Darrell,
Thanks for this note of moderation. My commentary earlier was
on the
policy issue of software components developed by third party
vendors or
contractors rather than about Applian itself.
I appreciate what petro and Applian have done over the years.
The
increased accessibility led me to purchase the replay products
last year.
with the new technology introduced in Freecorder, it is now
possible to
record audio streams coming from the sound card without also
recording
software speech synthesis at the same time. This is a
breakthrough in
online recording for blind users. We can record anything
without needing
to install specialized drivers that often don't work well with
speech
synthesis and use the computer without screen access audio
getting onto the
recording.
In the big picture, the button issue likely will be resolved
in the
upcoming months as Applian has done for other access issues in
the past few
years. The technology will likely be incorporated into other
programs,
such as Replay A/V and Media Catcher. these programs can be
operated in a
menu-driven approach, which is highly compatible with our
needs. When all
of this becomes available in the upcoming months, we will have
significant
benefits from this technology than what we have today.
technology that at
the present time cannot be matched by the nearest competing
product to
replay: totalRecorder.
After the jeers of yesterday, three big cheers to bill and the
Applian crew
for this innovative technology.
Kelly
----- Original Message -----
From: "Darrell Shandrow" <nu7i@xxxxxxxxxxxxx>
To: <blindreplay@xxxxxxxxxxxxx>
Sent: Thursday, August 23, 2007 9:09 AM
Subject: [blindreplay] Re: Freecorder 2 & Freecorder Toolbar
Scripts Wanted
> Hello Petro,
>
> As a staunch accessibility advocate, I nevertheless continue
to support
> your
> efforts and those of Applian to be as accessible as
possible. I do hope
> Applian has brought up the access issues with Conduit in
hopes of making
> things better in the future. Let's not throw the proverbial
baby out
> with
> the bathwater, everyone... :-)
>
>
>
> Please visit http://BlindWebAccess.com and sign the petition
asking
> Yahoo!
> to make their CAPTCHA accessible!
> Darrell Shandrow - Accessibility Evangelist
> Information should be accessible to us without need of
translation by
> another person.
> Blind Access Journal blog and podcast:
http://www.blindaccessjournal.com
> Check out high quality telecommunications services at
http://ld.net/?nu7i
> ----- Original Message -----
> From: <petrakigianos-giasou@xxxxxxxxx>
> To: <blindreplay@xxxxxxxxxxxxx>
> Sent: Thursday, August 23, 2007 5:05 AM
> Subject: [blindreplay] Re: Freecorder 2 & Freecorder Toolbar
Scripts
> Wanted
>
>
> Hi
> Do not give me a lecture or speech on this. I know what is
going
> on with Blind issues and software accessibility. You guys
get up
> and write to Conduit Corp and tell them you want the
software to
> be more accessible for the blind. It's up to you all to put
your
> energy into all this. I have done my part all I can and if
you
> do not believe me ask Applian Technologies.
>
> In the press releases I sent to the blind replay list there
was
> information on how to contact the Conduit company.
>
> It's time you and others do some educating other software
> companies on making their software accessible. Applian is a
very
> small company from what I know here and they have tried
their
> very best when it comes to accessibility. Try getting
someone at
> Freedom Scientific and GW Micro to help small companies like
> Applian Technologies to learn to make their software
accessible.
>
>
> Sorry but I have an opinion here too.
>
> Petro
>
> --- Kelly Pierce <kellytalk@xxxxxxxxx> wrote:
>
>> Petro,
>>
>> You seem to be highly comfortable with the response that
>> Applian uses
>> third-party contractors for various components of its
software
>> business and
>> therefore has no responsibility to its customers for the
>> performance of
>> these components, which in our case is the accessibility of
>> Applian
>> software. In the past decade and a half, the blind
community
>> and
>> disability community as a whole have totally and completely
>> rejected this
>> buck passing. First the major software companies,
including
>> Microsoft,
>> Real Networks, and Adobe have been expected from the get go
to
>> provide full
>> access to their software, regardless of how it was
developed.
>>
>> next, folks engaged the country's largest financial
>> institutions to create
>> access to banking services. The banks worked with vendors,
>> contractors and
>> service providers to deliver talking ATM's for the blind
and
>> accessible
>> websites. These efforts led to the first legally binding
>> settlement
>> agreements that committed to web accessibility for people
with
>>
>> disabilities.
>>
>>
>> The bank projects were followed by initiatives on cell
phone
>> accessibility.
>> the issue was that the wireless service providers passed
the
>> buck to the
>> handset manufacturers. yet, the manufacturing companies
said
>> that they
>> designed phones with significant input from the providers
who
>> would largely
>> market and sell the phones. The arrangement was hardly
that
>> of an
>> impartial, arms-length party just purchasing goods in the
>> marketplace,
>> passing the hot potato of access back to the wireless
>> providers.
