Channel 9 - Entries tagged with Accessibility Microsoft http://mschnlnine.vo.llnwd.net/d1/Dev/App_Themes/C9/images/feedimage.png Channel 9 - Entries tagged with Accessibility http://channel9.msdn.com/Tags/accessibility Channel 9 keeps you up to date with the latest news and behind the scenes info from Microsoft that developers love to keep up with. From LINQ to SilverLight – Watch videos and hear about all the cool technologies coming and the people behind them. http://channel9.msdn.com/Tags/accessibility en Sun, 26 May 2013 08:08:16 GMT Sun, 26 May 2013 08:08:16 GMT Rev9 14 1 25 Windows 8 UX Design: (11) Accessibility This session covers details on what exactly it is and how you can prepare your app to declare it as an accessible app in the Windows Store.

  • [08:06] - Assitive technologies in Windows 8
  • [25:42] - Testing for accessibility

Full course outline:

]]> http://channel9.msdn.com/Series/Windows-8-UX-Design-Jump-Start/Windows-8-UX-Design-11-Accessibility This session covers details on what exactly it is and how you can prepare your app to declare it as an accessible app in the Windows Store. [08:06] - Assitive technologies in Windows 8 [25:42] - Testing for accessibility Full course outline: Mod 01: The Microsoft Design Language Mod 02: Less is More Mod 03: Navigation Mod 04: Layout Mod 05: UI Elements Mod 06: Snap and Scale Beautifully Mod 07: Charms, Contracts and Extensions Mod 08: Tiles and Notifications Mod 09: Touch Mod 10: Animation Mod 11: Accessibility Mod 12: Globalization Mod 13: The Windows Store 1846 http://channel9.msdn.com/Series/Windows-8-UX-Design-Jump-Start/Windows-8-UX-Design-11-Accessibility Tue, 30 Apr 2013 00:05:02 GMT http://channel9.msdn.com/Series/Windows-8-UX-Design-Jump-Start/Windows-8-UX-Design-11-Accessibility JeffKoch JeffKoch 0 http://channel9.msdn.com/Series/Windows-8-UX-Design-Jump-Start/Windows-8-UX-Design-11-Accessibility/RSS Accessibility Design JumpStart User Experience Windows 8 A Look at Windows 8 Ease of Access Daniel Hubbell from the Windows Accessibility team joins me to talk about some of the features in the Windows 8 Ease of Access section. You may remember Daniel from a previous interview we did looking at his lab here on campus. While the Ease of Access panel is often used by those with disabilities, there are a number of features that can make all of our computing experiences better. For instance, if you're doing a lot of reading late at night you might want to turn on high contrast mode (Left Alt + Left Shift + Print Screen) to reverse the colors and make it a little easier on your tired eyes to read. There are also settings like changing the size of text and icons and using the Magnifier. Along with these, Daniel walks us through some of the newer features in Windows 8. 

]]> http://channel9.msdn.com/posts/A-Look-at-Windows-8-Ease-of-Access Daniel Hubbell from the Windows Accessibility team joins me to talk about some of the features in the Windows 8 Ease of Access section. You may remember Daniel from a previous interview we did looking at his lab here on campus. While the Ease of Access panel is often used by those with disabilities, there are a number of features that can make all of our computing experiences better. For instance, if you're doing a lot of reading late at night you might want to turn on high contrast mode (Left Alt + Left Shift + Print Screen) to reverse the colors and make it a little easier on your tired eyes to read. There are also settings like changing the size of text and icons and using the Magnifier. Along with these, Daniel walks us through some of the newer features in Windows 8.  1184 http://channel9.msdn.com/posts/A-Look-at-Windows-8-Ease-of-Access Wed, 20 Mar 2013 20:38:03 GMT http://channel9.msdn.com/posts/A-Look-at-Windows-8-Ease-of-Access Larry Larsen Larry Larsen 1 http://channel9.msdn.com/posts/A-Look-at-Windows-8-Ease-of-Access/rss Accessibility Windows 8 Designing with Narrator in mind In Windows 8, people who are blind can use Narrator to access their machines. This video discusses some additional design aspects on how you as an app developer can design your app to work well with Narrator.  These considerations will help to ensure that people with vision impairments have a great customer experience with your app.

