[Dtb-talk] FW: Act Now! Test Reading Systems for Accessibility

[Andrews, David B (DEED)]

Dear DAISY and EPUB Community and all others interested in improving reading experiences:

We have made progress recruiting people to test reading systems that support EPUB 3, but we still need many more. We would like to pay for this work and are seeking funding.  However, we currently do not have the funding and are asking volunteers for help.

If you are associated with a university or other institution that will benefit from having reliable digital reading systems available for students with special needs, please participate and spend some time testing a reading system used on your campus or being considered for use.

Ideally, a moderator will be identified for each reading system on a specific platform (OS) and that moderator will help other volunteers test and report findings using the Assistive Technology (AT) at their disposal.

Example: Reading system HappyReader (fictional name) running on Windows 7 will have a moderator who manages volunteers to test HappyReader with the wide range of AT used on Windows 7. The screen reader JFW using TTS as output would be one evaluation performed; another volunteer evaluator would test HappyReader with NVDA using braille output; another tester would use screen magnification ZoomText and report the results, etc.

Because of the wide range of AT used by persons with disabilities, a crowd source approach will be used. We encourage organizations to sponsor testing by assigning people to test the specific reading systems and technologies used in their organization. For example, a university using specific AT with specific reading systems will assign people to work on testing those systems and share their findings.

Please go to the primary website to learn more:
http://www.epubtest.org

The grid that currently lists 57 reading systems is at:
http://epubtest.org/results/

For example, you will find the details for the accessibility testing of the VitalSource Bookshelf Version 6.5 for Windows using JFW 15. Test result is an excellent 77.8%:
http://epubtest.org/rs/70/accessibility/
or
Readium for Chrome on Windows using JFW 15 scored 75.76%:
http://epubtest.org/rs/121/accessibility/
Start Today - Look at the grid on epubtest.org<http://epubtest.org/results>, find a reading system you want to test, and email Kerscher at montana.com<mailto:Kerscher at montana.com>
We will be promoting tested reading systems that support accessible and rich reading experiences so people can find systems that meet their reading needs. They can also get help with deciding where they should spend their money.
This work is an important piece in building Inclusive Publishing and Reading Systems. We appreciate your time and commitment.


Best
George


George Kerscher Ph.D.
-In our Information Age, access to information is a fundamental human right.
Secretary General, DAISY Consortium
http://www.daisy.org
Senior Officer, Accessible Technology Learning Ally Together It's Possible
http://www.LearningAlly.org
President, International Digital Publishing Forum (IDPF)
http://www.idpf.org
Member of the National Museum and Library Services  Board (IMLS)
http://www.imls.gov
Chair Steering Council Web Accessibility Initiative (WAI), a division of the W3C
http://www.w3c.org/wai
Phone: +1 406/549-4687
Cell:+1 406/544-2466
Email: kerscher at montana.com<mailto:kerscher at montana.com>