Universal Access to the Content via HybridBook - CSUN 2013 session

CSUN 13 presentation on Hybridbook, which was lead by my colleague Svatoslav Ondra from The Support Centre for Students with Special Needs, Masaryk University, Brno, took place on Friday.

Hybrid Book provides a universal access to content for users with various disabilities as well as for users without disabilities, synchronizing audio, video, text media.

• Hybridbook is a digital publication format and also a couple of applications to read and author
• Its aim is to provide access to the content for readers with a limited perception of some of the information channel (e.g. the blind, the deaf, dyslexics and others)
• Hybridbook provides content in different types of media and ensure also their synchronization.
• Hybridbook 1: multimedia publication combining an electronic text with audio (made by human voice) supplemented by complex navigation apparatus. It must be read on computer, Hybrid Book Player is a native application, distributed on CD. This version was intended especially for people with visual impairement.
• Hybridbook 2: issued 2006, reader application migrated to online web app (because of easier maintenance). This version was based on HTML, JavaScript, Windows Media Player/QuickTime and also kept all functionalities and principles as well as synchronization with virtual cursors of screen-readers.
• HybridBook 3. Aim: present information with complementing records in the least possibly distorted form which enables:
  • perceiving visual text visually
  • perceiving text in Braille
  • perceiving via sound recording
  • perceiving in different languages (mainly in sign languages)
  Quick and easy navigation in the structure.
• Types of media: text, audio, video (mostly for sign language translations).
• More sources of the same media type - all synchronized, played at the same time or alternately.
• Incorporation of more complex objects (tabelar data, structured alternate form of graphics, mathematics expressions, footnotes).

• Primary target groups: blind and visually impaired users, deaf and hard of hearing users and users with learning deisabilities.
• There are two layers:
  • Main layer (contains the main document (text, audio, video)
  • Additional layer (contains extensional content to supplement insufficient information (can be hidden/shown, if shown it acts as a part of main layer)
• Media format:
  • Text: XHTML
  • Video: MPEG-4 (H.264), OGG (Theora codec)
  • Audio: MPEG-1 Layer 3 (“MP3”), OGG (Vorbis codec)
• Synchronization:
  • based on dividing content to synchronization units – the smallest building blocks (certain logically delimited passages)
  • storage of synchronization data is independent on storage of document/media data
• Reading the book: there is full media synchronization, complex navigation and highlighting of the passage being currently read in text. User can also mute on/off audio or video track, switch among them or reposition UI components.
• Hybrid Book Authoring Tool: automatic division into synchronization units, creation of all meta data and scenarios for multimedia preparation and import/export Daisy 3.
• Near future: web app for mobile platforms, native mobile app and possibility to read documents offline.
• Future prospects: improvement of additional layers which provides alternate content of complex objects, implementation of “native” navigation in tabular structures and implementation of math expressions.
• Online version is on www.teiresias.muni.cz/en

CSUN 2013 from my point of view

• Google Accessibility Update - CSUN 2013 workshop
• Responsive Design and Accessibility - CSUN 2013 Workshop

Google Accessibility Update - CSUN 2013 workshop

On Tuesday I attended the whole day workshop, called Google Accessibility Update, which was led by T. V. Raman and other at least 15 people from Google, including product managers of their core applications, internal accessibility evangelists and development staff.

I really love Google services - my primary browser is Chrome, I use Gmail both on desktop and mobile, have phone with Android, etc. And I am really glad what enhancements Google did during past two years in a field of their products accessibility. There is of course still what to improve, but the progress is amazing.

Workshop covered all the major Google products and services - Chrome OS, Drive, Docs Suite, Gmail and Android and give us an overview about state of the art in this field.

A lot of work is being put into the Chrome OS to provide additional support for blind users via ChromeVox. The only way to make accessibility better is to simplify it at every level.

Every user has different needs and we need to build a customizable interface that works for everyone.

Chromebooks are cheap, boot in under 8 seconds, hassle- and maintenance-free. Just sign in with Google account. All your stuff is in the cloud. Accessibility is built-into OS at setup; spoken feedback provided via ChromeVox, user can also enable other accessibility features.

Google is now running Chromebook Accessibility Trusted Tester Program for individuals from USA, who will be provided with a Chromebook with the expectation to be active testers. It is a pity that this program isn't also in the Czech republic - I would apply immediately ;-)

Gmail was originally designed for sighted users, better support for blind users is a matter of the last few years. Now there is a extensive support for ARIA labelling, new features are tested manually and there are also automated tests for regressions. Nowadays there is a good support for keyboard-only users - you can use arrow keys, N and P keys and Enter to navigate between and within regions.

Drive and Docs Suite accessibility is very closely related to ChromeVox. There are a lot of changes, for example keyboard interaction model in Drive is completely redesigned, focus management is improved or navigation itself is more consistent.

A lot of the keyboard accessibility features and new keyboard model is useful for people without disabilities as well (for example for me ;-)

New Accessibility for Google Apps were announced on this workshop.

Android brings completely unassisted setup, Jelly Bean 4.2 has accessibility shortcut, enabling to toggle TalkBack from anywhere using Power button. There is also a simple screen magnifier as a part of Jelly Bean 4.2 (triple tap to zoom in and interact while panning, triple tap and hold to zoom temporarily). This magnifier unfortunately does not magnify the keyboard.

In general, it is good to know that the best accessiblity experience on Android is with Jelly Bean.

A lot of practical and live demos were given by Google team members during the whole day - for example on Gmail, Google Drive on Android, Slides, Docs editor, etc.

Googlers were also asked a lot of questions. You can read them - together with answers and detailed notes - on Paul Schantz blog.

Big thanks to Raman and his team (also for the T-shirt ;)

Related to this post

• Making the cloud more accessible with Chrome and Android

CSUN 2013 from my point of view

• Responsive Design and Accessibility - CSUN 2013 Workshop

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Tímto příspěvkem bych rád začal nový nepravidelný seriál (pravidelný raději neslibuji, znám se ;-), v němž bych vás chtěl čas od času upozornit na zajímavé - zpravidla zahraniční - články o přístupnosti. Těch na toto téma vychází celá řada, na některé z nich upozorňuji na Twitteru, ale i tak je docela dost takových, na které jsem chtěl odkázat a pár řádků k nim napsat, ale stále mi leží rozpracovány v konceptech. Tak jsem si řekl, že to zkusím takto.

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A11yBuzz

Informace o přístupnosti pěkně pohromadě. Odkazy na články a tweety, týkající se tohoto tématu.

A to je pro dnešek vše, až se mi zase pár zajímavých odkazů nashromáždí, napíšu další díl. Zůstaňte naladěni ;-) a pokud chcete být o novinkách z přístupnosti informováni průběžně, sledujte mě na Twitteru.