Accessibility
OpenOffice.org has support for various Accessibility aspects: keyboard navigation, scheming, assistive technology (AT) support, and much more.
Details can be found here: http://ui.openoffice.org/accessibility/whitepaper.html
There is a mailing list which can be used for user questions and comments, as well as for developer related things.
Please subscribe to accessibility@ui.openoffice.org, or have a look into http://ui.openoffice.org/servlets/SummarizeList?listName=accessibility
The Accessibility Project pages are here: http://ui.openoffice.org/accessibility/
OpenOffice.org AT support
OpenOffice.org exposes it's information to AT via the Java Accessibility API (JAA) on Windows, and via GNOME Accessibility API (ATK) on Linux/Solaris with GNOME. This way OpenOffice.org should be accessible with AT supporting JAA or ATK.
More details about this can be found here: http://ui.openoffice.org/accessibility/at-support.html.
Windows
To use Java Accessibility, a current version of Java (v1.5 or newer) must be installed. This can be found here: http://java.sun.com/
Verify that OpenOffice.org uses the correct version: Choose menu Tools/Options/Java.
You also need the “Java Access Bridge for Windows v2”, which can be found here: http://java.sun.com/products/accessbridge/
You also have to activate AT support in OpenOffice.org: Choose menu Tools/Options/Accessibility and check “Support assistive technology tools”.
GNOME
Everything you need is included in current versions of GNOME.
Activate AT support globally: Preferences/Accessibility/Assistive Technology Support, check “Enable assistive technologies” More information can be found here: http://developer.gnome.org/projects/gap/
AT that works
In general, AT support is much better on GNOME than on Windows. This is no limitation within OpenOffice.org, but in Windows AT, which concentrates on other things, not on Java Accessibility.
- Windows, Screen Reader
- ZoomText 7.11, 8.12, 9.x
- JAWS 6.2, 7.x
- Windows, Screen Magnifier
- ZoomText 7.11, 8.12, 9.x
- Windows, On Screen keyboard
- Probably all, because they just send Windows messages
- GNOME, Screen Reader
- Orca
- Gnopernicus
- GNOME, Screen Magnifier
- Gnopernicus
- (Orca)
- GNOME, On Screen keyboard
- GOK
- Dasher