Re: Families

[Randy Dipner <dipner@mtc-inc.com>]

Earl,


Earl Johnson wrote:

> Hi Randy,
>
> We need a stake in the ground to start from and the one you picked is a
> good one. What are the five building blocks you mention and how did you
> establish the requirements that led to them?

The five features are: clear space adjacent to the play component, maneuvering
space, features of the component within reach ranges, entry point or seat at
appropriate height for transfer, and transfer supports available. While I was
not on this committee, the approach they took was to draft accessibility
provisions for individual play components like climbers, spring rockers, and
swings. Then through a detailed examination the committee identified features
critical to making the component accessible. The 5 building block features were
the result.

We might follow a similar path by drafting accessibility provisions for a
product like a copier and identify features like clear space, reach ranges,
operating controls, information displays, etc. as important to accessibility and
specifying standards for them. Then it is highly likely that these same features
are replicated on other equipment such as fax machines, shredders, telephones,
etc. If a particular equipment type requires something special for one of the
building blocks that item is handled as an exception to the general standard.

>
>
> This sounds like it may be similar in a sense to our architecture level
> work with Java Accessibility, develop from an understanding of the
> user's requirements first. We started off identifying what was
> important to the user, what they needed from the application and
> assistive technnology, turned that into high level requirements, then
> developed the API itself. What we came up with was:
>
>         + Track events; e.g. when a window is opened or closed
>         + Synthesize events; e.g. press a button
>         + Directly query objects; e.g. find out that a button's name is open
>         + Obtain contextual information; e.g. identify a label names a
>           text field function
>         + Present information in alternate formats: e.g. from audio to
>           visual as in closed captions
>
> Earl
>

--
Randy Dipner
President
Meeting the Challenge, Inc.
3630 Sinton Road, Suite 103
Colorado Springs, CO 80907-5072
719-578-8448 (voice/TTY) 719-444-0269 (fax)
email: dipner@mtc-inc.com