IBM helps Firefox reach disabled

Iria · Aug 15, 2005, 07:55 PM

IBM will donate 50,000 lines of code to Mozilla's Firefox Web browser to make it friendly for people with visual and motor disabilities, the company announced on Monday.

The contribution would allow the addition of dynamic hypertext markup language accessibility technology to Firefox Version 1.5, the company said. With this technology, Web pages can be magnified, automatically narrated or navigated from a keyboard instead of from a mouse, IBM said. For instance, the amount of tabbing required to navigate a spreadsheet can be minimized for users with mobility disabilities.

In addition, developers can work on "rich Internet applications" tailored for the disabled or elderly. Such applications can run without requiring users to install additional programs on their PCs.

IBM has already helped integrate into Firefox support for Microsoft Active Accessibility, an industry standard for access technologies such as screen readers, which read software and content aloud.
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Aug 15, 2005, 07:55 PM	#1
Iria DriverHeaven Extreme Member Join Date: Apr 2004 Posts: 7,275 Rep Power: 87	IBM helps Firefox reach disabled IBM will donate 50,000 lines of code to Mozilla's Firefox Web browser to make it friendly for people with visual and motor disabilities, the company announced on Monday. The contribution would allow the addition of dynamic hypertext markup language accessibility technology to Firefox Version 1.5, the company said. With this technology, Web pages can be magnified, automatically narrated or navigated from a keyboard instead of from a mouse, IBM said. For instance, the amount of tabbing required to navigate a spreadsheet can be minimized for users with mobility disabilities. In addition, developers can work on "rich Internet applications" tailored for the disabled or elderly. Such applications can run without requiring users to install additional programs on their PCs. IBM has already helped integrate into Firefox support for Microsoft Active Accessibility, an industry standard for access technologies such as screen readers, which read software and content aloud. __________ Read More / Source: News.com