[gui-talk] Article: MS: Vista Most Accessible Windows Ever

[Steve Pattison]

This article is taken from the BetaNews home page at www.betanews.com.  -Steve.

MS: Vista Most Accessible Windows Ever

By Ed Oswald,
BetaNews
June 5, 2006, 3:02 PM

Windows Vista will be one of the most accessible operating systems 
that Microsoft
has ever released, the company said Monday. New features for those 
with disabilities
take into account three years of research by Microsoft, and is being 
led by Rob Sinclair.
Sinclair is the new director of Microsoft's Accessible Technology 
Group. "Developing
new ways to make technology easier for people to use has always been 
one of my passions,"
he says. "I've really been pursuing the same goals throughout my career."

There is good reason for Microsoft to focus heavily on accessibility. 
A commissioned
study by Forrester found that 57 percent of working-age computer 
users benefit from
such technology. These features are especially helpful for those with 
vision, hearing
and mobility problems.

Thus, Microsoft has focused its efforts to improve accessibility into 
three different
areas: an Ease of Access center to assist users in finding ways to 
make using their
computer easier; new technologies, such as better speech recognition 
and magnification;
and Microsoft UI Automation.

First, the Ease of Access Center is a redesigned version of the 
Accessibility control
panel option. Microsoft is moving away from the "disability" or 
"accessibility" terms,
as it found that users ignored the features since they didn't 
identify as disabled.

A wizard would walk users through the new features and help to select 
which ones
would be the most appropriate. "The task-based questions in the Ease 
of Access center
allow us to gather information about our customers' requirements and 
preferences
based on their daily experiences," Sinclair explained.

Second, new technologies within Vista will enhance accessibility 
options that were
also available in previous versions of Windows. Speech recognition 
has been improved
to allow for PC control by voice. The feature is designed to adapt 
over time, meaning
the software will learn a user's style and vocabulary.

Additionally, a new magnification layer has been added to the user 
interface that
would dramatically improve the quality of magnified imagery and text 
for those with
vision problems.

"Instead of stretching an image to enlarge it, which often creates 
jagged edges and
other distortions, magnifying an image in Windows Vista is more like 
changing a font
size," Sinclair said. "It is rendered at a larger size from the start."

Finally, a new testing model called Microsoft UI Automation would 
make it easier
for third parties to incorporate accessibility features into their 
software. Integrated
into the model are 18 different core behaviors that assist in making 
an application
more accessible.

Sinclair believes that the vision of a computer system that can adapt 
to the needs
of any user is no longer just a concept, but something that users 
will benefit from
upon the release of Vista.

"The field of accessibility is one of the most exciting places to 
work in the industry,"
he said. "At Microsoft, we have a huge opportunity to improve the way 
everyone interacts
with technology, and we have the vision, motivation and engineering 
power to make
it a reality."


Regards Steve
Email:  srp at internode.on.net
Skype:  steve1963
MSN Messenger:  internetuser383 at hotmail.com