SpeakOn

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29 members| 24 shouts

Leader: kb7clx
Join Policy: Open
Created on: 12 Mar 2008
Description:

This group is for support, usage tips and tricks, feature requests and general
discussions about SpeakOn, a third party application designed for blind users which has a last.fm player. This group is also a forum to discuss issues effecting the accessibility of last.fm especially but not exclusively for blind and visually impaired users.

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SpeakOn:

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http://www.a-technic.net/speakon.htm
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is a free program that runs on your PC and is a speech enabled environment containing applications for listening to various media. It is primarily, but not exclusively intended for the blind community. SpeakOn has been developed for people who are comfortable using computers. It does not require a screenreader or magnifier; it does not have a visual interface and in fact does not require a screen at all. You communicate with SpeakOn using a numerical keypad or the standard keyboard and SpeakOn responds with it’s own speech. You can use SpeakOn with any voice on your Windows machine, this includes Microsoft Sam 5.0 which is by default shipped with Windows XP, L&H Michael and Michelle 5.0 which are shipped with Win 2000 and Office XP, and Microsoft Anna which is shipped with Vista. With a low cost external USB slimline numerical keypad, you can operate SpeakOn with one hand from the comfort of your armchair.
Among many other things, it includes a Last.fm radio application. All SpeakOn's applications operate in exactly the same way. Once the interface is mastered, it offers a quick and easy access to all its features. SpeakOn’s last.fm application comes automatically bundled with several station lists which include an eclectic mix of global tag stations. It also allows you to quicly add and play the similar artist and fan stations of your favorite artists right from the application. You can love, skip, and ban tracks just like in the official last.fm application. SpeakOn can also be made to speak the artist, album, and track name of the current playing track.
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Accessibility

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"Web accessibility refers to the practice of making websites usable by people of all abilities and disabilities. When sites are correctly designed, developed and edited, all users can have equal access to information and functionality. For example, when a site is coded with semantically meaningful HTML, with textual equivalents provided for images and with links named meaningfully, this helps blind users using text-to-speech software and/or text-to-Braille hardware. When text and images are large and/or enlargeable, it is easier for users with poor sight to read and understand the content. When links are underlined (or otherwise differentiated) as well as coloured, this ensures that color blind users will be able to notice them. When clickable links and areas are large, this helps users who cannot control a mouse with precision. When pages are coded so that users can navigate by means of the keyboard alone, or a single switch access device alone, this helps users who cannot use a mouse or even a standard keyboard. When videos are closed captioned or a sign language version is available, deaf and hard of hearing users can understand the video. When flashing effects are avoided or made optional, users prone to seizures caused by these effects are not put at risk. And when content is written in plain language and illustrated with instructional diagrams and animations, users with dyslexia and learning difficulties are better able to understand the content. When sites are correctly built and maintained, all of these users can be accommodated while not impacting on the usability of the site for non-disabled users."
From the Wikipedia article
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Last.fm has, in the past been an extremely accessible site, and staff have been responsive to issues that have come up. They have even included the SpeakOn player in the last.fm build. The native last.fm software player has never been accessible to screen readers, but SpeakOn and other 3rd party players more than make up for this.
The new website, however, with it's increased reliance on
Ajax controls, has created some accessibility issues that need to be addressed. This is why I have decided to expand the scope of this group and invite all who have an interest in making and keeping last.fm more accessible to join us, listeners, artists, staff and moderators alike.
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Learn More

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Some links below to learn more about how blind and disabled users use a computer and navigate the web, and about web accessibility in general.

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Learn about the two most popular screen readers:

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Window Eyes
Jaws for Windows
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Some excellent resources to learn about web accessibility:

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WebAIM - Web Accessibility in Mind
www.webaim.org
the Web Accessibility Initiative
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What UK law says about accessibility:

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The law itself:
Some articles from reputable sources:
http://www.webcredible.co.uk/user-friendly-resources/web-accessibility/uk-website-legal-requirements.shtml
http://www.alistapart.com/articles/accessuk/
http://www.rnib.org.uk/xpedio/groups/public/documents/publicwebsite/public_legalcase.hcsp-
Some metadata projects that can help us.

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I have recently learned of two projects that can help screen reader users by adding things like alt-text and landmarks using metadata to sites that is viewed through plugins we can install, one is for Firefox 3, and the other is a script for the Jaws screen reader that works with IE7.
First the Jaws application:
the Social Accessibility Project
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"The Social Accessibility Project is a service whose goal is to make Web pages more accessible to people with disabilities. The service gathers users' input and uses the power of the open community while not changing any existing content.This pilot service focuses on users of screen readers. Users encountering Web access problems anywhere at any time can immediately report problems to the Social Accessibility server. volunteers (called supporters) can be quickly notified and can easily respond by creating and publishing the e requested accessibility metadata, which will help other users who encounter the same problems. Users themselves are also allowed to improve accessibility of pages by sharing landmarks on a page. Site owners can learn about methods for future accessibility renovations based on the volunteers' external metadata."
I just started using it, the community is not large, but hopefully it will grow. You will need to get an IBM ID to register for the service.
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The Firefox application is maybe not for everyone as it requires Firefox 3. Firefox 3 has lots of bugs and issues, so if you don't already have it working on your system I wouldn't recommend it, but if you are lucky enough to be able to use FF3 successfully you should check out
web visum
Community driven tagging and page enhancements.
Automated and instant CAPTCHA image solving, sign up to web sites and make forum
posts and blog comments without asking for help!
Built in helper functions for easier page navigation and less confusion.
Numerous under the hood page tweaks designed to help screen reader users.
Visually Impaired users benefit from features such as high contrast page viewing,
link and focus highlighting, and more.
It is only available for the Firefox 3 browser.
I wish I could use it, but ff3 crashes and won't start on my system. It sounds like a great tool though.
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