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kestrellKes: I'm currently looking through some old directories in order to put together a resume on previous projects I have worked on, and I came across this old LJ post, and even I am thought, WTF?? That is one crazy idea, Kes! But also: I think we have the technology (exccept for flash, I think we vanquished that evil(...So here is the rest of the post.
This evening I will be attending an event at MIT titled
" It's a Small World: How Virtual Communities Are Changing the Ways We Relate"
(6-8:30 p.m. at the MIT Campus Broad Institute NE 30, corner of Main Street and Ames Street).
The registration Web site mentioned homework, so, as one of the discussion topics will be "What Kind of World Would You Make: Second Life as Thought Experiment," I decided to do the Hermione thing and plan my corner of the virtual world.
*The Jorge Luis Borges Book Center and Dog Park*
with explanations about accessibility and how a visually-impaired user accesses a visual interface
First, a couple of facts regarding people with disabilities as a potential market.
According to the U.S. Census, the number of people in this country whose daily quality of life is impacted by a disability is one out of five and, as a generation of baby boomers begin to move into their 50s and 60s, this statistic is destined to increase. As this white paper entitled
"Understanding the Disability Market"
http://nbsalliance.com/PWDwhitePaper07_18_06.pdf .
points out, making technology and services accessible to PWD and aging seniors has some serious implications for businesses.
Second, as anyone who has been following the development of games and/or education can tell you, games are morphing into something that is far more than mere entertainment.
As discussed briefly in this article,
The Evolving Concept of Virtual Worlds
http://www.dailybits.com/the-evolving-concept-of-virtual-worlds/
Games have become
educational tools
http://geoffandwen.com/Blind/newsarticle.asp?u_id=17368
professional resources
http://jobsearch.about.com/b/2007/05/09/network-in-world-niw-second-life-job-fair.htm
and even a means of improving health and mental fitness
http://www.kidshealth.org/kid/closet/ .
Some experts who think about where business technologies are headed predict that virtual worlds will become the main means for consumers to locate and purchase services, as in this article
Next Generation services on virtual worlds
http://blogs.zdnet.com/BTL/?p=5825
Third, even if games were just entertainment, that is a pretty big just, considering entertainment is one of the main means by which we socialize and build relationships with other people, including professional contacts.
Additionally, game interfaces will continue to influence the interfaces through which we learn both at the school and professional level. Only consider how
flash
http://www.sean.co.uk/a/webdesign/macromedia_flash_accessibility.shtm
and
http://blogs.adobe.com/accessibility/2006/08/two_accessible_flash_games_whi.html
has become a popular format which poses serious accessibility issues in regard to consumer as well as educational and professional training resources, while
3D browsers such as
Spacetime's 3D Web browser
http://www.spacetime.com/
promise to offer new access challenges as they transform the Net into "Web 3d."
Thus, the implications for developing access to game interfaces have multiple effects that go far beyond that of "mere entertainment."
Description of space and its functions
Primary function: In trying to think of what sort of public space would be both useful and entertaining to people with disabilities (PWD), I decided upon a book center where people could find out about and discuss books in accessible formats and find a meeting space for events such as book releases and book clubs.
In addition, I would like this space to include an outside park area where people could socialize, exercise their companion animals, or just enjoy the sights and sounds of being outside (the possibility of allowing users to include an avatar for their companion animals might add another interactive aspect to this feature).
Secondary function: The Jorge Luis Borges Book Center and Dog Park will also serve as a space which integrates social, educational, and inclusive spaces, and will exist as a virtual expression of universal design in both the virtual world and meatspace. Thus, along with its primary function, the JLBBCDP could be used as a source for exploring and demoing inclusive design.
Recommendations
* Note that as explained in this Wikipedia article on text-to-speech
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Speech_synthesis
text-to-speech programs such as screen readers are capable of manipulating both the text on the screen and the code which lies beneath the graphical user interface. The challenge in making a virtual world interface accessible is a two-part challenge:
1. the client through which the user "views" the screen must be accessible, that is, must allow the user to use alternate input devices beyond that of the mouse; these devices include keyboard commands, switches, spoken commands, etc.
2. the virtual environment must have a layer of code which the accessible viewer can access, that is, objects must have tags or code equivalents which inform the viewer of what they are and what the viewer should do with them, as opposed to being merely graphical objects floating in space.
A number of these issues are already being addressed in the use of applications such as those used to view PDF docs and flash videos.