For additional details on designing your app with accessibility in mind, please see:

See related videos here:

 

]]> http://channel9.msdn.com/Series/Introducing-Windows-8/Narrator In Windows 8, people who are blind can use Narrator to access their machines. This video discusses some additional design aspects on how you as an app developer can design your app to work well with Narrator.  These considerations will help to ensure that people with vision impairments have a great customer experience with your app. For additional details on designing your app with accessibility in mind, please see: Design for Accessibility (Windows Store apps) See related videos here: Introduction to Accessibility   407 http://channel9.msdn.com/Series/Introducing-Windows-8/Narrator Mon, 22 Oct 2012 23:25:39 GMT http://channel9.msdn.com/Series/Introducing-Windows-8/Narrator Roxanne Beaver Roxanne Beaver 0 http://channel9.msdn.com/Series/Introducing-Windows-8/Narrator/RSS Accessibility Designer Multi-touch Touch Windows Store App WindowsContent Introduction to Accessibility When you are designing an app, it's important to think about all of the people who will use it, including those with disabilities such as visual, mobility, hearing, and cognitive impairments. In the United States alone, 36 million people have a disability and worldwide that figure is estimated around 1 billion. By ensuring that your app is accessible to people with disabilities, you can reach a significantly larger customer base and ensure that no one is excluded from
being able to use your app. 

For additional details on designing your app with accessibility in mind, please see:

 See related videos here:

]]> http://channel9.msdn.com/Series/Introducing-Windows-8/Introduction-to-Accessibility When you are designing an app, it's important to think about all of the people who will use it, including those with disabilities such as visual, mobility, hearing, and cognitive impairments. In the United States alone, 36 million people have a disability and worldwide that figure is estimated around 1 billion. By ensuring that your app is accessible to people with disabilities, you can reach a significantly larger customer base and ensure that no one is excluded frombeing able to use your app.  For additional details on designing your app with accessibility in mind, please see: Design for Accessibility (Windows Store apps)  See related videos here: Designing with Narrator in mind 332 http://channel9.msdn.com/Series/Introducing-Windows-8/Introduction-to-Accessibility Mon, 22 Oct 2012 23:19:00 GMT http://channel9.msdn.com/Series/Introducing-Windows-8/Introduction-to-Accessibility Roxanne Beaver Roxanne Beaver 0 http://channel9.msdn.com/Series/Introducing-Windows-8/Introduction-to-Accessibility/RSS Accessibility Multi-touch Touch Windows Store App Ensuring Accessibility This video shows how Windows 8 will help users with visual impairments to enjoy Windows 8 touch first interface by using Magnifier and Narrator. http://blogs.msdn.com/b/b8/archive/2012/02/14/enabling-accessibility.aspx

]]> http://channel9.msdn.com/posts/Ensuring-Accessibility This video shows how Windows 8 will help users with visual impairments to enjoy Windows 8 touch first interface by using Magnifier and Narrator. http://blogs.msdn.com/b/b8/archive/2012/02/14/enabling-accessibility.aspx 150 http://channel9.msdn.com/posts/Ensuring-Accessibility Fri, 17 Feb 2012 22:09:42 GMT http://channel9.msdn.com/posts/Ensuring-Accessibility Roxanne Beaver Roxanne Beaver 0 http://channel9.msdn.com/posts/Ensuring-Accessibility/rss Accessibility Windows 8 Campus Tours: Windows Accessibility Lab Recently Daniel Hubbel from the Windows team met with us to talk about the Ease of Access features in Windows. Last week he invited us over to see the lab where all of these features are tested. The lab, tucked away behind a discreet door in a typical Microsoft hallway, is setup with a living room area and several stations that represent the workspaces of fictional users with various challenges and needs. With these stations and additional accessibilty hardware, researchers and developers can test scenarios and real-world use cases.

