Compatibility with Dragon NaturallySpeaking (MSAA)

[birke]

Title:
Compatibility with Dragon NaturallySpeaking (MSAA)

Area:
Link programming

Summary:
I suggest making links MSAA compatible. The dictation program Dragon NaturallySpeaking uses this to 'read' websites and click links using voice commands.

Description:
I'm coming to this with ignorance of the technical details. Dragon NaturallySpeaking, the foremost dictation program out there and one frequently used by people with hand/arm disabilities, allows me to follow links, enter text, switch tabs, jump from one text box to another... all by voice, in either Internet Explorer or Mozilla Firefox. But there are some popular sites where this breaks down, including Google, LJ, and DW. At DW, I can enter text and follow some links -- such as those on the main page -- by reading the link out loud, e.g. "Reading" or "Post." But on my reading list, if I tried to open a cut text or follow an external link by reading aloud, e.g., "More under the cut" or "nytimes.com", DNS wouldn't recognize that text as belonging to a link on the page.

I asked why at a speech-recognition forum, and got this answer:

"The reason Dragon cannot see some websites is simply because of the programming components that were used to create the website. Dragon uses mainly MSAA( Microsoft active accessibility) to pick up the text links, images, combo boxes, list boxes etc and if the MSAA API can't see the particular components (usually because they are customised components) used on the websites you mentioned them there will be no command access. So to give the short answer if the developers of the websites you mentioned make it MSAA compatible then DNS will be able to access it."

I don't know what you can do about this, but I feel it's important that you know about it. Google didn't know about it when they started, and now they have built what another forum member called "a largely inaccessible Web empire."

Thanks for listening!

Poll #4243 Compatibility with Dragon NaturallySpeaking (MSAA)

Open to: Registered Users, detailed results viewable to: All, participants: 31

View Respondents

This suggestion:

View Answers

Should be implemented as-is.
21 (67.7%)

Should be implemented with changes. (please comment)
0 (0.0%)

Shouldn't be implemented.
0 (0.0%)

(I have no opinion)
8 (25.8%)

(Other: please comment)
2 (6.5%)