Specific recommendations:
1. "Where am I?" keyboard/vocal command to locate the user's avatar in space
A simple command that states the avatar's location in space would be useful for users with visual impairments, but it could also be useful for newbies who have yet to familiarize themselves with the many locations in the virtual world.
2. Favorites list which provides a short list of favorite locations for quick access
Like a browser's bookmarks file or the favorites list on a t.v. remote control, this could provide a quick means of returning to favorite locations, possibly by merely entering a shortcut such as a number or access key.
3. "About" function to serve as description of location, narration, or spoken message.
Like the captioning and commentary tracks on a DVD, this could be a layer the user can toggle on, or it could include audio and/or tecxt files which describe a location, object, or other feature of the environment. A bonus would be to make this capable of being edited by the user.
4. Audio landmarks to mark locations.
Just as in real physical space, there are audio landmarks which signal location. Such landmarks could be an audio crosswalk signal, a jingling bell over a door, windchimes in an outdoor location, a music store which constantly plays music, a neighbor's radio, or natural sounds such as running water. In addition, since this is a virtual environment, sound could be used to identify locations: the sound of footsteps to signal walkways or elevator dings to signal elevators.
Additionally, there could be another layer of sound signals which are triggered on command by the user, as in the case of searching for a door, bathroom or trashcan, self-descriptive audio sounds could be activated.
5. Haptics to provide tactile feedback.
Grass feels very different than a sidewalk, brick feels different than marble and granite. Whether a user is using a cane or a wheelchair, tactile feedback could be developed which would provide additional information about the environment.
6. Talking maps may be problematical in the real world, but there is no reason they can't work in virtual space.
Talking directories which provide interactive menus are one way of providing a way for users with disabilities to learn about an unfamiliar space. If each individual room or locatoin in a building or environment is given a distinctive name and location, the user would then have the information needed to go to that place.
For instance, a talking directory of map located inside a building could tell the user which rooms are on that floor along with which direction that room is in, north, south, east, west, with the additional information that the map is facing say, north, and that south thus lies behind the user, toward the lobby behind her.
A simple "direction" or "orientation" shortcut could tell the user which way she is facing and what lies immediately in front of her.
This evening I will be attending an event at MIT titled
" It's a Small World: How Virtual Communities Are Changing the Ways We Relate"
(6-8:30 p.m. at the MIT Campus Broad Institute NE 30, corner of Main Street and Ames Street).
The registration Web site mentioned homework, so, as one of the discussion topics will be "What Kind of World Would You Make: Second Life as Thought Experiment," I decided to do the Hermione thing and plan my corner of the virtual world.
*The Jorge Luis Borges Book Center and Dog Park*
with explanations about accessibility and how a visually-impaired user accesses a visual interface
First, a couple of facts regarding people with disabilities as a potential market.
According to the U.S. Census, the number of people in this country whose daily quality of life is impacted by a disability is one out of five and, as a generation of baby boomers begin to move into their 50s and 60s, this statistic is destined to increase. As this white paper entitled
"Understanding the Disability Market"
http://nbsalliance.com/PWDwhitePaper07_18_06.pdf .
points out, making technology and services accessible to PWD and aging seniors has some serious implications for businesses.
Second, as anyone who has been following the development of games and/or education can tell you, games are morphing into something that is far more than mere entertainment.
As discussed briefly in this article,
The Evolving Concept of Virtual Worlds
http://www.dailybits.com/the-evolving-concept-of-virtual-worlds/
Games have become
educational tools
http://geoffandwen.com/Blind/newsarticle.asp?u_id=17368
professional resources
http://jobsearch.about.com/b/2007/05/09/network-in-world-niw-second-life-job-fair.htm
and even a means of improving health and mental fitness
http://www.kidshealth.org/kid/closet/ .
Some experts who think about where business technologies are headed predict that virtual worlds will become the main means for consumers to locate and purchase services, as in this article
Next Generation services on virtual worlds
http://blogs.zdnet.com/BTL/?p=5825
Third, even if games were just entertainment, that is a pretty big just, considering entertainment is one of the main means by which we socialize and build relationships with other people, including professional contacts.
Additionally, game interfaces will continue to influence the interfaces through which we learn both at the school and professional level. Only consider how
flash
http://www.sean.co.uk/a/webdesign/macromedia_flash_accessibility.shtm
and
http://blogs.adobe.com/accessibility/2006/08/two_accessible_flash_games_whi.html
has become a popular format which poses serious accessibility issues in regard to consumer as well as educational and professional training resources, while
3D browsers such as
Spacetime's 3D Web browser
http://www.spacetime.com/
promise to offer new access challenges as they transform the Net into "Web 3d."