]]> http://channel9.msdn.com/Series/CampusTours/Campus-Tours-Windows-Accessibility-Lab Recently Daniel Hubbel from the Windows team met with us to talk about the Ease of Access features in Windows. Last week he invited us over to see the lab where all of these features are tested. The lab, tucked away behind a discreet door in a typical Microsoft hallway, is setup with a living room area and several stations that represent the workspaces of fictional users with various challenges and needs. With these stations and additional accessibilty hardware, researchers and developers can test scenarios and real-world use cases. 766 http://channel9.msdn.com/Series/CampusTours/Campus-Tours-Windows-Accessibility-Lab Thu, 01 Sep 2011 22:16:08 GMT http://channel9.msdn.com/Series/CampusTours/Campus-Tours-Windows-Accessibility-Lab Larry Larsen Larry Larsen 6 http://channel9.msdn.com/Series/CampusTours/Campus-Tours-Windows-Accessibility-Lab/RSS Accessibility Using Your Voice to Paint
The system uses a method of vowel sounds to move the mouse, and discrete constant sounds to click the mouse buttons. You can see more about the technology behind this at the Vocal Joystick Project. ]]> http://channel9.msdn.com/Blogs/LarryLarsen/Using-Your-Voice-to-Paint Susumu Harada is a Ph.D grad in the Computer Science and Engineering department at University of Washington. He invited me over to see a system he built, which allows someone to paint pictures using a voice-controlled mouse. Though the practical applications of this include other uses, drawing is the most intricate application because it involves lots of curves and mouse movements, which don't lend themselves to other methods of accessibility. The system uses a method of vowel sounds to move the mouse, and discrete constant sounds to click the mouse buttons. You can see more about the technology behind this at the Vocal Joystick Project. 582 http://channel9.msdn.com/Blogs/LarryLarsen/Using-Your-Voice-to-Paint Fri, 02 Apr 2010 13:56:00 GMT http://channel9.msdn.com/Blogs/LarryLarsen/Using-Your-Voice-to-Paint Larry Larsen Larry Larsen 0 http://channel9.msdn.com/Blogs/LarryLarsen/Using-Your-Voice-to-Paint/RSS Accessibility NUI Using Your Voice to Paint
The system uses a method of vowel sounds to move the mouse, and discrete constant sounds to click the mouse buttons. You can see more about the technology behind this at the Vocal Joystick Project. ]]> http://channel9.msdn.com/Blogs/LarryLarsen/Using-Your-Voice-to-Paint Susumu Harada is a Ph.D grad in the Computer Science and Engineering department at University of Washington. He invited me over to see a system he built, which allows someone to paint pictures using a voice-controlled mouse. Though the practical applications of this include other uses, drawing is the most intricate application because it involves lots of curves and mouse movements, which don't lend themselves to other methods of accessibility. The system uses a method of vowel sounds to move the mouse, and discrete constant sounds to click the mouse buttons. You can see more about the technology behind this at the Vocal Joystick Project. 582 http://channel9.msdn.com/Blogs/LarryLarsen/Using-Your-Voice-to-Paint Thu, 01 Apr 2010 21:47:00 GMT http://channel9.msdn.com/Blogs/LarryLarsen/Using-Your-Voice-to-Paint Larry Larsen Larry Larsen 3 http://channel9.msdn.com/Blogs/LarryLarsen/Using-Your-Voice-to-Paint/RSS Accessibility NUI geekSpeak Recording - Accessibility and WPF with Robert Altland In this episode of geekSpeak, we explore how to write accessible applications using Microsoft Windows Presentation Foundation (WPF) and Microsoft Silverlight with Robert Altland, a principal consultant with Neudesic. Robert provides a quick review of UI automation, the new accessibility framework for WPF, and Silverlight application development. This geekSpeak is hosted by Lynn Langit and Mithun Dhar.

The geekSpeak webcast series brings you industry experts in a "talk-radio" format hosted by developer evangelists from Microsoft. These experts share their knowledge and experience about a particular developer technology and are ready to answer your questions in real time during the webcast. To ask a question in advance of the live webcast, or for post-show resources, be sure to visit the geekSpeak blog.

Guest Info: Robert Altland, Principal Consultant, Neudesic, LLC

Based in Irvine, California, Robert Altland is a principal consultant with Neudesic, a leading Microsoft .NET professional services firm and a Microsoft Gold Certified Partner. Robert's career has spanned the spectrum from design to development, which gives him unique insight into Windows Presentation Foundation (WPF) and Microsoft Silverlight application development. He has been developing enterprise Web and Windows-based applications using the.NET platform since its release, and Robert has been actively developing WPF and Silverlight applications for the past two years.

