Interesting that as OS X moves forward with accessibility, Microsoft may be loosing ground.
The following are technical comments on the current Vista Beta 2 and Visual Studio Orca software. Please forward this to all who may be interested. Windows Presentation Foundation in Windows Vista and its Runtime for Windows XP. The Windows Presentation Foundation (WPF) using XAML (XML Application Markup Language) looks like the major programming user interface (UI) for the next generation of applications (code named avalon). The XAML window layout file format is similar in concept to html. This includes setting foreground and background colors at design time. This leaves out system theme color support and programatic color selection at runtime. The way html is handled in this scenario is to hack the CSS (Cascading Style Sheet) process to (1) ignore color on the page (accessibility option) and (2) select use system colors (or spec your own color choices). In this hack, the designer background images are also turned off, thus loosing some visual content. The lack of automatic runtime color scheme usage like Windows classic high contrast black and full support of themes as found in Windows Forms .Net Framework programs is a very BIG hole in low vision accessibility. WPF needs revising to avoid the accessibility hack described above for html. WPF does offer a SystemColor object with theme color support, but this is not automatic for standard controls. It would be necessary to add this support in every case to the program, thus leaving accessibility for visual access to the individual developer. The promise of good accessibility for blind users through the new UI Automation process does not negate the visual functionality needed by so many users, like aging baby boomers and those with functional vision impairment. For Microsoft to start another platform migration as significant as going from Windows 3.1 to Windows 95, [Vista] must be designed from the ground up with visual accessibility. Microsoft needs to change the Windows Presentation Foundation paradigm immediately and restore the decade long features gained by accessibility engineering and work from so many Microsoft teams like the Access Technology Group (ATG). John Hedges APH [EMAIL PROTECTED]
