Fwd: Info from IBM on Self Voicing Kit for Java

["Karl-Heinz Weirich" <khwei_bEi_ibm.net>]

Hier eine Nachricht, die ich ueber die Dev-Access Mailingliste erhielt.
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>From the web page http://www.austin.ibm.com/sns/svkalphapress.htm 

                    SVK alphaWorks media alert

Java speaks with IBM's Self Voicing Kit

IBM released the Self Voicing Kit (SVK) via its alphaWorks Web
site, which will enable developers to make Java applications
accessible to millions of people who have disabilities. The SVK
allows developers to add, expand or customize a range of
accessibility features to applications, including an audio user
interface that speaks aloud the information in the Java
application. Information about the SVK is also available from
the text-only SVK site.

Traditionally, when new computer technology sweeps the
workplace, workers who have disabilities are left behind until
product developers can catch up and build adaptive solutions.
For example, when computers first evolved from text to graphics
it took half a decade before the technology to read those
graphics became available to blind and vision-impaired workers.

In today's technology-driven society, developers using the Self
Voicing Kit could close the gap and enable people who have
disabilities to more successfully compete for jobs. SVK provides
the tools to take advantage of the accessibility features
inherent in the Java standard. Unlike other languages, Java
applications developed with Swing and JDK 1.1.x already have
built-in support for the Java Accessibility APIs (co-developed
by IBM and Sun), and can be easily modified with the Self
Voicing Kit to create working solutions for the disabled. All
Java 2-built applications will also support this feature.

"Java is an important component for e-business, and we are
beginning to see its usefulness in other areas," said Richard
Schwerdtfeger, lead architect for IBM Special Needs Systems. "In
this case, Java is proving to be the ideal platform for
overcoming the accessibility hurdle. The SVK was designed to
motivate software developers to create more accessible Java
applications."

The Self Voicing Kit, powered by IBM Access Engine technology,
allows developers to add an audio user interface to any Java
application. Launched in the background, the Access Engine
communicates directly with accessible components of a Java
application. Perks, program files written in Java, tell the
Access Engine what to do when specific events occur , such as
focus changes, selection, or receiving input from an input
device. The Access Engine supports stacking of Perks so that the
user-interface can be expanded or customized. In addition, the
SVK provides a compelling way to test and analyze applications
for accessibility; developers can use it to hear how it will
actually work for blind users.

The Self Voicing Kit was created by researchers at IBM's Special
Needs Systems group, whose goal is to pioneer accessibility
solutions for people who have disabilities. The SVK is available
for free download on the alphaWorks Web site
(www.alphaWorks.ibm.com). Through alphaWorks discussion forum,
IBM will gather valuable developer feedback, which will be used
to hone the Self Voicing Kit as well as gauge market interest
and opportunities.

The alphaWorks unit is responsible for identifying and speeding
emerging IBM Internet and Java-based technologies to market.

Media professional can obtain additional information on the Self
Voicing Kit (text-only SVK site) or alphaWorks (text-only
alphaWorks site) by contacting:

  IBM Press Relations
    Marisa Shumway
    (415) 545-2638
    mshumway_bEi_us.ibm.com

  TSI for IBM
    David Kim
    (212) 320-2342
    dkim_bEi_tsipr.com


                    (c)1998 IBM Corporation

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From the web
page
http://www.alphaWorks.ibm.com/formula.nsf/textformula/38a26f2478e52fe888
256700007c1436

SELF VOICING KIT by Rich Schwerdtfeger, Frances C. Brown, and
Larry Weiss
The IBM Self Voicing Kit (SVK) enables automatic speaking of
Java applications.
Posted on:  22 January 1999
Updated on:  27 January 1999
Platform(s):  Windows 95, Windows NT, Windows 98, Java
Category:  Application Development, Java

Update: New update for Self Voicing Kit that offers WIN32
version installation for Java 2 users.