]]> http://channel9.msdn.com/Shows/geekSpeak/geekSpeak-Recording-Accessibility-and-WPF-with-Robert-Altland In this episode of geekSpeak, we explore how to write accessible applications using Microsoft Windows Presentation Foundation (WPF) and Microsoft Silverlight with Robert Altland, a principal consultant with Neudesic. Robert provides a quick review of UI automation, the new accessibility framework for WPF, and Silverlight application development. This geekSpeak is hosted by Lynn Langit and Mithun Dhar. The geekSpeak webcast series brings you industry experts in a "talk-radio" format hosted by developer evangelists from Microsoft. These experts share their knowledge and experience about a particular developer technology and are ready to answer your questions in real time during the webcast. To ask a question in advance of the live webcast, or for post-show resources, be sure to visit the geekSpeak blog. Guest Info: Robert Altland, Principal Consultant, Neudesic, LLC Based in Irvine, California, Robert Altland is a principal consultant with Neudesic, a leading Microsoft .NET professional services firm and a Microsoft Gold Certified Partner. Robert's career has spanned the spectrum from design to development, which gives him unique insight into Windows Presentation Foundation (WPF) and Microsoft Silverlight application development. He has been developing enterprise Web and Windows-based applications using the.NET platform since its release, and Robert has been actively developing WPF and Silverlight applications for the past two years. 3455 http://channel9.msdn.com/Shows/geekSpeak/geekSpeak-Recording-Accessibility-and-WPF-with-Robert-Altland Wed, 01 Jul 2009 20:28:00 GMT http://channel9.msdn.com/Shows/geekSpeak/geekSpeak-Recording-Accessibility-and-WPF-with-Robert-Altland glengo glengo 1 http://channel9.msdn.com/Shows/geekSpeak/geekSpeak-Recording-Accessibility-and-WPF-with-Robert-Altland/RSS Accessibility WPF Web Accessibility with Cynthia Shelly accessibility center on MSDN, among other things.

Cynthia recently joined me in the MIX Online studios to discuss her work with web accessibility at Microsoft; from common issues and problems she has seen in Microsoft web sites as well as external sites, to her work as part of the Windows Live Writer team.  Live Writer was a fascinating example, since it's a tool which allows people to create accessible web content, which itself is accessible -- attention to both sides of the equation that is often overlooked. ]]> http://channel9.msdn.com/Blogs/Joshua/Web-Accessibility-with-Cynthia-Shelly Cynthia Shelly has worked with web accessibility both inside Microsoft and with our partners.  She currently works in the Accessible Business Unit; the team who bring you the accessibility center on MSDN, among other things.Cynthia recently joined me in the MIX Online studios to discuss her work with web accessibility at Microsoft; from common issues and problems she has seen in Microsoft web sites as well as external sites, to her work as part of the Windows Live Writer team.  Live Writer was a fascinating example, since it's a tool which allows people to create accessible web content, which itself is accessible -- attention to both sides of the equation that is often overlooked. 1468 http://channel9.msdn.com/Blogs/Joshua/Web-Accessibility-with-Cynthia-Shelly Thu, 08 May 2008 17:07:00 GMT http://channel9.msdn.com/Blogs/Joshua/Web-Accessibility-with-Cynthia-Shelly Joshua Allen Joshua Allen 0 http://channel9.msdn.com/Blogs/Joshua/Web-Accessibility-with-Cynthia-Shelly/RSS Accessibility Accessibility in Silverlight 2
Accessibility has been something of a weak spot in Silverlight 1.0; with only very basic support for alt tags and default actions.  It hasn't been all bad, since this led developers to use Silverlight with "Plain Old Semantic HTML" in a progressive enhancement pattern -- which will continue to be useful in some scenarios going forward.  But the range of options for accessible development increases substantially with Silverlight 2.

