There is a fundamental difference in the approach that the access bridge took to exposing the inner workings of java to a screen reader and that taken by WE4Java. Basically, the JAB Takes java objects and events and translates them to objects with handles which the screen reader can more easily obtain and understand. It doesn't reproduce the objects themselves (in other words, it doesn't take a swing button and try to reproduce it as a windows button); however, it exposes objects which the screen reader can get and evaluate. WE4Java, on the other hand, exposes no object handles to the outside world. All object and event monitoring is managed inside the java virtual machine and then WE4java utilizes the speech, Braille, dialog, and sound capabilities of the screen reader by calling those functions. WE4Java can pass along to the screen reader as much detailed information about the running java application as the screen reader wants to see. With the JAB, the screen reader is limited by what it can gather from the exposed objects. I am continuously working to deliver more and more data to the screen reader and let it decide what it wants to do with the info based on the user's verbosity settings and/or other preferences. Java sometimes gets a bad rap regarding accessibility but it isn't actually java itself. It is just that the screen reader can only know what it can know. WE4Java simply attempts to make that information available in a different manner. -----Original Message----- From: programmingblind-bounce@xxxxxxxxxxxxx [mailto:programmingblind-bounce@xxxxxxxxxxxxx] On Behalf Of Jared Wright Sent: Sunday, February 15, 2009 12:16 PM To: programmingblind@xxxxxxxxxxxxx Subject: Re: GW Micro Announces Support for Java Applications On 2/15/2009 10:27 AM, Chris Hofstader wrote: "JAWS has had Java supported for five or six years now." Really? I thought I paid attention, and I was under the impression that UI's made with the Swing library were cumbersome at absolute best and usually lessfor just about all screen reader users. Using WE4Java, I can say I'm having my most tranquil and pleasant experiences with commercial level Java software. As far as why it's not working with other screen readers, I haven't the knowledge to say. Perhaps Jay would enlighten us as to that potential. I'd be curious myself. Jared __________ View the list's information and change your settings at //www.freelists.org/list/programmingblind __________ View the list's information and change your settings at //www.freelists.org/list/programmingblind