21st July 2006 FLOSSIE Conference

Open Source Assistive Technology Software

OATSDavid Colven, Steve Lee & Simon Judge

21st July 2006 FLOSSIE Conference

OATS

• Assistive Technology– Accessibility

• Advice and tools for ‘mainstream’

– AT• Specialist cooperative development

• The OATS Project • FLOSS software and the OATS project• Why OATS?• What does the OATS project deliver?

21st July 2006 FLOSSIE Conference

The Consortium

ACT

21st July 2006 FLOSSIE Conference

The ACE Centre

21st July 2006 FLOSSIE Conference

Why OATS?

• An AT focus for all FLOSS development• Individual projects and shared• Interested parties contributing together • Many skills solving user requirements• Focussed, flexible and custom solutions• More users with transparent access• Transport AT to new horizons

21st July 2006 FLOSSIE Conference

Assistive Technology

• AT software market is growing• However it is ‘specialised’• Small Market• Innovation limited• Box fitting – not enough tools• Lots of interested individuals across

sectors

21st July 2006 FLOSSIE Conference

FLOSS What do AT users want?

• Good design and Innovation • Simple installation• Transparency • Reliability • Individual solutions to sometimes complex

needs (even with universal design) • Low Cost• All software not just AT • Ask for what they want and get involved

21st July 2006 FLOSSIE Conference

Benefits

• Open Source offers an alternative model for developing AT software

• Well suited to encourage:– Strong collaboration with users– Innovation– Customisation

21st July 2006 FLOSSIE Conference

FLOSS Strengths

• Many projects like OpenOffice and Firefox now meet users needs with excellent features and support

• Ideal for innovation and customising to individual needs

• Community and user participation• Rapid development and prototyping • Free!

21st July 2006 FLOSSIE Conference

OATS FLOSS What’s in it for developers

• Community and User participation

• Infectious enthusiasm

• Innovate and share innovations.– Rapid development and prototyping

– Common library of tools and components

– No wheel re-inventing!

• Easily available and usable by more users

– Their work is useful and is used!

21st July 2006 FLOSSIE Conference

Aims

• Software!– Home grown OATS and existing OATS– Resources

• Standards– Usability– Installers– Software structure– Data transfer– Resources

21st July 2006 FLOSSIE Conference

Outcomes

• Pilot project now complete– Developed, fully operational site– Prepared means for a ‘community’

• The Future– Oats to continue under day-to-day management– Further development of content, tools etc.– Thriving OS community – come and join in!

21st July 2006 FLOSSIE Conference

Website• ‘All’ Open Source AT software in ONE place• Links to free or low cost software• Easy to use searching and browsing for

software• Links between developers and users (fora)• Technology transfer from research• Full range of development tools in Forge

– Trac etc.

21st July 2006 FLOSSIE Conference

Oats Examples

• Dasher• AutoHotkey• PowerTalk• Special Access to Windows

21st July 2006 FLOSSIE Conference

Why did we Open Source SAW?

• Limited development resources

• Keep the software free

• Widen the pool of expertise

• Open the program to new ideas

• As an exemplar of AT development

21st July 2006 FLOSSIE Conference

Automation of the AT User IinterfaceThe big idea

Potential for enhanced & (semi-) automated accessibility for switch and pointer users as part of a new interface design process.

•Dynamically discover UI structure

•Extract property information

•Receiveevent notifications when UI changes

•Be able to Query an element for its behaviour

•Click a button, scroll a list, moves a window, etc.

•Inject keystrokes and mouse input where appropriate

Dynamic Selection Set - A User’s ToolDynamic Selection Set - A User’s Tool

Links and texts extracted automatically and constructed into a selection set

SAW works out the number of items needed and constructs a grid of items

Information taken from UIAutomation is used to put data into items

The wizard also constructs the appropriate script from the available information from the browser

21st July 2006 FLOSSIE Conference

Summary

• Provides a new model for software

development in the AT field

• Encourages innovation

• Allows users to be heard

• Is a single place to go for AT software and

resources

www.oastsoft.org