In this interview and demonstration, Mark Rideout explains the new accessibility enhancements in Silverlight 2; from support for controls and tabbing to support for (UI Automation) UIA. ]]> http://channel9.msdn.com/Blogs/Joshua/Accessibility-in-Silverlight-2 From NBC to AOL, Nokia to Move Networks, the broad range of spotlight Silverlight applications attest to how much maturity the platform has gained since being launched last year.Accessibility has been something of a weak spot in Silverlight 1.0; with only very basic support for alt tags and default actions.  It hasn't been all bad, since this led developers to use Silverlight with "Plain Old Semantic HTML" in a progressive enhancement pattern -- which will continue to be useful in some scenarios going forward.  But the range of options for accessible development increases substantially with Silverlight 2.In this interview and demonstration, Mark Rideout explains the new accessibility enhancements in Silverlight 2; from support for controls and tabbing to support for (UI Automation) UIA. 1328 http://channel9.msdn.com/Blogs/Joshua/Accessibility-in-Silverlight-2 Thu, 06 Mar 2008 14:04:00 GMT http://channel9.msdn.com/Blogs/Joshua/Accessibility-in-Silverlight-2 Joshua Allen Joshua Allen 0 http://channel9.msdn.com/Blogs/Joshua/Accessibility-in-Silverlight-2/RSS Accessibility Silverlight Screen Reader Demo screenreaderThe other day, while helping an agency build accessibility into a Silverlight project, the designer asked where he could see an example of a screen reader in action.  This is a reasonable question, since the vast majority of web developers and designers have never observed someone using a screen reader.  And simply trying to use one yourself is likely to lead to frustration and little real empathy for everyday users of screen readers.  You can't really test accessibility by having sighted people conduct usability tests using a screen reader.

I recommended that my designer friend check out the classic YUI video showing Victor Tsaran using a screen reader.  Be sure to watch starting around the 25:00 minute mark where Victor speeds things up to what is normal speed for him.

The other advice I often give people wanting to understand the user experience of someone using a screen reader, is imagine that users are browsing your site using the Lynx web browser.  This advice works best if you actually have used Lynx a bit, so you understand what it's like to navigate in a linear, link-oriented fashion.  If you don't use Lynx, or if the page heavily uses AJAX, you can get an idea by simply dumping the list of the links on the page in linear order, along with alt tags for any images.

]]> http://channel9.msdn.com/Blogs/Joshua/Screen-Reader-Demo The other day, while helping an agency build accessibility into a Silverlight project, the designer asked where he could see an example of a screen reader in action.  This is a reasonable question, since the vast majority of web developers and designers have never observed someone using a screen reader.  And simply trying to use one yourself is likely to lead to frustration and little real empathy for everyday users of screen readers.  You can't really test accessibility by having sighted people conduct usability tests using a screen reader. I recommended that my designer friend check out the classic YUI video showing Victor Tsaran using a screen reader.  Be sure to watch starting around the 25:00 minute mark where Victor speeds things up to what is normal speed for him. The other advice I often give people wanting to understand the user experience of someone using a screen reader, is imagine that users are browsing your site using the Lynx web browser.  This advice works best if you actually have used Lynx a bit, so you understand what it's like to navigate in a linear, link-oriented fashion.  If you don't use Lynx, or if the page heavily uses AJAX, you can get an idea by simply dumping the list of the links on the page in linear order, along with alt tags for any images. http://channel9.msdn.com/Blogs/Joshua/Screen-Reader-Demo Tue, 20 Nov 2007 01:21:00 GMT http://channel9.msdn.com/Blogs/Joshua/Screen-Reader-Demo Joshua Allen Joshua Allen 0 http://channel9.msdn.com/Blogs/Joshua/Screen-Reader-Demo/RSS Accessibility Silverlight Accessibility: It's The Law Last time I discussed accessibility here, it was to hold out a carrot.  Designing for accessibility makes your site more mashable, skinnable, and maintainable.  But if the carrot isn't enough, the government holds a big stick.

The U.S. District Court of Northern California has just ruled that a class-action lawsuit can proceed alleging that Target failed to make its web site accessible to the blind.  Every case is unique, and I can't speculate on what the outcome will be in this case, but it sends a strong message.  Accessibility is the law.

The regulations squeeze from two directions at once, like the jaws of a vice.  Not only may sites be required to comply with Americans With Disabilities Act as in the case above, but the federal government (the biggest purchaser of technology in the world) will only do business with vendors who comply with accessibility guidelines.

While many popular web-development tools (like Internet Explorer Developer Toolbar) recommend that you check your web site against Section 508 guidelines, it's questionable if simply validating Section 508 is enough.  That's the problem with validators -- any creative person can conceive of a site design which is accessible yet doesn't validate, or a site design which validates yet is not accessible.  You should use 508 only as a starting point.

