[nfb-talk] Act Now! Test Reading Systems for Accessibility

Wed Oct 1 15:28:07 UTC 2014

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>