[libreoffice-users] Reality Check - Windows Java Accessibility API non-functional for ALL LibreOffice 3.6.x releases to date

LibreOffice versions 3.6.0 and later have not correctly implemented the Java Access Bridge (JAB) 
modules used to expose the Java Accessibility API roles for Windows users.
 
It took me a little while to work out the testing methods, but the Oracle test utilities 
JavaFerret-32 and JavaMonkey-32 show that LibreOffice is not implementing the Java Accessibility 
API and therefore does not expose accessibility roles to Assistive Technologies.
 
Neither JAB v.2.0.2 or v 2.0.3, nor current JRE version 1.6u35 or 1.7u7 will make a difference.
 
I tested LibreOffice builds 3.6.0.4, 3.6.1.2, 3.6.2.2, and 3.6.3.1 none of which are functional.
 
In addition today I completed testing of ALL builds of LibreOffice from 3.4.5 to 3.5.7rc2.  With 
exception of the 3.5.0 build they all correctly map Java Accessibility API roles to UNO 
Accessibility roles. 
 
The Java Accessibility API is not as comprehensive as the IAccessible2 role mappings provided by 
IBM Lotus Symphony 3.0.1, but it is functional for the 3.4 and 3.5 releases of LibreOffice.  And, 
for these versions Windows  Assistive Technologies will work. For example, the Windows NVDA screen 
reader will function with cursor control and component announcements for the entire document tree.
 
Windows versions of LibreOffice 3.6, including the current build 3.6.3 rc1, are NOT USEABLE with 
Assistive Technologies and they have not been usable with Windows Assistive Technologies at any 
point.
 
For folks that I've mislead with my insistence that all is well with LibreOffice 3.6 and Java 
Access Bridge and JRE with use of Assistive Technologies like NVDA screen reader I was wrong--I 
apologize.
I've updated the FDO#53474 (http:  bug report https://bugs.freedesktop.org/show_bug.cgi?id=53474 ) 
and would encourage folks to vote, i.e. comment on, the enhancement to implement IAccessible2 API  
( http://wiki.documentfoundation.org/Vote_for_Enhancement ) for Windows builds by incorporating the 
IBM contributed Symphony code base as a replacement of the Java Accessibility API as that is 
probably the fastest means of bringing Windows builds of LibreOffice to the same functional level 
as Linux builds that use the ATK AT-SPI accessibility APIs.
 
Stuart

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