RE: GW Micro Announces Support for Java Applications

  • From: "Macarty, Jay {PBSG}" <Jay.Macarty@xxxxxxxx>
  • To: "programmingblind@xxxxxxxxxxxxx" <programmingblind@xxxxxxxxxxxxx>
  • Date: Mon, 16 Feb 2009 01:32:51 -0600

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


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