>
> >From: "T.V Raman" <raman@google.com
>Date: Tue, 13 Nov 2007 15:10:05 -0800
>To: wai-xtech@w3.org, w3c-wai-pf@w3.org
>CC:
>Subject: AxsJAX --- Distributing Accessibility At Web-Scale
>
>Friends,
>
>Some of you saw live demos at the W3C Plenary from me and Charles
>of an early release of our AxsJAX framework. We just announced it
>to the wider Web community --- see
>http://google-code-updates.blogspot.com/2007/11/introducing-axsjax-access-enabling-ajax.html
>I'm attaching a list of Frequently Asked Questions to the end of
>this message. AxsJAX and its associated documentation is at
>http://code.google.com/p/google-axsjax
>
>
>
>
>
>AxsJAX Frequently Asked Questions
>
>
>
>
>
>Table of Contents
>
>
>
> * 1 Introduction To AxsJAX
> * 1.1 What Is AxsJAX?
> * 1.2 What New Opportunities Does AxsJAX Open Up?
> * 1.3 What Are Its Accessibility Goals?
> * 1.4 AxsJAX Uses JavaScript --- Isn't That Inaccessible?
> * 1.5 Is AxsJAX Specific To Google Applications?
> * 1.6 What Are The Long-term Goals For AxsJAX?
> * 1.7 How Is AxsJAX Pronounced?
> * 2 AxsJAX Technical Overview
> * 2.1 What Prerequisites Does AxsJAX Assume?
> * 2.2 How Does AxsJAX Leverage W3C ARIA?
> * 2.3 What Google Applications Does It Presently Enhance?
> * 2.4 How Does AxsJAX Help Screen Reader Vendors?
> * 2.5 How Does AxsJAX Help The Evolution Of Access Standards?
> * 2.6 How Does AxsJAX Inject Accessibility?
> * 2.7 How Can Web Developers Experience AxsJAX Enhancements?
>
>
>1 Introduction To AxsJAX
>
>
>
>
>
>1.1 What Is AxsJAX?
>
>
>
>Web 2.0 applications are powered by AJAX --- Asynchronous JavaScript And
>XML. AxsJAX leverages AJAX techniques to inject accessibility support into
>Web 2.0 applications.
>
>
>1.2 What New Opportunities Does AxsJAX Open Up?
>
>
>
>AJAX techniques have helped Web developers create live applications within
>Web browsers. The AxsJAX framework helps inject accessibility features
>into these applications so that users of adaptive technologies such as
>screen readers and self-voicing browsers experience the same level of
>interactivity that is now taken for granted by users of Web 2.0 applications.
>
>
>1.3 What Are Its Accessibility Goals?
>
>
>
>Our accessibility goals include but are not limited to:
> * Discover and codify design patterns for access-enabling AJAX
> applications.
> * Serve as a test-bed for implementors of adaptive technologies in
> extending their tools to handle Web 2.0 applications.
> * Help discover and fill-in gaps in the various standards that deal
> with the accessibility of AJAX applications.
>
>
>1.4 AxsJAX Uses JavaScript --- Isn't That Inaccessible?
>
>
>
>Web applications that use JavaScript have traditionally proven an access
>barrier to screen reader users for the following reasons:
> * Adaptive technologies cannot always interpret the meaning of actions
> > invoked via JavaScript.
> > * Asynchronous page updates leave screen readers at a loss as to what
> > to speak.
>A set of W3C specifications collectively refered to as
><http://www.w3.org/TR/2007/WD-aria-roadmap-20071019/>W3C ARIA is
>addressing these issues. Though AJAX applications will continue to remain
>unusable from legacy browsers like lynx, there is no reason why they
>should remain forever inaccessible to users of adaptive technologies.
>
>Finally, JavaScript in the browser is a powerful mechanism that has
> >enabled us to turn the Web from a world of static documents to a platform
>for deploying dynamic end-user applications. The primary goal of the
>AxsJAX framework is to leverage these same advantages presented by
>JavaScript in the browser to create flexible, powerful accessibility
>solutions.
>
>
>1.5 Is AxsJAX Specific To Google Applications?
>
>
>
>We are open-sourcing the AxsJAX framework early in its development to
>foster a healthy community around the concept of access-enabling Web
>applications by injecting accessibility enhancements via JavaScript.
>
>AxsJAX initially targets Google applications. As we discover design
>patterns that work, we are refactoring these into common modules that
>foster code reuse. Notice that these common modules are not Google
>specific, and can be leveraged to inject accessibility enhancements to any
>application deployed on the Web.
>
>
>1.6 What Are The Long-term Goals For AxsJAX?
