Group: LibrePlanet Accessibility

From LibrePlanet
Jump to: navigation, search
(Blanked the page)
Line 1: Line 1:
 +
'''GNU Accessibility Statement'''
  
 +
 +
[http://www.gnu.org| Project GNU] urges people working on free
 +
software to follow standards and guidelines for universal
 +
accessibility on GNU/Linux and other free operating systems.
 +
Multi-platform projects should use the cross platform accessibility
 +
interfaces available that include GNU/Linux distributions and the
 +
GNOME desktop.  Project GNU also advises developers of web sites to
 +
follow the guidelines set forth by the World Wide Web Consortium's Web
 +
Accessibility Initiative.
 +
 +
 +
'''Join the conversation'''
 +
  <ul>
 +
    <li>[http://lists.gnu.org/mailman/listinfo/accessibility| GNU accessibility mailing list]</li>
 +
    <li>[http://groups.fsf.org/wiki/Group:Accessibility| LibrePlanet accessibility group]</li>
 +
  </ul>
 +
 
 +
 +
 +
According to the United Nations in 2005, there were 600 million
 +
people with disabilities in the world.  To use computers, many of them
 +
need special software known as &ldquo;access technology&rdquo;.  Like
 +
other programs, these can be free software or proprietary.  Those
 +
which are free software respect the freedom of their users; the rest,
 +
proprietary programs, subject those users to the power of the
 +
program's owner.
 +
 +
In order for access technology to work, the other software in use
 +
must interoperate with it.  The majority of computer programs and web
 +
sites (85% in one estimate) do not comply with accessibility standards
 +
and guidelines, so they do not work with access technology.  They
 +
provide a frustrating experience, and can bar users from job or school
 +
activities.
 +
 +
Proprietary file formats that require proprietary reading programs
 +
are poison to both accessibility and to the freedoms that we as free
 +
software activists hope to establish.  The biggest offender is Flash
 +
format; it usually requires proprietary software that doesn't
 +
cooperate with accessibility.  Microsoft Silverlight is similar.
 +
<acronym title="Portable Document Format">PDF</acronym> is also
 +
difficult; though there is free software to view it, it does not
 +
support free access technology software.  GNU PDF aims to do
 +
better.
 +
 +
People with disabilities deserve to have control of their own
 +
technological destinies.  When they use proprietary access technology,
 +
they have little or no way to correct whatever is wrong with it.
 +
Virtually all major decisions of the proprietary developers are made
 +
by people who do not have the disability; 20 years' experience shows
 +
that people with unusual combinations of disabilities, who require
 +
relatively unusual software, or who encounter a bug that keeps them
 +
from doing their job have no way to obtain the changes they need.
 +
These products are only changed or improved when the vendors see a
 +
business reason for doing the work; this leaves many users behind.  As
 +
a secondary problem, proprietary access software is far more expensive
 +
than a PC.  Many users cannot afford to give up their freedom in this
 +
way.
 +
 +
For users with disabilities, as for all other users, free software
 +
is the only way the users can control their own computing, their only
 +
chance to make software fit their needs rather than passively
 +
accepting whatever developers choose to offer them.
 +
 +
Nations with large populations also have large numbers of people
 +
with disabilities.  Countries including Brazil and Russia are
 +
discussing whether to standardize government purchases on GNU/Linux
 +
platforms.  These nations are all signatories to the UN Convention on
 +
Human Rights and People With Disabilities, and include technology in
 +
their agenda for providing such rights.  This will require them to
 +
hire programmers to work on accessibility software for their
 +
populations.  If it is free software, the rest of the world will be
 +
able to use it too.  The hackers who work on free access technology
 +
will provide tools that people with disabilities can use to expand
 +
their horizons enormously.
 +
 +
Ensuring that your application or web site is accessible is the
 +
right thing to do.  And it fits naturally with free software.
 +
 +
'''Recommendations'''
 +
 +
Application software developers should learn how to use the
 +
accessibility features of the <acronym title="Integrated Development
 +
Environment">IDE</acronym> or toolkit they employ to build their user
 +
interface.  Programmers who need to implement access technology, or
 +
work on a desktop or OS-level accessibility problem, will need to
 +
understand the accessibility <acronym title="Application Programming
 +
Interface">API</acronym>, and should choose the one that is compatible
 +
with free OS/desktops.  These include the [http://library.gnome.org/devel/accessibility-devel-guide/stable/index.html.en| GNOME accessibility API]
 +
(GNU/Linux platforms only), the [http://java.sun.com/javase/technologies/accessibility/docs/jaccess-1.3/doc/core-api.html| Java accessibility API] (GNU/Linux and
 +
Windows) and [http://www.linuxfoundation.org/collaborate/workgroups/accessibility/iaccessible2| iAccessible2] (GNU/Linux and Windows).
 +
 +
<ul>
 +
  <li>Web developers should follow the [http://www.w3c.org/wai| W3C web accessibility guidelines]
 +
and, for complex web applications, the developers should follow the [http://www.w3.org/WAI/intro/aria| Accessible Rich
 +
Internet Applications ARIA standard.]</li>
 +
<li>[http://www.standards-schmandards.com/projects/fangs/| FANGS]
 +
enables web developers to see how a [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Screen_reader| screen reader]
 +
will handle the web pages they are developing.</li>
 +
<li>[http://www.gnu.org/philosophy/javascript-trap.html| Nontrivial Javascript code distributed to the user]
 +
should be free software.</li>
 +
<li> Please don't [http://www.gnu.org/philosophy/who-does-that-server-really-serve.html| invite users] to 
 +
do something on a server that they could conceivably do on their own computers.] </li>
 +
</ul>
 +
 +
 +
Please send FSF &amp; GNU inquiries to
 +
[mailto:gnu@gnu.org| &lt;gnu@gnu.org&gt;.]
 +
There are also other ways to [http://www.gnu.org/contact/| contact]
 +
the FSF.]
 +
 +
Please send broken links and other corrections or suggestions to
 +
[mailto:webmasters@gnu.org| &lt;webmasters@gnu.org&gt;.]
 +
 +
 +
 +
 +
Copyright &copy; 2010 Free Software Foundation, Inc.
 +
 +
This work is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution-No
 +
Derivative Works 3.0 United States License. To view a copy of this
 +
license, visit [http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nd/3.0/us/| Creative Commons Attribution-No Derivative Works 3.0 United States License]
 +
or send a letter to Creative Commons, 171 Second Street, Suite 300,
 +
San Francisco, California, 94105, USA.
 +
 +
The Recommendations section may also be used under the Creative
 +
Commons Attribution license, and may be relicensed to the GNU Free
 +
Documentation License version 1.3 or later.

