Finally 'accesslblllty' for Windows 95 Only after a threatened boycott of Microsoft products did the company formalize its creation of a new Disabilities Group. by Robert Bellinger, EE Times, March 27, 1995, page 77 Los Angeles - Microsoft Corp. showed up at the Technologies and Persons With Disabilities Conference here last week to promote the accessibility of its upcoming Windows 95. And while advocates for the handicapped welcomed the company's initiatives to aid the blind, hearing impaired and other disabled in using the operating system, they called Microsoft's sensitivity to these issues newfound and hard-won. Gregg Vanderheiden, head of the Trace R&D Center at the University of Wisconsin (Madison), said it took "aggressive cajoling" and "strong encouraging" to prod the Redmond, Wash., software giant into building in such accessibility features as easier visual interfaces, new applications programming interfaces or hooks for developers of third-party accessibility aids and alternative keyboard options for those who can't use a mouse or a standard keyboard. Vanderheiden said Microsoft is using code developed at the Trace R&D Center, which focuses on making computers accessible to the disabled. Only after the Massachusetts Commissioner for the Blind, Charles Crawford, threatened a boycott of Microsoft products did the company formalize its creation of a new Accessibilities and Disabilities Group. Crawford said his agency was worried about the ability of blind workers to function in the graphical environment of Windows. "It wasn't a boycott. It was a call for us to press the corporate body where's it's most sensitive - the dollar bill." Facing potential bad publicity and economic pressure by governmental agencies, Microsoft agreed to upgrade Windows 95 for accessibility, Crawford said. Library support Greg Lowney, senior program manager of that three-person operation formed only a month or so ago - told EE Times that Microsoft had relied on third parties to tweak earlier Windows versions for accessibility. Many developers, preferring the text-based DOS over the graphical-interfaced Windows, were late in moving from DOS to Windows, creating delays in accessibility products. He said that individuals or small operations developed many of the early Windows applications and didn't have the resources to assure that blind people, for instance, could access their products. With Windows 95, Microsoft will offer developers libraries to smooth over compatibility and transitions, reducing the need for reverse engineering, Lowney said. The libraries will cut development time, increase the robustness of utilities and help insure that accessibility aids developed for Windows 95 will be useful in future versions. "It's an important step-one." said Crawford, who added that his agency will continue to monitor further upgrades. Three vendors displayed Windows 95 aids at the disabilities conference. In his presentation, Lowney said Windows 95 is "easier" and "more intuitive" to use, "but accessibility aids will need to be upgraded to know about new features and new 32-bit applications." Keyed for access He told a packed room that "nothing is perfect" and that not every aspect of Windows 95 will have a keyboard equivalent or be resizable. But the new true-32-bit operating system does include a number of improvements over Windows 3.1, many of which followed the Trace Center's guidelines. Scalable user-interface elements: Users can adjust sizes of window titles, scroll bars, borders, menu text and other standard screen elements. Two sizes of the built-in system font are available. Keyboard alternatives: "StickyKeys" allows mouthstick or single-finger typists to press one key at a time instead of requiring them to hold down two or three keys at a time. "SlowKeys" requires that a key be held down for a minimum period of time, aiding disabled users with poor dexterity who accidentally hit keys they don't want. "MouseKeys" lets users control the mouse pointer with the keyboard. Users include graphics artists who need the accuracy of a mouse but find that the standard arrows keys are not precise enough. "ToggleKeys" provides audio cues - high and low beeps - to tell a user if the CAPS LOCK, NUM LOCK or SCROLL LOCK keys are on. More support for alternative input devices: Windows 95's Plug & Play architecture supports multiple pointing devices and makes the serial port available for such purposes. Visual cues to accompany sounds. High-contrast color options. Turns on features An "emergency-hot-key" provision allows users to temporarily turn on the features that they need to get to the control panel from which they can make permanent changes. Microsoft also built in Accessibility TimeOut that turns off the features after the machine's been idle for a while, and also returns the system to its default configuration. This is useful for a machine in an office, for instance, that is used by multiple people. An example of where "universal design" helps both abled and disabled is a password feature through which Windows 95 will call up your custom features when you type in a password. Consequently, employers do not have to dedicate a machine to disabled person. But it also allows other employees to customize Windows to their liking without interfering with other users of the same machine. Lowney announced that for a limited time, Microsoft will offer documentation via recordings for the blind at no charge to consumers. The company is also launching a major effort to publicize its accessibility features. Microsoft also announced that it's looking for three more people to join the new Accessibilities and Disabilities Group, including persons with disabilities. Delayed several times, the updated release of Windows 95 is scheduled for August.