Breaking Down Barriers with GNOME 2.0
Paving the Way to a New Generation of Accessible Desktop Solutions
Written by Leila Chucri
Accessibility solutions help people with disabilities to effectively use a desktop computer. This is accomplished by combining applications and assistive technologies which are specifically designed to meet the needs of users with disabilities. For example, to empower a visually-impaired office worker to get her job done effectively, an accessible productivity application working in concert with both a screen reader and voice technologies would be a requirement.
The growing popularity of the GNOME desktop is driving the need for accessible desktop software for UNIX and Linux platforms, allowing organizations to provide functional solutions for their employees with disabilities. In addition, the U.S. federal government and its agencies now require that its suppliers provide accessible products, as per Section 508 of the U.S. Federal Rehabilitation Act.
A Ripe Market for Accessible Products
Millions of people worldwide - employed across all industries - have visual, physical, or hearing disabilities that prevent them from gaining the full benefit of computer technology. GNOME 2.0 will help you reach these users by providing the infrastructure you need to quickly build innovative solutions for them. Not only will the accessible software you create enable a quality computing experience for a user with disabilities, it will enrich your entire customer base and also the GNOME community. Now is the time to learn how you can grow your business by making your products accessible using the GNOME Accessibility Framework.
Accessible Products Benefit Everyone
Accessible products often lead to innovative solutions that benefit all users, not just users with disabilities. For example, curb cuts were originally added to allow people in wheelchairs to access streets and sidewalks safely. However, this public accommodation resulted in easier access and mobility for all people. Similarly, creating an accessible application that leverages voice commands for the benefit of the motor impaired also provides a hands-free environment useful to everyone. In other words, adding support for accessibility can be a catalyst for driving product innovation and delivering more appealing products to a general audience.
GNOME Accessibility Framework Gives You What You Need
The GNOME project is driving advanced accessibility support on modern UNIX platforms such as the Solaris Operating Environment and GNU/Linux. By providing breakthrough technologies that are very easy to use, you can quickly integrate support for accessibility in your applications or assistive technology products without major architectural changes.
The Accessibility Framework integrated into the GNOME architecture delivers several key benefits:
Simple - built-in framework means no major architectural changes required
Cross-platform - assistive technologies can run on any GNOME-enabled platform
Uniform - one standard API across all interface components
Innovative - an extensible system-wide architecture
Sun Microsystems is leading the way in providing accessibility support in GNOME, leveraging much of the expertise developed for the Java accessibility project in the past few years. From this expertise has emerged a solid foundation for allowing developers to write accessible applications from the ground up using the major components of the Accessibility Framework:
An Accessibility Toolkit Application Programming Interface (ATK API) and associated implementation library integrated with the GTK+ 2.0 user interface toolkit that provides built-in accessibility support, enabling developers using GTK+ widgets to quickly build accessible applications.
An Assistive Technology Service Provider Interface (AT SPI) for developers to interface technologies such as voice command, text-to-speech, screen readers, and screen magnifiers with GNOME accessible applications on any UNIX, Linux, or other GNOME-enabled platform.
Get Started With GNOME Accessibility Today
Creating next generation accessible products will make your software highly competitive and benefit so many. Partner with GNOME to tap into new markets that will help grow your business and pave the way to success.
Be one of the first developers to learn what the GNOME Accessibility Framework is all about by downloading code and starting to develop right away. Soon you will be able to create innovative applications and products that leverage assistive technologies for the benefit of all users, not just those with disabilities.
For more detailed information on how to begin developing GNOME accessible applications, please see http://developer.gnome.org/projects/gap where you will find more information on accessibility, assistive technologies, download links, and technical information for the GNOME Accessibility Project.