Thread Subject: Re: Accessible utility keys

Note

This archival content is maintained by WebAIM and NCDAE on behalf of TEITAC and the U.S. Access Board . Additional details on the updates to section 508 and section 255 can be found at the Access Board web site.

From: David Poehlman
Date: Thu, Mar 01 2007 8:50 PM

NOT A TOTAL SOLUTION, BUT YOU CAN PUT LAPTOPS TO SLEEP AND WAKE THEM
VIA A NUMBER OF MECHANIISMS.

On Mar 1, 2007, at 10:39 PM, Gregg Vanderheiden wrote:

Interesting problem.

If we say "all function can be achieved from the keyboard" people
usually
only think about when the power is on.
But how do you turn the power on a laptop - on - without pushing the
power button. Keyboard emulators can't. powerstrips can't.

Anyone have any ideas?


Gregg
-- ------------------------------
Gregg C Vanderheiden Ph.D.



> -----Original Message-----
> From: = EMAIL ADDRESS REMOVED =
> [mailto: = EMAIL ADDRESS REMOVED = ] On Behalf Of
> Randy Marsden (Home)
> Sent: Thursday, March 01, 2007 1:44 PM
> To: TEITAC desktop/portable (hardware) subcommittee
> Subject: Re: [teitac-hardware] Accessible utility keys
>
> But what if you can't press a key on the keyboard...? That's
> my point. Sit on your hands and then imagine how you'd do
> it. I don't believe the USB port allows for an external
> keyboard emulator, for example, to do the same thing as the
> built-in keyboard. The old Apple ADB protocol allowed for
> power-on from an external device, but when it was replaced by
> USB, that feature went away. Unless I'm missing something...
> ------------------------------------------------
> Randy Marsden
> President & CEO, Madentec Limited
> ATIA Global Policy Chair
>
> 780-450-8926 ext. 223
> = EMAIL ADDRESS REMOVED =
>
>
>> From: David Poehlman < = EMAIL ADDRESS REMOVED = >
>> Reply-To: "TEITAC desktop/portable (hardware) subcommittee"
>> < = EMAIL ADDRESS REMOVED = >
>> Date: Thu, 1 Mar 2007 14:32:27 -0500
>> To: "TEITAC desktop/portable (hardware) subcommittee"
>> < = EMAIL ADDRESS REMOVED = >
>> Subject: Re: [teitac-hardware] Accessible utility keys
>>
>> Hi randy and all,
>>
>> Al of the examples you site can be accomplishable via the keyboard
>> even if the device is turned off. On and off for instancee
> can be a
>> key instead of a switch or small button. computers have had warm
>> reset for quite a while and often, this is all that is
> needed. Some
>> apple keyboards have a power button which turnss the system
> on as well
>> as off. Iin other words,, I agree with thee importance of
> this though
>> the design is less invasive than it might seem.
>>
>> On Mar 1, 2007, at 1:36 PM, Randy Marsden (Home) wrote:
>>
>> I wanted to open a discussion item that we haven¹t
> addressed yet, but
>> that is important to people with physical and mobility
> impairments.
>> It relates to the use of ³utility keys² on hardware
> things like the
>> on/off button, reset button, volume keys, display
> brightness keys, and
>> so on with a special emphasis on the Reset key and ON/Off keys.
>> These are controls that can¹t be accessed via software.
>>
>> On/Off Button: Many people with mobility impairments can¹t access
>> these keys, yet they become a critical part of the operation of the
>> device. AT can¹t really help in the traditional sense, because the
>> device may be hung (requiring reset) or simply turned off.
> In the old
>> days, when the On/ Off control was a toggle switch, special
> AT devices
>> were developed that turned on and off the AC power to the computer
>> (like a power bar), thus effectively turning the computer
> on and off.
>> But now, with laptops and the momentary On/Off key, these solutions
>> are no longer effective. Some AT manufacturers have gone to the
>> extent of kludging solenoid actuators over the On/ Off key and
>> provided alternative access to that. But it is far from ideal.
>>
>> Reset Key: these are becoming more and more prevalent (and
>> necessary) on
>> portable devices, such as PDA¹s and Smartphones. It¹s a reality of
>> many of these devices that sooner or later it will lock up
> and you¹ll
>> need to press the reset button. These are usually recessed and
>> require actuation by a stylus, paper-clip, or something
> else small. I
>> believe most manufacturers view this as a necessary evil (or they
>> wouldn¹t put a user-controlled reset switch there in the
> first place).
>> You know, ³if all else fails, press the reset button². I
> know I have
>> to press the one on my smartphone at least 2 or 3 times a
> week. But
>> how do people with mobility impairments do this?
>> Many can¹t.
>>
>> These are not simple problems to solve. One suggestion is that if
>> there is an expansion connector or slot provided on an IT
> device, that
>> extra pins be assigned to perform the same function as the
> On/Off and
>> Reset buttons. In this way, AT can connect to the device via the
>> expansion connector and provide alternative ways of ³pressing² the
>> keys. Since most ports now are industry standard (USB, PC
> Card, etc),
>> we may be talking about making recommendations to those standards
>> groups (outside of the TEITAC¹s mandate, I know, but could
> possibly be
>> included as non-normative comments).
>> In any
>> case, I think it should be added as a ³should² item in 508.
> (I know
>> it can¹t be a ³shall² item right now, since most existing
> IT products
>> don¹t presently have this capability).
>>
>>
>> -Randy
>> ------------------------------------------------
>> Randy Marsden
>> President & CEO, Madentec Limited
>> ATIA Global Policy Chair
>>
>> 780-450-8926 ext. 223
>> = EMAIL ADDRESS REMOVED =
>>
>>
>>

WebAIM is an initiative of:
Center for Persons with Disabilities (CPD) Utah State University