BSG: Add options for the visually impaired

[Ageless]

Using http://boinc.berkeley.edu/dev/forum_thread.php?id=1590 this thread on the BOINC forums:

"Hello there. I am totally blind and I use a text to speech synthesiser which reads out loud what is on the screen. I upgraded to the latest version of boinc just today, and I find I'm unable to use the new interface because you need to click on pictures and graphics and such in order to get to the various areas of the program. I'd really, really really really like to get the old interface back. How do I do this? I do not currently have any sighted assistance who can help me. I really wana be able to continue participating in boinc project, but I fear that boinc's interface will become more unfriendlier to blind users. Please Please help if you can."

The BOINC Simple GUI could use buttons with text on them that can be read by speech programs.

[Richard Haselgrove]

I would change Jord's final comment to "the simple GUI must use buttons..." - or text in a tooltip - or something: for usage in the UK to comply with Disability Discrimination legislation.

I have a colleague who is totally blind, and who uses Jaws v8.0 for Windows (from ​http://www.freedomscientific.com/) to generate both speech and active braille to describe the display output. If it would help, I could ask him if he would be prepared to assist with testing.

[Ageless]

From the original poster:

Hi there. I'm testing the latest boinc version released on may 3 2007, and I must say it's an improvement over the last version. I do have a few suggestions though. including an option in the system tray where you can switch views, I accidentally switched to simple view and now can't get back, I'm scared if I do a ctrl-alt-del and ending all the boinc tasks, it might ruine the current work unit I'm doing. I've heard of this happening to a few people. I'm doing the climateprediction project which means I can't afford to wreck a work unit, it's gonna take me 3 months to finish this one and I just can't afford to lose it. Also, could you please do away with the grid view and bring back the old list view interface? I found it much easier. thanks. ps: good to see the preferences options can be accessed from the advanced view as well.

[romw]

I have modified the manager so that if it detects a screen reader it'll automatically change to the Advanced GUI list view which is accessibility enabled.

We have a work item for 6.0 to make the Simple GUI accessible.

[mo.v]

Hello Rom

As a result of this new thread http://boinc.berkeley.edu/dev/forum_thread.php?id=2097 on the boinc_dev forum, I've taken the liberty of reopening this ticket.

The modification of the boinc manager to make make it compatible with accessibility programs is very welcome. Many thanks for that.

This modification will unfortunately not at present help this particular cruncher with a visual impairment because his old computer's CPU is not powerful enough to support running a screen reader and boinc manager + workunit simultaneously.

The Windows XP magnification tool, which I have tried, works with the boinc manager, but is inconvenient to use because a) the magnified view only occupies half of the screen and b) the minimum magnification it permits (level 1) is x4 which for some people is too much. So one only sees one-eighth of the BM at any time.

Many people have less than excellent eyesight but not bad enough to require a screen reader. The font size in the boinc manager is pretty small. Would it be possible to create an option to view the BM in text one or two points larger?

Thanks for your time.

Mo

[Didactylos]

This should be covered by milestone:6.0 as Rom said. Recommend re-close. mo.v, you can open a new ticket with the milestone set appropriately, but it would be sensible to reassess the accessibility when 6.0 reaches alpha.

[Nicolas]

No need for a new ticket; I'll bump the milestone here.

[mo.v]

On 26 Jan, cruncher Lightsttn1 again asked on the boinc_dev forum http://boinc.berkeley.edu/dev/forum_thread.php?id=1908 for there to be an option in the BOINC manager to enlarge the BM GUI text size somewhat. The version 6 milestone page linked to above by Didactylos is not detailed enough to mention this sort of detail. Are there any plans to make such an option available? I don't think it would matter if the user had to scroll horizontally a bit.

[Didactylos]

I see accessibility was removed from the roadmap. I have no clue why.

[Richard Haselgrove]

http://boinc.berkeley.edu/dev/forum_thread.php?id=3595

Come on guys, this is getting beyond a joke. Almost two years after this ticket was originally opened, the original poster is still unable to achieve his first request: switching from simple view to advanced view using the keyboard.

