speakup to assist during boot up. It would be really nice
if you could go up to any system with your synthesizer and use
it.

Can=92t throw in everything, need to determine where the line needs
to be drawn.  Microsoft example =96 Narrator is enough to get the
OS installed and get your screenreader installed.  Would not want
Narrator to be your screenreader but it does what its intended to
do in providing a talking bootstrap process.  Talking emacs-speak
is in all the distributions but the Python scripts don=92t install
a speech server.

Next step =96 finish 102 text and get it in.   In future will try
to indicate whether the calls will be technical or policy.
Likewise we can do the same at conferences once we=92re an official
group.

Divide into sections =96
Work on expanding the bulleted list for part A.  Need more work
for B- brief abstract.
Bill on vacation until September; sending alternative email
address.  Call at same time next week.




John Goldthwaite, Senior Research Scientist
Center for Assistive Technology and Environmental Access, Georgia
Tech
404 894-0563 (voice)
866 948-8282 (toll free voice/TTY)
john.goldthwaite at catea.org
-------------- next part --------------
Draft Minutes for Proposed FSG Accessibility Workgroup Meeting 7/2/03 =


Attending:
Doug Beattie
John Goldthwaite
Bill Haneman
Janina Sajka
Gunnar Schmidt
Matthew Wilcox

Action items:
Work on expanding the bulleted list for part A.  =

Work on sections B-F.
John will check on requirements for setting up Wicki.  =


Next meeting July 9, 2003 2 pm EST

The meeting focused on reviewing the 102 text and refining it.

Doug- questions on 1st paragraph: substitute word for Codify- =


Bill - provision of appropriate contextual information and both application=
 and system services via well defined standards:
Standards can help in 2/several ways:
- provision of appropriate contextual information and services via ABI stan=
dards facilitates assistive and adaptive technologies and user agents appro=
priate to a wide range of user abilities.
- Adherence to clearly defined standards of practice can assure that ...

(WORD CRASHED losing last 15 minutes !@#$%!?! )

Bill's Bullet points for "A", statement of the problem...
* users can use systems;
* systems can't meet legal requirements;
* developers can't make their apps accessible in a consistent way;
* platform services to facilitate this don't exist;
* AT developers cannot create assistive techs for the platform.
* lack of standardization prevents leverage of prior art, sharing of expert=
ise, and reduces value of individual contributions.

Expect to be dealing with standardization in several areas- BIOS to desktop=
.  Not just different layers of OS but different types of standards:
- End user features =

- Assistive technology - Service provision that helps with AT development
- For applications- Platform services what will assist with development of =
accessible application software
- By promoting Best practices we can assist application developers

Linux is a heterogeneous environment - want the user to be able to move smo=
othly through command prompt, desktop, utilities, and applications.  Have p=
latform services so that applications can be accessible in a way that is co=
nsistent across the environment.

Gunnar Schmidt - =

Need more in section C and D.  Can we add more on KDE application?  List th=
e kind of work that's been done already such as mouse tool and magnifier.  =


Should we name different AT technologies?  Points out that people are worki=
ng on these. =

There is a gradation of things between platform services and AT.  We should=
 require Access-X but hesitate to say a Linux version should have an integr=
ated screen reader.  Should say they need sticky keys.  If these are not pr=
esent, someone would have to bring up the user interface for the disabled u=
ser.  Need to think about what AT features should be standard on the platfo=
rm and which are added AT applications.  We will revisit this so think abou=
t it.  It would be nice if you could attach a hardware voice synthesizer to=
 serial port and the kernel would detect it and start Speakup to assist dur=
ing boot up. It would be really nice if you could go up to any system with =
your synthesizer and use it.   =


Can't throw in everything, need to determine where the line needs to be dra=
wn.  Microsoft example - Narrator is enough to get the OS installed and get=
 your screenreader installed.  Would not want Narrator to be your screenrea=
der but it does what its intended to do in providing a talking bootstrap pr=
ocess.  Talking emacs-speak is in all the distributions but the Python scri=
pts don't install a speech server.  =


Next step - finish 102 text and get it in.   In future will try to indicate=
 whether the calls will be technical or policy.  Likewise we can do the sam=
e at conferences once we're an official group.  =


Divide into sections -
Work on expanding the bulleted list for part A.  Need more work for B- brie=
f abstract.  =

Bill on vacation until September; sending alternative email address.  Call =
at same time next week.  =