Thus, the implications for developing access to game interfaces have multiple effects that go far beyond that of "mere entertainment."
Description of space and its functions
Primary function: In trying to think of what sort of public space would be both useful and entertaining to people with disabilities (PWD), I decided upon a book center where people could find out about and discuss books in accessible formats and find a meeting space for events such as book releases and book clubs.
In addition, I would like this space to include an outside park area where people could socialize, exercise their companion animals, or just enjoy the sights and sounds of being outside (the possibility of allowing users to include an avatar for their companion animals might add another interactive aspect to this feature).
Secondary function: The Jorge Luis Borges Book Center and Dog Park will also serve as a space which integrates social, educational, and inclusive spaces, and will exist as a virtual expression of universal design in both the virtual world and meatspace. Thus, along with its primary function, the JLBBCDP could be used as a source for exploring and demoing inclusive design.
Recommendations
* Note that as explained in this Wikipedia article on text-to-speech
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Speech_synthesis
text-to-speech programs such as screen readers are capable of manipulating both the text on the screen and the code which lies beneath the graphical user interface. The challenge in making a virtual world interface accessible is a two-part challenge:
1. the client through which the user "views" the screen must be accessible, that is, must allow the user to use alternate input devices beyond that of the mouse; these devices include keyboard commands, switches, spoken commands, etc.
2. the virtual environment must have a layer of code which the accessible viewer can access, that is, objects must have tags or code equivalents which inform the viewer of what they are and what the viewer should do with them, as opposed to being merely graphical objects floating in space.
A number of these issues are already being addressed in the use of applications such as those used to view PDF docs and flash videos.
Specific recommendations:
1. "Where am I?" keyboard/vocal command to locate the user's avatar in space
A simple command that states the avatar's location in space would be useful for users with visual impairments, but it could also be useful for newbies who have yet to familiarize themselves with the many locations in the virtual world.
2. Favorites list which provides a short list of favorite locations for quick access
Like a browser's bookmarks file or the favorites list on a t.v. remote control, this could provide a quick means of returning to favorite locations, possibly by merely entering a shortcut such as a number or access key.
3. "About" function to serve as description of location, narration, or spoken message.
Like the captioning and commentary tracks on a DVD, this could be a layer the user can toggle on, or it could include audio and/or tecxt files which describe a location, object, or other feature of the environment. A bonus would be to make this capable of being edited by the user.
4. Audio landmarks to mark locations.
Just as in real physical space, there are audio landmarks which signal location. Such landmarks could be an audio crosswalk signal, a jingling bell over a door, windchimes in an outdoor location, a music store which constantly plays music, a neighbor's radio, or natural sounds such as running water. In addition, since this is a virtual environment, sound could be used to identify locations: the sound of footsteps to signal walkways or elevator dings to signal elevators.
Additionally, there could be another layer of sound signals which are triggered on command by the user, as in the case of searching for a door, bathroom or trashcan, self-descriptive audio sounds could be activated.
5. Haptics to provide tactile feedback.
Grass feels very different than a sidewalk, brick feels different than marble and granite. Whether a user is using a cane or a wheelchair, tactile feedback could be developed which would provide additional information about the environment.
6. Talking maps may be problematical in the real world, but there is no reason they can't work in virtual space.
Talking directories which provide interactive menus are one way of providing a way for users with disabilities to learn about an unfamiliar space. If each individual room or locatoin in a building or environment is given a distinctive name and location, the user would then have the information needed to go to that place.
For instance, a talking directory of map located inside a building could tell the user which rooms are on that floor along with which direction that room is in, north, south, east, west, with the additional information that the map is facing say, north, and that south thus lies behind the user, toward the lobby behind her.
A simple "direction" or "orientation" shortcut could tell the user which way she is facing and what lies immediately in front of her.
no subject
Date: 2021-09-30 09:13 pm (UTC)Hah! (When was this post composed?)
Your "specific recommendations" are still highly relevant for every online event ever.
PDF docs, however, still suck.
no subject
Date: 2021-09-30 09:36 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2021-09-30 09:41 pm (UTC)Except the virtual book center and dog park. Because it seems I am still way more cool than Blind Square. Maybe they should hire me.
no subject
Date: 2021-10-11 05:57 pm (UTC)Yes! They should!