The IBM Self Voicing Kit (SVK) enables automatic speaking of
Java applications. The SVK features the IBM Access Engine, a new
technology that exploits the accessibility features of a Java
application. Launched in the background, the Access Engine
communicates directly with accessible components in the Java
application. Program files, called Perks, tell the Access Engine
what to do when specific events occur, such as focus changes,
selection, or receiving input from an input device. The Access
Engine supports stacking of Perks so that the user interface can
be expanded or customized for a particular application. Perks,
written in Java, communicate with the Access Engine through
toolkit methods. Currently, the Access Engine supports screen
reading functions to provide accessibility for blind users. In
the future, it can be expanded to provide support for other
types of assistive technology.

The SVK is an implementation, using the Access Engine, that
automatically speaks your accessible Java application. The SVK
is designed to motivate software developers to create accessible
Java applications. It lets you quickly add an interface that
speaks, which provides blind users access to your software. It
also provides a tool to test your application for accessibility.
The easiest way to build an accessible Java application is to
use Swing 1.1 and follow IBM's guidelines for making Java
applications accessible. See
http://www.austin.ibm.com/sns/accessjava.html

Perks included with the SVK tell the Access Engine how to speak
a Java application as the user navigates through the application
components. The default Perk receives input from a standard
keyboard.

The SVK also includes a Perk that responds to input from IBM's
Screen Reader Keypad, if detected. This Perk defines keypad
commands for blind accessibility features such as, reading text,
searching for text, and reading font attributes anywhere in the
visible portion of your Java application.

To further customize the audio interface for an application, you
can modify the existing SVK Perks or create your own custom
Perk, and dynamically add it to the existing user interface.

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Self Voicing Kit Requirements

Platform  |
  * Pentium 150 MHz with MMX or equivalent
  * 32 MB RAM on Windows 95/98; 64 MB RAM on Windows NT
  * 20 MB Disk space to install all components
  * 16-bit Microsoft Windows compatible sound card

Java tool(s)  |
  * JDK 1.1.7 and Swing 1.1 (included) or Java 2
  * IBM Java Speech API, version 1.0 (included)
  * Java Comm API (included)
  * Java Access Utilities (included)

    Other Software  | IBM ViaVoice Outloud included

Installation Procedures

    * Download and unzip svk01-19-99J11.zip or svk01-26-99J2.zip
      for JDK 1.2 (Java 2).

    * Read the readme.txt file.

    * Type java install in the directory into which you unzipped
      the downloaded file.

[ email us ]



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Rich Schwerdtfeger, Frances C. Brown, and Larry Weiss
(IBM Special Needs Systems in Austin, TX)

Rich Schwerdtfeger  is the lead architect for IBM Special Needs
Systems in Austin, TX. Rich is the technical lead on Java
accessibility development at IBM including the Sun/IBM
accessibility collaboration, Self Voicing Kit Development, and
JavaOS accessibility. Rich is also involved with the W3C Web
Accessibility Initiative Protocols and Formats group.

Rich started at IBM at the T.J. Watson Research Center where he
co-developed Screen Reader/2 for the blind. Rich co-authored
"Secrets of the OS/2 Warp Masters" and published a number of
magazine articles including "Making the GUI Talk" for Byte
magazine. Rich has a B.S.E degree from the University of
Connecticut.

When he's not driving accessibility technology in and outside
IBM, he SCUBA dives around the world and coaches competitive
baseball for kids in central Texas.


Frances C. Brown is a development programmer in the IBM Special
Needs System group located in Austin, Texas, She is currently
working on the "Self Voicing Kit" for JFC/Swing applications.
Fran joined IBM in 1973 in Poughkeepsie, New York where she
spent many years working on various programming projects related
to engineering support for large systems, such as the OS/390.
One such project was a display and querying system (named
SOFTCOPY) used worldwide to access volumes of diagnostic data in
support of large system problems. Before moving to Austin, Fran
worked on Workplace* OS at IBM Boca Raton, Florida. Fran has a
BS in Math Education from Indiana University of Pennsylvania and
a MS in computer science from Cornell University.


Larry Weiss has been helping people use Personal Computers
longer than IBM has been selling them. Since joining the Special
Needs Systems organization in 1988, he has been working as a
software engineer to help people with disabilities use
computers. He has contributed to the following IBM Independence
Series products: Screen Reader, VoiceType, THINKable,
SpeechViewer, Screen Reader/2, Screen Magnifier/2, and Home Page
Reader.

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MfG / Regards,
Karl-Heinz Weirich (DG9AG)