Re: [orca-list] Orca and flash content

[Jacob Schmude <j schmude gmail com>]

Hi
This, unfortunately, is mostly up to Adobe to implement and they've shown no desire to implement 
accessibility to Flash on platforms other than Windows nor even to improve what's already there in Windows. 
Given they only make a Linux version of Flash after the Windows and Mac releases, and they refuse to do any 
accessibility for the Mac platform flashplayer, I wouldn't hold my breath for them to expose Flash content to 
Firefox in Linux. Adobe are one of those companies that just do not give a hoot for accessibility.
The other possibility is that swfdec or gnash mature and, since they're open source, could be modified to do 
so. However, at the moment neither are really ready to handle most Flash-based sites very well. Still, if you 
want to see any kind of Flash accessibility at all I'd start with either swfdec or gnash implementing it, as 
Adobe doing so is about as likely as Microsoft putting a full screen reader into Windows.



On Dec 27, 2009, at 16:36, Michael Whapples wrote:

> Hello,
> I've noticed this for some time but today it really got annoying for me so here I am asking the question. 
> Is there any accessible way of using flash content in firefox?
>
> As an example to the above, let's use what really annoyed me today. On the BBC Iplayer 
> http://www.bbc.co.uk/iplayer (which the BBC are too happy to state how accessible it is) all the content 
> now is in flash streams. For basic listening I have found that I can start the stream by going to the 
> programme's page and selecting the listen link on the page, but this requires extra navigation than it 
> should (I should be able to go to the iplayer home page, choose radio stations, choose the station, the day 
> and then the programme/episode and then activate a play button). OK, that is slightly inconvenient but 
> today whilst listening to a stream I was interrupted and was unable to pause the stream, navigate back 
> through the stream, etc and the only option seemed to be to continue until the end and start again and 
> there was quite a lot left to listen too. Hardly accessible in my mind.
>
> I am using debian, so the browser is iceweasel 3.5.6 (I am not sure what firefox version that relates to) 
> and I also have a package installed for the adobe flashplayer (I believe iceweasel is using flashplayer but 
> I can't be certain, any way to check). Is there anything which can be done to make such flash content 
> accessible?
>
> Michael Whapples
> _______________________________________________
> Orca-list mailing list
> Orca-list gnome org
> http://mail.gnome.org/mailman/listinfo/orca-list
> Visit http://live.gnome.org/Orca for more information on Orca.
> The manual is at http://library.gnome.org/users/gnome-access-guide/nightly/ats-2.html
> The FAQ is at http://live.gnome.org/Orca/FrequentlyAskedQuestions
> Netiquette Guidelines are at http://live.gnome.org/Orca/FrequentlyAskedQuestions/NetiquetteGuidelines
> Log bugs and feature requests at http://bugzilla.gnome.org

   The major difference between a thing that might go wrong and a thing that cannot possibly go wrong is that 
when a thing that cannot possibly go wrong goes wrong it usually turns out to be impossible to get at or 
repair.
        --Douglas Adams