As noted in my first comment on the original opening of this ticket, I provide technical support for a colleague who is totally blind, and uses the "Jaws" screen reader providing both speech synthesis and active Braille output: he is currently attempting to manage the transition from Windows XP to Vista (with limited success, it has to be said). So I have watched him work, and had to find techniques for working round the difficulties he has encountered. The first and most obvious statement that has to be made is:

Anything which requires the use of a mouse (or any other pointing device) is completely impossible

I have tried the simple interface of BOINC v6.4.5 today, and I cannot find any way of switching to the advanced view using the keyboard alone. That's all whocrazy is asking for: once he's in advanced view, the interface is accessible, and in fact he praises the development work which has continued since his first representations.

One measly accelerator key combination on the simple interface? Is that too much to ask for?

I have raised the priority of this ticket to 'Blocker', because in my opinion the continuing distribution of the program with this accessibility defect in the default interface, 23 months after the defect was first drawn to the attention of the developers, is contrary to the anti-discrimination legislation in the UK, and presumably other jurisdictions too.

[Richard Haselgrove]

Changing trac's mis-interpretation of my CC addition.

[Richard Haselgrove]

OK, panic over - the notifications seem to be reaching me, in spite of that stray comma.

[mo.v]

I do not wish to draw attention away from Richard's very important restatement of his original very important request which I fully support.

But could I also remind the developers that, on behalf of BOINC users with less serious but still real visual problems, I did ask in September 2007 whether an option could be added to enlarge the BOINC Manager text by one or two sizes. The Windows magnifier is hopeless for this purpose and Ctrl with + does not work. I am not a programmer and would like to know whether such an improvement is a priori possible or impossible.

[romw]

I'm going to modify the manager so that if somebody hits CTRL-SHIFT-A it'll switch to the advanced view.

6.6 merged the grid view and accessible view, so now there is just one advanced view which should be accessible.

The accessibility issue in the simple GUI has been a contentious issue even before its inclusion, unfortunately the verbal agreement we had for an accessible Simple GUI follow-up isn't going to be bearing fruit. We'll just have to continually work on it over the course of several releases.

[Richard Haselgrove]

A verbal (dis-)agreement does not satisfy the requirements of anti-discrimination legislation.

[romw]

I am aware of various pieces of legislation regarding the disabled, as I have a physical disability myself. I've even had to use alternative input devices when I was in the hospital undergoing surgery.

However, unless something new hit the books that I am not aware of, section 508 of the Rehabilitation Act, only applies to government agencies looking to purchase software.

Now, frankly, I would rather look forward than backward, this is where things are at now. The simple GUI has to be re-written to properly handle the accessibility case, until I can get that done the advanced GUI is the best bet.

[Richard Haselgrove]

Understood and accepted. I defer to your superior knowledge of US legislation: however, BOINC is an international endeavour, and UK legislation is drafted somewhat differently.

The key (sic - sorry) feature for the affected user was the ability to climb back through the trapdoor if he inadvertently switched back to simple-GUI mode: CTRL-SHIFT-A sounds like a good offer, but we must watch out for reports in case it clashes with reserved key combinations in other accessibility products such as screen readers.

[romw]

(In [17410]) - MGR: Make CTRL-SHIFT-A the accelerator in the simple GUI that

switches back to the advanced view. refs #147

clientgui/

sg_BoincSimpleGUI.cpp, .h

[mo.v]

I now realise that I did not make it clear in my posts in this ticket that I was asking for a larger text size option in the BM Advanced GUI, not the Simple GUI. That's my fault and probably explains why there hasn't been a real response to my request. (I should really have opened a new ticket for this separate issue.) Unless the whole BSG could be expanded, bigger text wouldn't fit into it anyway.

But the option of text a size or two larger might be possible in the Advanced GUI because it already has scroll bars and it fills the whole screen.

Is there a possibility of this being implemented in a future BOINC version?

[Nicolas]

This ticket is about the simple GUI, so yes, please open a new ticket.

[mo.v]

I have opened a new ticket here:

http://boinc.berkeley.edu/trac/ticket/857

[romw]

(In [17476]) - MGR: Make CTRL-SHIFT-A the accelerator in the simple GUI that

switches back to the advanced view. refs #147

clientgui/

sg_BoincSimpleGUI.cpp, .h

[romw]

Closing this bug as their is now a keyboard accelerator as well as code to detect when a tool like JAWS is running, if so it'll switch back into the advanced view.

Seperate issues should be in seperate bugs.