>
>
>
>The long-term goals of AxsJAX will be largely end-user driven. This
>initial release hints at the type of end-user benefits that can be enabled
>via such a framework. Our goal is to create a healthy community
>built on >an open framework for enhancing the accessibility of Web
>2.0 applications.
> >1.7 How Is AxsJAX Pronounced?
> >
> >
> >
> >AxsJAX is pronounced Access Jax to rhyme with AJAX.
> >
> >
> >2 AxsJAX Technical Overview
> >
> >
> >
> >
> >
> >2.1 What Prerequisites Does AxsJAX Assume?
> >
> >
> >
> >AxsJAX injects accessibility enhancements as defined by
> ><http://www.w3.org/TR/2007/WD-aria-roadmap-20071019/>W3C ARIA. The
> >prerequisites for experiencing its benefits include:
> > * A modern Web browser like Firefox 2.0 or later that supports W3C ARIA.
> > * Adaptive technologies that respond correctly to the accessibility
> > enhancements introduced by W3C ARIA.
> > * In particular, many of the enhancements injected by AxsJAX depend on
> > support for live regions a feature that enables adaptive technologies
> > like screen readers and self-voicing browsers deal correctly with
> > asynchronous updates to portions of a Web page.
> >
> >
> >2.2 How Does AxsJAX Leverage W3C ARIA?
> >
> >
> >
> >W3C ARIA is a collection of specifications that is presently under
> >development at the W3C. Early support for W3C ARIA is available in Firefox
> >2.0, and its features are beginning to be leveraged by newer versions of
> >screen readers.
> >
> >W3C ARIA works by enhancing the DOM with accessibility specific
> >properties. The AxsJAX framework enables the injection of such DOM
> >properties into existing Web applications via JavaScript. It provides a
> >light-weight yet flexibile mechanism for experimenting with various design
> >patterns for enhancing the accessibility of AJAX applications.
> >
> >
> >2.3 What Google Applications Does It Presently Enhance?
> >
> >
> >
> > * Google Reader
> > * Google Search
> >
> >
> >2.4 How Does AxsJAX Help Screen Reader Vendors?
> >
> >
> >
> >The set of specifications collectively known as
> ><http://www.w3.org/TR/2007/WD-aria-roadmap-20071019/%20GMT%3B%20Pat
> h%3D/ >Set-Cookie:%20TPExits%3Dnull|null|null|10|null|null|%3B%20Exp
> ires%3DWed,%2001-Oct-2008%2022:22:31%20GMT%3B%20Path%3D/
> >Connection:%20close
> >Content-Type:%20text/html%3B%20charset%3DISO-8859-1>W3C ARIA is still
> >under active development. Applications that have been enhanced via AxsJAX
> >provide real-life examples for testing ARIA support within new versions of
> >screen readers. Thus, whereas individual test-suites help screen reader
> >developers test support for a given feature, AxsJAX enabled applications
> >provide live examples for carrying out end-to-end testing.
> >
> >
> >2.5 How Does AxsJAX Help The Evolution Of Access Standards?
> >
> >
> >
> >W3C ARIA is still under active development. By access-enabling complete
> >applications, AxsJAX helps in the development of the W3C ARIA
> >specifications by discovering what works and by identifying gaps that need
> >to be filled.
> >
> >
> >2.6 How Does AxsJAX Inject Accessibility?
> >
> >
> >
> >The AxsJAX framework can inject accessibility enhancements into existing
> >Web 2.0 applications using any of several standard Web techniques:
> > * As bookmarklets --- small snippets of JavaScript that are used to
> > create smart bookmarks.
> > * Using GreaseMonkey --- a powerful browser extension that allows
> > end-users to customize the look and feel of Web sites via custom scripts.
> >In particular, the accessibility enhancements provided by AxsJAX are not
> >tied to any single injection technique, and we are looking to the Open
> >Source community to come up with additional innovative means for
> >performing such enhancements.
>
>2.7 How Can Web Developers Experience AxsJAX Enhancements?
>
>
>
>The open source <http://firevox.clcworld.net/>Fire Vox extension to
> >Firefox provides an ideal tool for Web developers who may not necessarily
> >have commercial screen readers available for testing. Fire Vox is a
> >cross-platform self-voicing extension to Firefox that includes early
> >support for most of the leading edge features of W3C ARIA.
>
> >Author: T.V. Raman, Charles L. Chen
> <mailto:raman@google.com, >clchen@google.com><raman@google.com,
> clchen@google.com>
>
> >Date: 2007/10/30 14:35:13
>
> >--Charles and Raman (The Google Access Jacks)
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