[nfbcs] Commercial IT Blindness Accessibility Issues

[Louis Maher]

Folks,

I have attached a four page paper which I would like to submit to the
Braille Monitor.  I have also pasted the note below my signature.  Please
let me know about any errors.  Thanks.
-- 
Title:  Commercial IT Blindness Accessibility Issues
Author: Louis Maher (ljmaher at swbell.net, 713-444-7838)
Date:   June 12, 2014

In a modern commercial environment, several blindness-related accessibility
issues remain.  Generally these issues can be grouped into lack of access
to: graphical user interfaces (GUIs), graphically displayed data, and
mathematically-based books and journals.  I will focus primarily on the
effects of not being able to access GUIs.

Bit Locker Encryption

In Microsoft Windows seven, Bit locker encryption is a Microsoft system for
encrypting all the information on a computer's hard disk.  At power-up time,
the user enters a personal identification number (PIN) and then the login
proceeds.  The PIN dialog screen is completely inaccessible.  While my
HumanWare Brailliant Braille display will beep when the pin dialog opens, if
I make a mistake entering the pin, then I cannot recover from this error.  I
must power-off my machine, by holding down the power button, and try again.
Often when a machine is abnormally stopped, it goes into a memory scan
screen or setup screen.  All these pre-login screens are inaccessible, even
to Microsoft narrator.  For this reason, a blind user cannot turn on their
own machine if they make a Bit Locker PIN entry error.  The only way out is
to go find a sighted colleague who can enable the blind employee to login
into their own computer.

The Linux Graphical User Interface (GUI)

Linux allows for computers, built out of many processors, to solve large
problems.  For this reason, most of the hard science problems are addressed
using the Linux operating system.  A commercially popular version of Linux
is distributed by Red Hat (http://www.redhat.com/).  Currently my company
uses Red Hat version 5.7.  Due to the need for an operating system to work
well with all the company's applications, and the need for a company to have
a stable operating system, operating systems, within a company, change
slowly.  An employee's desire to use company software, insures that the
employee must use the company's operating system.  For this reason, the
blind employee cannot choose which operating system they wish to use.

Graphical user interfaces allow users to use a wide variety of applications
with ease.  The GUI allows most of the parameters in an application to use
defaults. Only a few parameters within an application need be set.  Also
context sensitive help allows the user to rapidly find out how to set those
parameters.  GUIs also allow a user to string many processes together into a
dataflow so that complex tasks can be setup rapidly.  For these reasons, the
GUI has conquered computer space.

Character-based (also called command-line) interfaces are widely used for
computer programming and system administration, and have provided many blind
individuals with excellent career opportunities.  While the character-based
interface for Linux is wonderfully accessible, the Linux GUI is not.  Based
upon work by the now-bankrupt Sun Corporation, the Orca Linux screen reader
is available in open source packages
(https://help.gnome.org/users/orca/stable/).  Orca is not automatically
distributed with commercially popular Linux systems, and employees must go
through a long risk-assessment process to have it added to their systems.
Orca also accesses the Gnome desktop (http://www.gnome.org/)while most
commercial organizations would prefer to use the KDE interface
(http://www.kde.org/).  Also since there is no commercial organization
caring for Orca, there is no guarantee that it will work for any one
application.  People who work on Orca development, due it out of love of
computer science, and as an effort to improve the world.  The developers
work on what interests them, and on what they can find time to accomplish.
Also, Orca can only give access to programs running on the user's machine.
It does not allow users to logon to other remote machines using GUIs.

The Linux Graphical User Interface (GUI) Remote Access Issue

Linux GUI remote access represents another class of accessibility problems.
As mentioned above, Orca can only give access to programs running on the
user's machine.  It does not allow users to logon to other machines using
GUIs.  In modern industrial settings, the blind user will be sitting in
front of a Microsoft Windows based machine.  The user can have complete
character-based access to Linux through programs such as SecureCRT
(http://www.vandyke.com/products/securecrt/).  However, the blind user is
going to have to access several remote computers, using graphical user
interfaces, to get their work done.  While limited character-based work
around exist for some of these applications, in general, the blind user will
have to have their sighted counterparts do this part of their job, thus
reducing the flexibility of the blind employee.

Java

Java (http://www.oracle.com/technetwork/java/index.html) is a programming
language, supported by Oracle, to make applications portable on more than
one operating system.  The blind access Java applications through the Java
Access Bridge (JAB) (for Windows
(http://www.oracle.com/technetwork/java/javase/tech/index-jsp-136191.html),
and for Linux
(http://linux.softpedia.com/progDownload/Java-Access-Bridge-Download-24104.h
tml).  I have found that most Java programs are not very accessible due to
the developer's unawareness of the need to write accessible code.

Graphically Displayed Data

Often commercial Linux packages generate plots to help the user analyze the
data in their processes.  These plots are generated by GUI's buried deep in
the commercial packages.  If the plots could be generated, and sent outside
of the commercial application which generated them, then they could be sent
to Braille printers for plotting.  Without GUI access, the blind user cannot
generate the plots, nor bring the plots to the outside world.

Mathematically Displayed Books and Journals

The news is a little better on the display of mathematically-based material.
If the blind user can contact the author of a book, and if the author is
willing to share their source files, then the blind user can read the book.
The best way to get this book would be in Microsoft Word format where the
author would have used the Design Science mathematical equation editor,
MathType (http://www.dessci.com/en/), to write the equations.  MathType
makes mathematics in Microsoft word completely accessible.  Another
accessible mathematical language is Latex
(http://www.maths.tcd.ie/~dwilkins/LaTeXPrimer/).

Mathematics on the web is still not reliable since bugs in the Microsoft
Internet Explorer versions 10 and 11 have kept math from being displayed.  I
have heard that the Apple Safari browser can display math, but an accessible
version of the Safari browser is not available for the Windows platform.

GUI Solution Issues

It is unclear how to approach the Linux GUI issue.  If a blind user wishes
to install Orca on a Linux workstation, the user will have several issues.
1. The blind individual will have to have a sighted individual install the
software because the Linux GUI environment is inaccessible out of the box.
Secondly, to be efficient, the blind user will need a Braille display.
Braille drivers are not part of the standard Orca package, and separate
software must be loaded for Braille displays.  Thirdly, only system
administrators will be allowed to load software on company computers.
Lastly, bringing new programs into the environment requires risk assessments
which can add months to introducing new software.

I am fortunate in that my company will purchase any accessibility system
that exists; however experimenting with unknown solutions is very tedious
and slow.  Due to the size of commercial organizations, it can take up to
two years to upgrade the operating systems of computers.  Also, if a blind
user installs Orca on one machine, the user has not achieved much, for the
user cannot access other remote GUI-based processors, which contain the
programs an employee will need.  Lastly, stand-alone work stations are
rapidly disappearing from our commercial environment. Our company is
experimenting with remote graphic servers (RGS)
(http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Remote_Graphics_Software) which are
centrally-located graphics servers which are used remotely by windows-based
users.  Perhaps remote GUI accessibility can be built into such systems.

Conclusions

Both government and non-government blind employees are struggling with
accessibility because currently no one is insisting that these systems be
accessible.  If the government would follow its own rules, then the
accessible solutions would be available to all.

-- 



Regards
Louis Maher
Phone 713-444-7838
E-mail ljmaher at swbell.net
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