Re: [gtk-list] Re: Gtk Accessibility for the blind and deaf

[Kenneth Albanowski <kjahds kjahds com>]

On Sat, 9 Jan 1999, Paolo Molaro wrote:

> > Well, it certainly wouldn't hurt, but remember that the concept of
> > "navigation" can break down fairly quickly, and synthesizing focus changes
> > is perhaps the simplest task that a speech agent might have to perform. 
> > Better to have a well defined concept of control order first, and build
> > navigation on top of that. 
> 
> I was talking about the ability to use the application without the mouse:
> this is a must as a mouse is almost useless for the blind.

Yes, but bear in mind that the more advanced systems are perfectly capable
of figuring out which widget is next in some sequence and forging the
events to move focus to that widget. The application is still operated
"with a mouse", but that doesn't mean that the software representation of
the mouse has to be operated by the user. This is only needed because of
limitations in controlling and communicating with the widget set, but it
has been done. 

For Gtk, I think the main thing at the moment is to remember to separate
interface and implementation. If Tab and Shift-Tab move between controls,
that's good, but make the ordered list of controls itself available so
that external agents can move among the same sequence without having to
synthesize Tab keystroke -- or worry about what Tab does in a GtkText
widget. 

-- 
Kenneth Albanowski (kjahds@kjahds.com, CIS: 70705,126)