New Technology Aims to Improve Internet Access for the Impaired From: Wall Street Journal - 09/22/2005 - P. B6 By: Chris Reiter The government, standards bodies, and companies such as Microsoft and IBM are working to improve the accessibility of computer programs and the Internet to disabled users through new technologies. IBM has contributed software programming that will allow assistive features to be incorporated into Mozilla's upcoming Firefox 1.5 Web browser. Such features will include the ability to tab over to pull-down menus in the browser window through the keyboard rather than the mouse, and Mozilla also plans to expand screen reader support. Microsoft's new Windows Vista operating system promises to streamline navigation and standardize common elements in Windows-enabled programs through its User Interface Automation Design, which the company will offer to the industry without any royalty scheme attached. Dissimilar accessibility standards among various industry and federal standards groups have long thwarted improved access to Web pages. Such access will enable businesses to tap the enormous market of visually impaired consumers, says Knowbility executive director Sharron Rush. Microsoft estimates that the number of U.S. citizens using assistive technology will rise from 57 million in 2003 to 70 million by the end of the decade. Links: What's New in Firefox 1.5 Beta 1 http://www.mozilla.org/products/firefox/releases/1.5beta1.html Release Notes for Windows Vista Beta 1 and Windows Server "Longhorn" Beta 1 http://www.microsoft.com/technet/windowsvista/relnotes.mspx Knowbility http://www.knowbility.org/main/ Sharron Rush http://www.knowbility.org/conference/?content=sRush