IBM helps make Firefox browser more accessible
IBM helps make Firefox browser more accessible
Aug 16, 2005: IBM is to contribute software to Mozilla's Firefox web browser to make it easier for more users - including those with visual and motor impairments - to access and navigate the web.
Both parties are optimistic that the move will lay the foundation for government agency adoption, as well as giving Internet content providers more ways of serving customers.
In addition to contributing code that will make it possible for web pages to be automatically narrated or magnified, and to be better navigated with keystrokes rather than mouse clicks, IBM is contributing Dynamic Hypertext Markup Language (DHTML) accessibility technology to the upcoming Firefox Version 1.5. This will allow software developers to build accessible and navigable "Rich Internet Applications" (RIAs) - a new class of applications that are particularly visual and interactive.
This is being done in support of ongoing work at the World Wide Web Consortium (W3C) Web Accessibility Initiative.
As interactive, responsive, intuitive and feature-laden as programs installed on a PC desktop, RIAs can run without requiring users to install additional programs on their PCs. However, the features that make graphical applications so popular are difficult for many users with disabilities to use.
With the new accessibility features in Firefox 1.5, all users can more easily navigate web-based applications via the keyboard. With the adoption of DHTML accessibility code, web developers can create pages that reduce, for example, the amount of tabbing required to navigate a document, such as spreadsheets and tabbed sections, to help minimise keystrokes for users with mobility disabilities.
The advances in Firefox 1.5 will also enable Internet companies, such as Yahoo!, to respond quickly to the marketplace and to reach new customers.
"The Accessible DHTML Technology offers great advantages to disabled users and we will continue to leverage the technology to provide visually-pleasing and content-rich web browsing experiences to users," said Victor Tsaran, Accessibility project manager, Yahoo. "Having such a powerful technology at our disposal will enable Yahoo to make more of its services accessible to people with disabilities worldwide."
"IBM's commitment to further Firefox's capabilities and reach people who have disabilities marks an important technical advancement for Firefox. On a larger scale it is necessary to make the web and all of its content accessible to everyone," said Mitchell Baker, president of the Mozilla Corporation.
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