WG 13.3 1993–1995 activity report. Lisbon, Oct 1995

(user specified) voice and automatically read Web pages as they appear. Also, using the Screen Reader keypad, the user who is blind can step through the links one at a time, and do the keypad key sequence to click on a link to follow it. Many times the potential of the profile language (PAL) of Screen Reader/2 surprises even me. A Screen Reader/2 user in Toronto wanted even simpler access to the Web. He modified the Explorer profile so that the Tab key (on the keyboard) moved forward in links (Shift-Tab, backwards) and so that keyboard Enter did the click. So, even though the WebExplorer is not keyboard enabled (just like Mosaic and Netscape), Screen Reader/2 can make it keyboard enabled. New and exciting profiles, like this one, will be available on the IBM Special Needs Gopher Site off of os2info.austin.ibm.com, Screen Reader documents and papers about Screen Reader/2 are available there too. 1. A bit of history IFIP stands lbr International Federation lor Information Processing. It was created in the 60's under the UNESCO patronage. The IFIP General Assembly held in San Francisco in 1989 decided the creation of a Technical Committee on Human-Computer Interaction headed by Professor Shackel. The Inaugural Meeting of this new TC was held in Cam-bridge (UK) on September 1, 1990. In its second meeting celebrated in Stuttgart, on September 5,1991, the creation of a Working Group on Human-Computer Interaction and People with Special Needs was considered. Professor Julio Gonzalez Abascal proposed the provisional aims and scope. WG 13.3 terms of reference were approved by the IFIP General Assembly in 1992. 3. AIMS The principal objectives of the Working Group will be: To make HCI designers aware of the needs of people with disabilities. To recommend guidelines for the design of HCI to facilitate the use of computers by people with disabilities. • To monitor the latest developments in the design of HCI and their impact on accessibility and usability. • To encourage the development of inlormation systems and complementary tools which permit the adaptation of the human interface for each specific user. 4. SCOPE There are over 500 million people with disabilities in the world. A large proportion are socially excluded as a result of their situation. It is now recognized that developments in IT/HCI can help to maximize choice and integration. However, there is also a danger that such developments can lead to …