Accessibility Solutions Technical FAQ

There are several core features in the Solaris platform that support the needs of people with visual and mobility impairments.

• Sun's current desktop (CDE) supports people with mobility limitations with a complete set of options for control of the mouse and keyboard (via AccessX).
• Users with visual and hearing impairments also have basic control of system functions. Users with low vision can use the dtstyle application to increase font size or change colors on the CDE desktop to make text easier to read.
• For the hearing impaired, new platform support has been added in Solaris 9 for users to configure system tones with variable pitch duration and loudness.
• To the extent that a CDE/Motif application has a corresponding command-line interface (CLI), assistive technologies (such as screen readers for blind users) can be used to access all textual-based content of the command line interface and provide voice output to the visually impaired. A screen reader (such as Emacspeak) can access all textual based content of the command-line interface through a common terminal window (such as that provided by the Emacs editor). The screen reader then sends this content to a Text-to-Speech (TTS) application which converts the text content to voice output via the computer's speaker system. Solaris provides the FreeTTS application for this purpose.

There are a number of open source assistive technologies which are available including:

Emacspeak, a popular, open source screen reader that allows visually impaired users to independently and efficiently interact with the computer. Since the application itself was designed by a blind engineer, its interface was designed with special insight into the requirements of the visually impaired. Emacspeak gives blind and low vision users a way to get voice output from some of the desktop and development applications on top of Solaris. Working in conjunction with the Emacs display editor, Emacspeak provides spoken access to more than 100 applications, including a text editor, mail client, news reader, word processor, and integrated development environment. Emacs version 20.7 is also shipped with the Solaris Operating System. For more information on Emacspeak applications, visit: emacspeak.sourceforge.net/applications.html

Emacs/W3 Browser is an Internet browser which, when used in conjunction with Emacspeak, gives users access to the Internet through audio output. Users can browse the Web from within Emacs by using Emacs/W3.

The UnWindows toolset allows low-vision users to selectively magnify areas of the screen so that the contents can be seen comfortably. It also provides aural and visual cues allowing the position of the cursor to be more easily tracked.

FreeTTS is an open source speech synthesizer application written entirely in the Java programming language. This high-performance software, written by the development engineers in SunLabs, converts text to speech from any source (including a screen reader such as Emacspeak) into spoken text, giving voice output to any accessible application through the computer's speaker system. FreeTTS includes a server for Emacspeak to make interaction with the Emacs editor easier.

Sun's technology already enables the use of important applications within the government. For example, blind analysts in the NSA use internally-developed Java applications running on the Solaris platform, and the Department of Education and other agencies use Momentum Financial applications, also written in the Java language. Sun's work on the Java platform is cited as an example of Best Practices, winning the 2001 Access Award from the American Foundation for the Blind.

Sun plans to incorporate accessibility throughout the application stack within the Solaris Operating System, including:

• Incorporating GNOME 2.0 as the next desktop for the Solaris OS, thus delivering built-in accessibility solutions. GNOME 2.0 for the Solaris OS will include accessible desktop applications and assistive technology that meets the needs of users with disabilities.
• Providing an accessible Web browser and office productivity suite.
• Enabling the system management software stack (Sun Lustre Storage System, Solaris Resource Manager, Sun Management Center, etc.) for accessibility. Many of Sun's system management applications are written with Java Foundation Classes Swing components and are thus already enabled for accessible use on an accessible desktop (such as GNOME 2.0 for the Solaris OS).

GNOME 2.0 for the Solaris Operating System delivers a compelling network-based desktop user environment that is easy to use and is interoperable across multiple UNIX

The GNOME 2.0 platform, in addition to supporting third-party assistive technologies, includes solutions designed to assist users with disabilities. These include an on-screen keyboard to aid people who have difficulty with the keyboard or mouse, and a screen-reading package to assist users who are blind or visually impaired.

The GNOME Onscreen Keyboard (GOK) provides users with physical impairments a wide variety of ways to enter text and manipulate the graphical user interface of applications and the GNOME desktop. This onscreen keyboard goes beyond the standard physical keyboard. It supports word prediction, scanning access, coded access, and customizable keyboard layouts. Dynamic keyboard functionality conveniently places menu bar options and other application elements onto the keyboard display for direct manipulation.

The Gnopernicus Screen Reader is a screen-access package to assist persons who are blind or who have low vision. Gnopernicus combines the functions of a screen reader and a screen magnifier in one solution. The reader is compatible with the GNOME 2.0 desktop and any application that uses a toolkit implementing the GNOME accessibility framework, including any application written with GTK+ 2.0 or the Java Foundation Classes. The package provides synthesized speech output, using a sound card or external synthesizer. The package can provide braille output if a refreshable braille display is interfaced to the platform. The screen magnifier tracks focus and enables screen enlargement as well.

Visit the accessibility site at: www.sun.com/access

Visit the GNOME site at: www.sun.com/gnome.