Thread Subject: Re: "closed software"

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From: Jim Tobias
Date: Fri, Feb 23 2007 8:25 AM

Jonathan Avila wrote:
"What I'm trying to articulate is that the current hardware standards are
insufficient for this type of kiosk that uses a standard OS such as XP. For
example, the current standard 1194.25(h) only requires that a range of
color/contrast settings be available if the color settings can be changed.
Since the program is running on XP the colors can be changed in the OS and
thus I think the kiosk application should honor those settings."

This is interesting. I think you're saying that if a "closed" product has
an underlying OS that has
accessibility features, those features should be exposed in the product's
interface. I'm not
opposed to incorporating that idea, but it might require us to list or
otherwise identify what
those features are, something that the current 508 rule slides by by
referring to "features ... that
are identified as accessibility features, where those features are developed
and documented according
to industry standards". (As an aside, we recently evaluated a consumer
electronics product whose
documentation includes a GPL licensing statement for Linux. It's unclear
what part of Linux actually
is embedded in the product, but perhaps Linux accessibility features might
be available.)

A related step would be to require those "accessibility features" in all
OS-related purchases
covered by 508. As it stands, a vendor *could* market an OS with no
accessibility features, seriously
complicating 508 application software compliance.


***
Jim Tobias
Inclusive Technologies
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+1.908.907.2387 mobile
skype jimtobias

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