Java Accessibility Q&A

Java Accessibility Questions and Answers

9/4/96

If you have any questions, or better yet answers, or see any errors or omissions, please send them to web@trace.wisc.edu.

Here is a list of 15 questions.

Operating System Related Questions.

1. Does the Java AWT use system tools?

2. In a Java Applet can the monitor view be altered?

3. In a Java Applet can the keyboard allow for movement around the Java Applet?

AWT Related Questions.

4. In a Java Applet is ALT TEXT provided for images?

5. In a Java Applet is there a way to suspend screen changes until the changes

can be analyzed and responded to?
6. In a Java Applet are there nonvisual or textual cues to

visual changes to the screen?
7. In a Java Applet how can the user tell what will activate

a URL link or other action?.

AWT, Screen Reader Interaction Related Questions.

8. Is Java Applet text accessible to a screen reader?

9. In a Java Applet are all the components of the Java AWT

accessible to a screen reader?
10. In a Java Applet how does a screen reader move around? In what priority are

objects encountered?
11. In a Java Applet what does an image made up of many small images appear as

to a screen reader?
12. In a Java Applet, if the text size is changed, are there any problems in

the appearance of a Java Applet?
13. In a Java Applet can objects be moved around in the Java Applet?

AWT, Browser Interaction Related Questions.

14. In a Java Applet do the browser user preferences apply?

15. In a Java Applet can the user alter format attributes

such as font and background color, text font, and font size?

Operating System Related Questions

1. Does the Java AWT use system tools?
The Java AWT uses system tools much of the time.

2. In a Java Applet can the monitor view be altered?
Making the image of the screen larger will make applets which are displayed on the screen larger. If you change your screen resolution from an 800x600 screen to a 640x480 screen, the view of the applet (and everything else) will get bigger. Screen enlarg ers will also act to enlarge the applet view. The screen enlarger CloseView is included in the Mac control panels.

3. In a Java Applet can the keyboard allow for movement around the Java Applet?
Java seems to be using standard menu calls. Java Applet Frame Menus can be navigated by key commands in Windows95. F10 activates the menu, Alt-letter activates menu item with label starting with letter, arrow keys allow for menu navigation, and letter key s change focus item in pull down menus (first letter of label)(Jon Gunderson).

AWT Related Questions

4. In a Java Applet is ALT TEXT provided for images?
No ALT TEXT is provided for images in Java Applets. A means of providing information about an image (or a composite image) in a textual or nonvisual form accessible by the user is needed.

5. In a Java Applet is there a way to suspend screen changes until the changes can be analyzed and responded to?
The soda straw nature of a screen reader can make a constantly changing screen unintelligible, the lower part of the screen changing so it won't relate to the previously read upper part of the screen. The ability to stop a screen from changing is not present in Java Applets, unless specifically built into the Java Applet.

6. In a Java Applet are there nonvisual or textual cues to visual changes to the screen?
Visual changes to the screen are not indicated by nonvisual cues unless the cues have been built into the Java Applet. The nonvisual or textual cue could be easily incorporated into the method which causes the screen change. Textual cues could be accessib le to a screen reader.

7. In a Java Applet how can the user tell what will activate a URL link or other action?
Events which will activate a URL link or other action are not indicated in any manner except by the design of the Java Applet. [recommendation] The user randomly moving a mouse should not trigger an event (i.e. mouseEnter, mouseExit) . The event which causes an action should be active (i.e. mouseDown), and the result of an action should be explained.

AWT, Screen Reader Interaction Related Questions

8. Is Java Applet text accessible to a screen reader?
Text written as Labels, on Buttons, in TextFields, in TextAreas, Checkboxes, Choices, Lists, and Menus and text written with drawString() are all available to screen readers. Java used normal system activities to present screen material. As noted above, an ALT TEXT descriptor is not available for images, so a text equivalent presented in an image is not accessible to a screen reader. Text in the status line (bottom of the browser) is not available to screen readers.

9. In a Java Applet are all the components of the Java AWT accessible to a screen reader?
The Scrollbar component appears as an image to the screen reader. The Scrollbar component should be identifiable as a Scrollbar Component. The value of the Scrollbar component and the value of other scrollbars isn't accessible. The value could be presente d textually.
Other components, [Buttons, Checkboxes, TextArea, TextField, Lists, Choices, Menus, Labels, scrollbars on TextAreas] and pop up windows and frames, are accessible to a screen reader.

10. In a Java Applet how does a screen reader move around? In what priority are objects encountered?
A screen reader moves line by line or word by word, encountering objects and text based on their (x,y) coordinates. This can lead to confusion as to what a Label, TextField/TextArea is associated with, an object to the left or right or above or below. In reading a List object, the scrollbar of the List object has a higher Y coordinate than the last visible item in the List, so is encountered and read by the screen reader first.

11. In a Java Applet what does an image made up of many small images appear as to a screen reader?
An image made up of many individual images is read as a series of images (image1, image2, ...) . Since there is no ALT TEXT this is very confusing. Grouping the images into a "composite" image, (which occurs automatically for the sighted user), would simp lify the situation for the screen reader.

12. In a Java Applet, if the text size is changed, are there any problems in the appearance of a Java Applet?
Changing the text size can cause formatting problems. Changing the font/font size of text associated with components such as [Buttons, Labels, Lists, TextAreas, TextFields] can cause the resizing of the objects and can affect the layout appearance.
Text created via drawString() have their location specified by their starting (x,y) coordinate. The start point of the text doesn't change, only the end point. The relation between the start and end of different stings needs to be coordinated to their wi dth and height, which is dependent on their font and font size.

13. In a Java Applet can objects be moved around in the Java Applet?
Objects can not be moved around in a Java Applet unless this capability has been built into the Java Applet.

AWT, Browser Interaction Related Questions

14. In a Java Applet do the browser user preferences apply?
Browser user preferences have no effect on Java Applet font, color or image presentation. The browser user preference would be a good source of information for altering the presentation of a Java Applet.

15. In a Java Applet can the user alter format attributes such as font and background color, text font, and font size?
Unless the format changing method is built into the Java Applet, the user cannot alter the format. Browser user preference will not apply (though would be a good source of information for setting the format).