IBM Donates Accessibility Code To Firefox

This week, IBM said it will donate code to the Firefox browser that will make the application more usable for people with visual or other types of disabilities. According to the World Health Organization, as many as one billion people worldwide have a speech, vision, hearing, mobility, or cognitive disability, and legislation in at least some countries sets requirments for accessibility of information for individuals with disabilities. Expected in the 1.5 release of Firefox, the code from IBM will allow Firefox users to manipulate and navigate Web pages without a mouse or with reduced numbers of keystrokes. The code also facilitates “rich Internet applications,” which are designed for individuals with specific disabilities. Previously, IBM has helped the Mozilla Foundation, the maker of Firefox, make the browser compatible with Microsoft Active Accessibility, a widely used standard for accessibility tools such as screen readers.

ZDNet, 15 August 2005