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Re: Audio Eye

for

From: Tania
Date: Jun 28, 2010 6:00AM

i think audio eyes website have laryngitis or expect the blind to listen
with their eyes.

cheers
tania

----- Original Message -----
From: "Terrill Bennett" < <EMAIL REMOVED> >
To: < <EMAIL REMOVED> >
Sent: Sunday, June 27, 2010 9:09 PM
Subject: [WebAIM] Audio Eye


> Greetings,
>
> It's a red-letter day for those with disabilities! There's a new,
> patented technology available that "delivers an Internet service that
> converts and indexes Internet content and automates multi-format
> publishing so that everyone seeking Audio Eye enabled content can
> access Internet content."
>
> According to Audio Eye the new patented technology "effectively meets
> required criteria and standards of Section 508 legislation and needs
> of disabled, physically challenged, learning, hearing or visually
> impaired, low vision, dyslexic, autistic, elderly, even internet
> novices and mobile users."
>
> That just about covers everyone, doesn't it? Perfect!
>
> Now, for those who are truly visually impaired and rely on Assistive
> Technology (AT), please copy/paste the following link into your
> browser, SILENCE your screen reader or other AT software and put your
> mouse away, and go learn about the new, patented technology directly
> from Audio Eye:
>
> http://www.audioeye.com
>
> Wow! That was quite educational, wasn't it? Reminds me of an old
> Simon & Garfunkel song.
>
> I learned about this amazing technology from an article touting not
> only the new technology, but that Congressman Raul M. Grijalva (D -
> Arizona) has employed said technology on his official Congressional
> website. Here's the article:
>
> http://www.marketwatch.com/story/united-states-congressional-website-adopts-patented-audio-eye-accessibility-technology-2010-06-09?reflink=MW_news_stmp
> or: http://tinyurl.com/28wbfbl
>
> Let's all go look at Congressman Raul M. Grijalva's website using
> only the new technology. Again, make certain your screen reader/AT is
> OFF before enjoying the technology at work:
> http://grijalva.house.gov/
>
> My brief analysis is:
>
> 1. You must be able to see the screen in some fashion and be able to
> use a mouse or recognize that tabbing 7 times has placed focus onto
> the Audio Eye link in order to initialize the technology. Seems the
> site has turned off the dotted outlines on links that have focus in
> both IE8 and Firefox 3.6.6, so I was forced to watch the status bar
> in order to know when I was on the Audio Eye link - good luck!
>
> 2. If you wait long enough once the technology begins reading the
> "links" to content, you eventually get a list of available action
> keys. If it's your first use of the technology, you'll have no idea
> what to do in order to activate content, move about, adjust the
> volume, search, etc.
>
> 3. You'll need to memorize the keystrokes used to interact with the
> technology VERY quickly - there's no "repeat the help" key that I can
> hear. The only way I could hear the keystrokes a second time was to
> sit and wait for it to loop. Of course, you get to hear the list of
> content before the help, each time.
>
> 4. Meeting the requirements for being accessible doesn't mean the
> site IS accessible-friendly.
>
> In case you can't tell, I'm less than impressed. Am I daft, or is the
> Congressman wasting our tax dollars? Is this an example of "Meet the
> criteria, Fail the user." If this is an example of all that is
> required for a site to technically conform to the standards, then I
> fear conformance.
>
> Your thoughts?
>
> -- Terrill --
>