About

Accessibility-Library

Basically Rich Internet Applications and Accessibility have always been in contrast to each other. Because of deficient semantic description and problems with multiple dynamic changes in documents, Rich Internet Applications can not communicate correctly with assistive technologies like Screen Readers or alternative input devices. People with disabilities who depend on their assistive technologies are confronted with this issue and the resulting loss of information they cannot obtain—especially since Rich Internet Applications has become very popular through the Web 2.0.

The current working draft WAI-ARIA from the W3C describes how AJAX based Rich Internet Applications can be made accessible. It describes how web based documents can be enhanced through Roles, States and Properties and as a result of these additional values be interpreted by assistive technologies. Although WAI-ARIA is still a working draft and not yet standardized, many of its functions are already supported, because it directly addresses MSAA, the accessibility interface of the Windows Operating System. As a result of a number of tests and Best Practices, the Accessibility-Library access.see.be with selected features is provided.

Embedding Accessibility in Rich Internet Applications is of great importance for achieving the goal of Universal Design, the approach to design products that can be used by all people without the need for adaptation or specialization.

Why access.see.be?

The name access.see.be based on the wording of “accessible”. Each of its three constituents stands for significant elements of accessible Web Applications and are described in detail on the homepage.

Who´s developing?

access.see.be is developed by diamond dogs web consulting GmbH and part of the master thesis of Alexander Gewessler.

The project started in summer 2007 during an internship at diamond dogs web consulting GmbH in Vienna. After a first phase of research WAI-ARIA was identified as best solution to develop accessible Rich Internet Applications. The implementation of the Accessibility-Library access.see.be took place during the third term of the master study Digital Media at the University of Applied Sciences in Hagenberg, Austria.

In 2008 a master thesis about “Accessible Rich Internet Applications” was created during improving and enhancing the Accessibility-Library at diamond dogs.