>>
>> The efforts led to a 2004 agreement by Audio and Verizon
>> Communications to
>> design, manufacture, market and sell a cell phone
accessible
>> to the blind
>> with audio-enabled controls.
>>
>> similarly, people with disabilities expected accessibility
of
>> voting
>> machines in the United States during the last election
cycle
>> during the
>> 2006 elections. Software and control devices for some
>> machines were
>> developed or designed at some of the voting machine
companies
>> by foreign
>> subsidiaries or third party vendors. Local election
officials
>> facilitated
>> relationships with the various parties to obtain and
>> significantly improve
>> access, allowing voters with certain kinds of disabilities
to
>> vote
>> independently for the first time.
>>
>> I realize that the large companies often have complex and
>> many-layered
>> relationships with their vendors and contractors. A vendor
>> may develop or
>> provide access to a product or service to prevent the
>> institution from
>> developing a relationship with another vendor who can
provide
>> access and
>> possibly a whole lot more. The large companies can
leverage
>> these
>> relationships to obtain consideration from vendors that
>> smaller companies
>> can't.
>>
>> all of this being said, it is highly disappointing that we
>> seem to accept
>> wholesale Applian's response regarding access issues with
>> their products.
>> They don't explain why access issues could not have been
>> written into the
>> contracts or agreements they have with their vendors. It
is
>> not clear if
>> the company raised these issues in a meaningful manner
early
>> on in the
>> relationship with the third party vendor or if it was an
>> afterthought once
>> the work was completed.
>>
>> In various areas of technology access for more than a
decade,
>> people with
>> disabilities have worked with companies to achieve greater
>> independence in
>> their lives through technology. the third-party contractor
>> argument has
>> not been accepted by disability leaders who have worked on
>> access in
>> various sectors in the technology industry. In a similar
way
>> it has also
>> been rejected by the mainstream as well. Wednesday's Wall
>> Street Journal
>> ran a lengthy page one investigation of how the largest
>> retailers and
>> apparel makers in the United States are responsible for
>> incredible
>> pollution in China for demanding ever lower prices, leading
>> contractors to
>> pollute the environment to save money. there was no
>> suggestion that gap,
>> Target, Nike, and the like had no responsibility because
they
>> used a third
>> party vendor.
>>
>> Applian's shoulder shrugging and subsequent finger pointing
to
>> a
>> third-party vender isn't a constructive response to
developing
>> accessible
>> solutions. it is unclear why the company cannot
incorporate
>> accessible
>> design into their relationships with these vendors or if
they
>> have even
>> asked about it at the start of their relationship. I don't
>> believe at this
>> time why our expectations for access should be relaxed at
this
>> time when
>> other organizations have been able to develop systems and
>> approaches around
>> these same issues. the end result has been access that we
all
>> now use and
>> enjoy.
>>
>> Kelly
>>
>>
>>
>>
>>
>> ----- Original Message -----
>> From: <petrakigianos-giasou@xxxxxxxxx>
>> To: <pc-audio@xxxxxxxxxxxx>
>> Cc: <blindreplay@xxxxxxxxxxxxx>;
<blind-vista@xxxxxxxxxxxxx>
>> Sent: Wednesday, August 22, 2007 12:28 PM
>> Subject: [blindreplay] Freecorder 2 & Freecorder Toolbar
>> Scripts Wanted
>>
>>
>> > Hi Brian & All
>> > I want Jaws scripts for both Freecorder 2 which does
record
>> > Skype calls but as you already know Brian this program
needs
>> > scripts for the product key and some other minor issues
I've
>> > already told you privately.
>> >
>> > As for Freecorder Toolbar 3 program it would be great to
>> have
>> > Jaws scripts for this program too. Scripts for the
toolbar
>> > buttons. Today I noticed something new in my toolbar
called
>> the
>> > Digg It! button. I have written to Applian to make sure
>> about
>> > this new Digg It! button appearance within the toolbar.
>> >
>> > This toolbar is made by Conduit and not by Applian. It's
an
>> > Israeli company.
>> >
>> > I think the reason I am seeing this new Digg It! is
during
>> the
>> > Freecorder Toolbar 3 installation on the Conduit screen I
>> left
>> > the checkbox enabled to allow for automatic updates
checked.
>> Not
>> > sure as I am asking Applian.
>> >
>> > I am just a user of Applian Technologies products and
check
>> for
>> > accessibility. If the software is made by Applian they
can
>> > sometimes fix the issue but if it's from a 3rd party that
>> > usually is difficult. Remember the YouSendIt plug in
issue.
>> The
>> > developers from YSI wrote to me 2 times and I never heard
>> from
>> > them again.
>> >
>> > Thank you very much.
>> > Petro
>> > --
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