Revision as of 20:41, 28 June 2010

GNU Accessibility Statement


Project GNU urges people working on free software to follow standards and guidelines for universal accessibility on GNU/Linux and other free operating systems. Multi-platform projects should use the cross platform accessibility interfaces available that include GNU/Linux distributions and the GNOME desktop. Project GNU also advises developers of web sites to follow the guidelines set forth by the World Wide Web Consortium's Web Accessibility Initiative.


Join the conversation


According to the United Nations in 2005, there were 600 million people with disabilities in the world. To use computers, many of them need special software known as “access technology”. Like other programs, these can be free software or proprietary. Those which are free software respect the freedom of their users; the rest, proprietary programs, subject those users to the power of the program's owner.

In order for access technology to work, the other software in use must interoperate with it. The majority of computer programs and web sites (85% in one estimate) do not comply with accessibility standards and guidelines, so they do not work with access technology. They provide a frustrating experience, and can bar users from job or school activities.

Proprietary file formats that require proprietary reading programs are poison to both accessibility and to the freedoms that we as free software activists hope to establish. The biggest offender is Flash format; it usually requires proprietary software that doesn't cooperate with accessibility. Microsoft Silverlight is similar. <acronym title="Portable Document Format">PDF</acronym> is also difficult; though there is free software to view it, it does not support free access technology software. GNU PDF aims to do better.

People with disabilities deserve to have control of their own technological destinies. When they use proprietary access technology, they have little or no way to correct whatever is wrong with it. Virtually all major decisions of the proprietary developers are made by people who do not have the disability; 20 years' experience shows that people with unusual combinations of disabilities, who require relatively unusual software, or who encounter a bug that keeps them from doing their job have no way to obtain the changes they need. These products are only changed or improved when the vendors see a business reason for doing the work; this leaves many users behind. As a secondary problem, proprietary access software is far more expensive than a PC. Many users cannot afford to give up their freedom in this way.

For users with disabilities, as for all other users, free software is the only way the users can control their own computing, their only chance to make software fit their needs rather than passively accepting whatever developers choose to offer them.

Nations with large populations also have large numbers of people with disabilities. Countries including Brazil and Russia are discussing whether to standardize government purchases on GNU/Linux platforms. These nations are all signatories to the UN Convention on Human Rights and People With Disabilities, and include technology in their agenda for providing such rights. This will require them to hire programmers to work on accessibility software for their populations. If it is free software, the rest of the world will be able to use it too. The hackers who work on free access technology will provide tools that people with disabilities can use to expand their horizons enormously.

Ensuring that your application or web site is accessible is the right thing to do. And it fits naturally with free software.

Recommendations

Application software developers should learn how to use the accessibility features of the <acronym title="Integrated Development Environment">IDE</acronym> or toolkit they employ to build their user interface. Programmers who need to implement access technology, or work on a desktop or OS-level accessibility problem, will need to understand the accessibility <acronym title="Application Programming Interface">API</acronym>, and should choose the one that is compatible with free OS/desktops. These include the GNOME accessibility API (GNU/Linux platforms only), the Java accessibility API (GNU/Linux and Windows) and iAccessible2 (GNU/Linux and Windows).


Please send FSF & GNU inquiries to <gnu@gnu.org>. There are also other ways to contact the FSF.]

Please send broken links and other corrections or suggestions to <webmasters@gnu.org>.



Copyright © 2010 Free Software Foundation, Inc.

This work is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution-No Derivative Works 3.0 United States License. To view a copy of this license, visit Creative Commons Attribution-No Derivative Works 3.0 United States License or send a letter to Creative Commons, 171 Second Street, Suite 300, San Francisco, California, 94105, USA.

The Recommendations section may also be used under the Creative Commons Attribution license, and may be relicensed to the GNU Free Documentation License version 1.3 or later.

Retrieved from "https://libreplanet.org/wiki?title=Group:LibrePlanet_Accessibility&oldid=16778"