RE: [libreoffice-accessibility] Re: [libreoffice-marketing] Re: Funding Priorities List update and need help

Tom, and other Accessibility advocates...

Thanks, but I view my personal role as QA and have really only had to focus on the Windows & Java 
Accessibility Bridge side because of the exceptional QA and development work being done by Roman 
Eisele with the OSX Apple Accessibility API, and by Joanmarie Diggs on the Linux A11y AT-SPI & ATK 
support delivered via Gnome ORCA. 

In truth changes are needed with the underlying UNO Accessibility API (a derivative of an old Java 
design) to incorporate ongoing work of the A11y group, Microsoft, Apple and Google and to ensure 
that LibreOffice assistive technologies span all the development platforms with a consistent API 
that integrates with all LibreOffice components and implements accessibility roles needed by a 
broader range of AT.

This might be handled by a "Community Development" person, but the scope of a reengineering of the 
the underlying UNO Accessibility API suggests this will need the administrative resources of a full 
committee of developers and AT interface designers overseen by the TDF board.  

The TDF board can't raise enough funds to pay to have this done, so the challenge is making the 
case that the future of accessibility support for LibreOffice does not lay with the status quo, 
that waiting for IAccessibile2 from the IBM Symphony contribution is only a Band-Aid, and that a 
substantive redesign of the internal API implementing more AT roles while accommodating a wider 
range of external interfaces better positions all LibreOffice products as fully accessible.

If the TDF is going to spend any money. Suggest pay to prepare statement of preliminary 
requirements and AT design goals describing what currently exists, while identifying what roles and 
functions are missing from the core UNO Accessibility API for full support of the external 
accessibility APIs.  That would be money well spent on AT and give the developers and GUI designers 
a solid starting point.

Stuart

_______________________________________
From: Tom Davies [tomdavies04@yahoo.co.uk]
Sent: Wednesday, January 30, 2013 7:05 AM
To: Marc Paré; accessibility@global.libreoffice.org
Subject: Re: [libreoffice-accessibility] Re: [libreoffice-marketing] Re:        Funding Priorities 
List update and need help

Hi :)
This is exactly why i think the Accessibility Team really needs a "Community Development" person to 
be employed either directly by TDF or by one of the supporter organisations and then loaned to TDF. 
 Part-time, even just 2 days a week would be a huge boost.

We need more people in this team and need them to be more active.  At the moment it feels like it's 
only due to Stuart that anyone is doing anything and most of that work seems to be being done 
directly by him.  I think that if the post was created then it would be good to give Stuart an 
interview for the position.
Regards from
Tom :)





> ________________________________
> From: Marc Paré <marc@marcpare.com>
> To: accessibility@global.libreoffice.org
> Sent: Saturday, 19 January 2013, 3:57
> Subject: [libreoffice-accessibility] Re: [libreoffice-marketing] Re: Funding Priorities List 
> update and need help
>
> Hi Tom,
>
> Le 2013-01-17 05:46, Tom Davies a écrit :
> > Hi :)
> > I wondered if anyone here is interested in putting forwards ideas for where money should be 
> > targeted to improve accessibility.  No-one on this list backed my ideas so i couldn't put them 
> > forwards.  Is everyone happy with accessibility in LibreOffice?  Is it all working perfectly all 
> > the time?
> >
> > Regards from
> > Tom :)
>
> Be aware that Florian has stated that a funding suggestion needs to be backed by someone who will 
> assume leadership/responsibility for any request from start to end. IMO, there should also be a 
> clear accessibility team, which could just be 2-3 people who make it a point to advance 
> accessibility issues.
>
> For example, you could have accessibility bugs sent to this list and help QA with bug quashing -- 
> some of this is easy to do such as "confirming" that the bugs do happen on other people's boxes 
> and OS's OR helping test out possible fixes to the bugs etc. We do this with the Website list and 
> it has been quite the success.
>
> Sometimes when people see positive movement in a group it will inspire others to follow and to 
> help out.
>
> As you know accessibility is quite important in getting LibreOffice accepted in large 
> institutional settings (educational/governments etc.). I am sure that the TDF would be interested 
> in getting proposals from the accessibility team and helping out.
>
> Cheers,
>
> Marc
>
>
> -- Marc Paré
> Marc@MarcPare.com
> http://www.parEntreprise.com
> parEntreprise.com Supports OpenDocument Formats (ODF)
> parEntreprise.com Supports http://www.LibreOffice.org




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