Comments on: Frustration with accessibility in Flash and Flex http://joshblog.net/2007/08/15/no-documentation-for-flash-and-flex-component-accessibility/ Just another WordPress site Wed, 16 May 2012 17:12:21 +0000 hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v=3.3.2 By: Ben L. http://joshblog.net/2007/08/15/no-documentation-for-flash-and-flex-component-accessibility/#comment-45267 Ben L. Wed, 09 May 2012 16:49:10 +0000 http://www.zeuslabs.us/2007/08/15/frustration-with-accessibility-in-flash-and-flex/#comment-45267 And oh yeah, be sure that you are compiling an accessible swf! More information here: http://www.adobe.com/accessibility/products/flex/best_practices.html And oh yeah, be sure that you are compiling an accessible swf!

More information here: http://www.adobe.com/accessibility/products/flex/best_practices.html

]]> By: Ben L. http://joshblog.net/2007/08/15/no-documentation-for-flash-and-flex-component-accessibility/#comment-45264 Ben L. Wed, 09 May 2012 16:43:57 +0000 http://www.zeuslabs.us/2007/08/15/frustration-with-accessibility-in-flash-and-flex/#comment-45264 I've been working with Flex and JAWS - some protips I've found: 1. JAWS only reads correctly with Internet Explorer. Why? Because the Flex/Flash leverages the Microsoft MSAA libraries to feed object information to the JAWS reader. MS plays best with MS stuff - so yeah, it will not read with Firefox or Chrome - and really only works in a Windows environment. 2. When testing with JAWS on Flex/Flash - be sure to TURN THE VIRTUAL CURSOR setting on JAWS OFF! [ins + Z] by default - otherwise it will never read the object correctly. 3. On you 28 Accessible Flex Objects, there should be an accessibilityName propety and accessibilityDescription property - put in the audio queues to feed the JAWS reader here. Good luck - I've been wrestling with this for a year now. I’ve been working with Flex and JAWS – some protips I’ve found:

1. JAWS only reads correctly with Internet Explorer. Why? Because the Flex/Flash leverages the Microsoft MSAA libraries to feed object information to the JAWS reader. MS plays best with MS stuff – so yeah, it will not read with Firefox or Chrome – and really only works in a Windows environment.

2. When testing with JAWS on Flex/Flash – be sure to TURN THE VIRTUAL CURSOR setting on JAWS OFF! [ins + Z] by default – otherwise it will never read the object correctly.

3. On you 28 Accessible Flex Objects, there should be an accessibilityName propety and accessibilityDescription property – put in the audio queues to feed the JAWS reader here.

Good luck – I’ve been wrestling with this for a year now.

]]> By: VK http://joshblog.net/2007/08/15/no-documentation-for-flash-and-flex-component-accessibility/#comment-32733 VK Wed, 15 Feb 2012 05:40:16 +0000 http://www.zeuslabs.us/2007/08/15/frustration-with-accessibility-in-flash-and-flex/#comment-32733 Hello Josh, Excellent info shared by you. I understand your frustration. I am working on Flash since many years and recently I had a requirement of a accessible elearning courseware. I was doing some R&D on accessibility and rounded up on two basic points: - Movie clips with animations and text - Externally loaded SWF files into teh tab order Basically I have a navigation shell ready which loads external SWF files into it one by one and I need my whole content to be accessible. I read about restarting the screen reader from top when the page updates.....but that really is a frustrating task for a disabled user to do everytime when the page updates itself... Accessibility is also frustrating where I have sime click and reveal types of interactivities....and the whole point is that accessibility thing sucks when your Flash content is bound to update at very short intervals....In that case development should be avooided in Flash... Any thoughts of your would help us! As ever, VK Hello Josh,

Excellent info shared by you. I understand your frustration. I am working on Flash since many years and recently I had a requirement of a accessible elearning courseware. I was doing some R&D on accessibility and rounded up on two basic points:

- Movie clips with animations and text
- Externally loaded SWF files into teh tab order

Basically I have a navigation shell ready which loads external SWF files into it one by one and I need my whole content to be accessible. I read about restarting the screen reader from top when the page updates…..but that really is a frustrating task for a disabled user to do everytime when the page updates itself…

Accessibility is also frustrating where I have sime click and reveal types of interactivities….and the whole point is that accessibility thing sucks when your Flash content is bound to update at very short intervals….In that case development should be avooided in Flash…

Any thoughts of your would help us!

As ever,
VK

]]> By: Kofa http://joshblog.net/2007/08/15/no-documentation-for-flash-and-flex-component-accessibility/#comment-1344 Kofa Thu, 23 Apr 2009 09:58:28 +0000 http://www.zeuslabs.us/2007/08/15/frustration-with-accessibility-in-flash-and-flex/#comment-1344 I've found that disabling virtual PC cursor (Ins+Z, or whatever key takes the place of US Z on your keyboard, e.g. Y in the Hungarian layout) allows me to press buttons and generally use the application as if JAWS were not running. I’ve found that disabling virtual PC cursor (Ins+Z, or whatever key takes the place of US Z on your keyboard, e.g. Y in the Hungarian layout) allows me to press buttons and generally use the application as if JAWS were not running.

