This thread suggest to me it's time to inform the blind linux user=20 community of the NCITS Alternative Access Committee, known to some of us=20 as the "V2 Committee." Here's a brief explanation from the V2 Home Page=20 which is at: http://www.ncits.org/tc_home/v2.htm What is V2? What is AIAP? V2 is a technical committee of the National Committee for Informat= ion Technology Standards (www.ncits.org). It is charged with developing n= ational standards for Information Technology Access Interfaces. The first project of the technical committee will be to develop sta= ndards for an Alternative Interface Access Protocol (AIAP). This protoco= l would complement and build on industry activity in home networking, = wireless networking, and metadata registries for discovery and interopera= tion of devices. The aim is to make it easier to fulfill the alternate inte= rface connection needs of people with disabilities that are called for in= recent government regulations, such as Section 255 of the Telecommunications= Act and Section 508 of the Rehabilitation Act. The Alternative Interface= Access Protocol and related standards will enable IT products to be = more accommodating of the needs and preferences of the consumer by allow= ing for alternative user interfaces. While addressing the special needs = of people with disabilities, the option to change interfaces will have a = broader market application. What is AIAP, technically? The protocol will provide for access to both standalone and networked= systems and devices. With suitable intermediaries, AIAP will permit inte= raction with workstations, with embedded devices (environmental controls, = intelligent appliances, and consumer electronics), or with applications v= ia home networking and/or the Internet. The protocol optionally will convey = information about user interface functionality, preferences, and capabili= ties to another system with which the user intends to interact. Alternative i= nterfaces can then be accommodated or constructed, in real-time if necess= ary, to provide fundamental access to computing services and information regar= dless of any limitation of the user. There are 4 ways that AIAP is currently envisioned to provide a means = for users to change the user interface: * By using an alternate user interface component instead of the nati= ve user interface component. * By allowing a person to use a complete alternate user interface = (which includes its own alternate input, control and display mechanisms) = instead of the native input, control and display mechanisms on the product= (a =E3Remote Console=E4). * By allowing the user to cause their characteristics or user inter= face preferences to be communicated to the target product (either directl= y or by providing a code which the device uses to look up the user prefer= ence or characteristics) where the target product changes its own user in= terface behavior based on the user preferences or needs. * By allowing the user to cause new user interface software to be de= termined and downloaded onto the target device directly or indirectly. AIAP and Section 508 If adopted by assistive technology manufacturers and incorporate= d into their products, the AIAP can facilitate and simplify industry=E2s = effort to provide compatibility with a variety of assistive technologies. It = will simplify and expand consumers=E2 access to the widening range of tec= hnologies they encounter daily. These in turn can contribute to meeting= the Access Board=E2s =E3508=E4 accessibility standards for electronic an= d information technology. For more information See our website at: [1]http://www.ncits.org/tc_home/v2.htm =09 Janina Sajka, Director Technology Research and Development Governmental Relations Group American Foundation for the Blind (AFB) Email: janina@afb.net Phone: (202) 408-8175 Chair, Accessibility SIG Open Electronic Book Forum (OEBF) http://www.openebook.org Will electronic books surpass print books? Read our white paper, Surpassing Gutenberg, at http://www.afb.org/ebook.asp Download a free sample Digital Talking Book edition of Martin Luther King Jr's inspiring "I Have A Dream" speech at http://www.afb.org/mlkweb.asp Learn how to make accessible software at http://www.afb.org/accessapp.asp =09