Accessible computer

With all of the hype circulating around the announcements of some of the bigger features in Leopard (Time Machine, Spaces), it's been easy to overlook the improvements that have been made in other areas of the operating system that may not be as important to you and I, but to some people, they mean a huge deal.

Therefore, I found it appropriate that Apple took the time to highlight the accessibility improvements that they've been spearheading in Leopard. I'm sure a bunch of the groupies in the audience during the WWDC keynote were scratching their heads and wondering why Jobs and Co. were highlighting accessibility features when they could have been showing off more of the whiz-bang stuff that people have come to expect from Apple, but regardless of this reaction, I'm glad that they did.

Listen, if you think that every person who uses a computer does so without any problems, then you're living in a bubble of misconception. The problem is that we often tend to focus in on the demographic that we're a part of, which in turn is the one that we're familiar with. Sometimes that's OK, but in the area of usability, it's important to look at the big picture.

If you've ever seen a handicapped person use a computer, then you know what I'm talking about. I've seen this type of user interaction on a number of occasions, and let me tell you, it's definitely an eye-opening experience. First of all, without even considering the manipulation of the OS, there's the first barrier that they have to get through, and that involves the hardware. Oftentimes, a regular mouse and keyboard don't do the job effectively, and disabled ones are left looking for options that fit their hands better and have bigger keys and buttons for them to use.

On the operating system side of things, individuals with vision problems have a hard time seeing what's happening on the screen, and they can't seem to get the text size big enough, while those with hearing problems can't easily understand anything that's going on audibly.

As you know, the number of disabled people in the world is astronomical. They want to be able to use a computer just like everyone else, and not only does that make complete sense, but it's also a right that they deserve. Hardware and software manufacturers are responsible for this, and if they don't supply what's needed, then they're avoiding and completely missing out on the benefits that come from supporting a huge segment of the population that is just as passionate about technology as any other.

One of the key things about the accessibility portion of Apple's presentation that impressed me the most was the demonstration that they did of the new and improved VoiceOver. If you've ever listened to your operating system's attempts at text-to-speech, then you probably felt much the way that I did - underwhelmed. These attempts can sometimes be mostly passable, but can you imagine having to listen to this voice synthesis each and every day for hours on end? That may be a horrifying thought to you, but it's exactly what some people with vision problems have to do in order to "read" the text that appears on their computer screens. No one should have to deal with having to consistently listen to a voice that sounds like it's coming from a robot that ate another robot, so in turn, Apple has created Alex to come to the rescue.

This synthesized voice, while not perfect, sounds very natural, and has an almost soothing quality to it. You can actually hear Alex take virtual breaths between sentences, and the technology pauses appropriately instead of mashing all of the text into one huge mess of a word. If you have a lot of text to get through and don't want to be stuck tapping your foot while waiting for Alex to read all of it, then you can speed up the speaking rate, and even at a quick pace, Alex still sounds great.

Multilingual support is also included, and VoiceOver can even dynamically translate the output into standard Braille, which in my mind is pretty unbelievable. In addition, the software also acts like a buddy who's there to guide you by informing you of what's happening on the screen, telling you where certain items are located, and helping you to navigate though program and document windows. This guidance would definitely prove to be more of an assistance than an annoyance to those who are in need of it.

You may never use the accessibility features in Leopard once it's released, but be assured that many will, and Apple knows this. They also know that these advancements could be the deciding factor in getting some people to make the big switch.