]]> By: web design in Dubai http://joshblog.net/2007/08/15/no-documentation-for-flash-and-flex-component-accessibility/#comment-1343 web design in Dubai Mon, 20 Apr 2009 00:57:03 +0000 http://www.zeuslabs.us/2007/08/15/frustration-with-accessibility-in-flash-and-flex/#comment-1343 This is a great post - very helpful, thanks! I’m working on an accessible tree control for AS2 - after hunting around, I discovered there’s a ‘magic’ _accImpl object that can be attached to any movieclip - it supports a subset of the methods available in AS3, including getChildIdArray(). The problem is, getChildIdArray() is only being called for the first level in the tree hierarchy. Sure enough, AccExplorer.exe shows only the top level of hierarchy. This may be a limitation of Flash 8/AS2. Did you have a similar issue with your tree control, or id getChildIdArray() called for each level in the hierarchy? This is a great post – very helpful, thanks! I’m working on an accessible tree control for AS2 – after hunting around, I discovered there’s a ‘magic’ _accImpl object that can be attached to any movieclip – it supports a subset of the methods available in AS3, including getChildIdArray(). The problem is, getChildIdArray() is only being called for the first level in the tree hierarchy. Sure enough, AccExplorer.exe shows only the top level of hierarchy.

This may be a limitation of Flash 8/AS2. Did you have a similar issue with your tree control, or id getChildIdArray() called for each level in the hierarchy?

]]> By: Susie http://joshblog.net/2007/08/15/no-documentation-for-flash-and-flex-component-accessibility/#comment-1342 Susie Thu, 09 Oct 2008 18:30:34 +0000 http://www.zeuslabs.us/2007/08/15/frustration-with-accessibility-in-flash-and-flex/#comment-1342 Hey there - I too am having a hard time making my flash files accessible, even after doing the tutorials for the files that came with CS3 on my computer - even THEIR files weren't being read by JAWS. It read all of the buttons, in the correct order but didn't read any of the text boxes on the page - just completely skipped them over. I build e-learning courses, some straight in flash, some in lectora, some in captivate - but experimenting in a combo lectora/flash currently and that is where this is all stemming from. If I can solve this issue - I'll have need to use clunky old lectora for anything...except something that needs SCORM. Loved the rant.... Hey there – I too am having a hard time making my flash files accessible, even after doing the tutorials for the files that came with CS3 on my computer – even THEIR files weren’t being read by JAWS. It read all of the buttons, in the correct order but didn’t read any of the text boxes on the page – just completely skipped them over. I build e-learning courses, some straight in flash, some in lectora, some in captivate – but experimenting in a combo lectora/flash currently and that is where this is all stemming from. If I can solve this issue – I’ll have need to use clunky old lectora for anything…except something that needs SCORM. Loved the rant….

]]> By: Paul R http://joshblog.net/2007/08/15/no-documentation-for-flash-and-flex-component-accessibility/#comment-1341 Paul R Wed, 17 Sep 2008 13:07:39 +0000 http://www.zeuslabs.us/2007/08/15/frustration-with-accessibility-in-flash-and-flex/#comment-1341 Very interesting, thanks. Hopefully most readers will have seen this, but just to make sure... <a href="http://blogs.adobe.com/accessibility/2008/07/draft_documentation_for_flash.html" rel="nofollow">Draft Documentation for Flash Accessibility Implementation</a> Very interesting, thanks.

Hopefully most readers will have seen this, but just to make sure…

Draft Documentation for Flash Accessibility Implementation

]]> By: Josh Tynjala http://joshblog.net/2007/08/15/no-documentation-for-flash-and-flex-component-accessibility/#comment-1340 Josh Tynjala Tue, 18 Mar 2008 16:34:54 +0000 http://www.zeuslabs.us/2007/08/15/frustration-with-accessibility-in-flash-and-flex/#comment-1340 In regards to Flex accessibility, I've made a feature request for more documentation: https://bugs.adobe.com/jira/browse/SDK-15006 If you'd like to see better docs and examples in this area, please vote! In regards to Flex accessibility, I’ve made a feature request for more documentation:

https://bugs.adobe.com/jira/browse/SDK-15006

If you’d like to see better docs and examples in this area, please vote!

]]> By: asdf http://joshblog.net/2007/08/15/no-documentation-for-flash-and-flex-component-accessibility/#comment-1339 asdf Thu, 13 Mar 2008 23:03:30 +0000 http://www.zeuslabs.us/2007/08/15/frustration-with-accessibility-in-flash-and-flex/#comment-1339 pretty soon accessability will be required. pretty soon accessability will be required.

]]> By: Joan Lafferty http://joshblog.net/2007/08/15/no-documentation-for-flash-and-flex-component-accessibility/#comment-1338 Joan Lafferty Mon, 18 Feb 2008 21:51:09 +0000 http://www.zeuslabs.us/2007/08/15/frustration-with-accessibility-in-flash-and-flex/#comment-1338 Hi Josh, Thanks for your detailed descriptions on how we can make Accessibility better. I just wanted to encourage you to file any of your Flex Feature Requests in our public bugbase. There are currently no Feature Requests for Accessibility and just a handful of deferred bugs and minor requests. If there are more customers filing bugs in this area of the product, I'm pretty sure, that it will get more focus in future versions of the product. Thanks, Joan Hi Josh,

Thanks for your detailed descriptions on how we can make Accessibility better. I just wanted to encourage you to file any of your Flex Feature Requests in our public bugbase. There are currently no Feature Requests for Accessibility and just a handful of deferred bugs and minor requests. If there are more customers filing bugs in this area of the product, I’m pretty sure, that it will get more focus in future versions of the product.

Thanks,
Joan

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