Another challenge is that the legislative guidelines were developed before AJAX and RIA really took hold, and the standards bodies are only just beginning to catch up.  It may be some time before the legislation catches up with current practice.  But this shouldn't deter you from taking accessibility seriously.  Several countries besides the U.S. have regulations regarding web accessibility, and these regulations will only become crisper over time.

And besides, when the carrots are so tasty, why get too close to the stick?

]]> http://channel9.msdn.com/Blogs/Joshua/Accessibility-Its-The-Law Last time I discussed accessibility here, it was to hold out a carrot.  Designing for accessibility makes your site more mashable, skinnable, and maintainable.  But if the carrot isn't enough, the government holds a big stick. The U.S. District Court of Northern California has just ruled that a class-action lawsuit can proceed alleging that Target failed to make its web site accessible to the blind.  Every case is unique, and I can't speculate on what the outcome will be in this case, but it sends a strong message.  Accessibility is the law. The regulations squeeze from two directions at once, like the jaws of a vice.  Not only may sites be required to comply with Americans With Disabilities Act as in the case above, but the federal government (the biggest purchaser of technology in the world) will only do business with vendors who comply with accessibility guidelines. While many popular web-development tools (like Internet Explorer Developer Toolbar) recommend that you check your web site against Section 508 guidelines, it's questionable if simply validating Section 508 is enough.  That's the problem with validators -- any creative person can conceive of a site design which is accessible yet doesn't validate, or a site design which validates yet is not accessible.  You should use 508 only as a starting point. Another challenge is that the legislative guidelines were developed before AJAX and RIA really took hold, and the standards bodies are only just beginning to catch up.  It may be some time before the legislation catches up with current practice.  But this shouldn't deter you from taking accessibility seriously.  Several countries besides the U.S. have regulations regarding web accessibility, and these regulations will only become crisper over time. And besides, when the carrots are so tasty, why get too close to the stick? http://channel9.msdn.com/Blogs/Joshua/Accessibility-Its-The-Law Fri, 12 Oct 2007 01:59:00 GMT http://channel9.msdn.com/Blogs/Joshua/Accessibility-Its-The-Law Joshua Allen Joshua Allen 0 http://channel9.msdn.com/Blogs/Joshua/Accessibility-Its-The-Law/RSS Accessibility Making Windows Vista and computing more accessible to everyone! Dr. Crounse and his guests discuss the surprising incidence of permanent and temporary disabilities and then demonstrate some of the accessibility tools available in Windows Vista. See how the Ease of Access Center can be used to customize a user’s experience to meet their needs and abilities; watch how the Narrator accessibility feature can be used to navigate applications; and learn about other features in Windows Vista designed for people with visual disabilities.

Additional Resources

General Accessibility Information at Microsoft

Accessibility and Windows Vista/Office 2007

Aging and Accessibility Technology

Accessibility Technology Video Case Studies

]]> http://channel9.msdn.com/Blogs/LauraFoy/Making-Windows-Vista-and-computing-more-accessible-to-everyone Dr. Crounse and his guests discuss the surprising incidence of permanent and temporary disabilities and then demonstrate some of the accessibility tools available in Windows Vista. See how the Ease of Access Center can be used to customize a user’s experience to meet their needs and abilities; watch how the Narrator accessibility feature can be used to navigate applications; and learn about other features in Windows Vista designed for people with visual disabilities. Additional Resources General Accessibility Information at Microsoft Accessibility and Windows Vista/Office 2007 Aging and Accessibility Technology Accessibility Technology Video Case Studies http://channel9.msdn.com/Blogs/LauraFoy/Making-Windows-Vista-and-computing-more-accessible-to-everyone Thu, 09 Nov 2006 22:58:00 GMT http://channel9.msdn.com/Blogs/LauraFoy/Making-Windows-Vista-and-computing-more-accessible-to-everyone Laura Foy Laura Foy 6 http://channel9.msdn.com/Blogs/LauraFoy/Making-Windows-Vista-and-computing-more-accessible-to-everyone/RSS Accessibility Microsoft Vista Windows Vista Seattle