IBM Contributes Open Source Code to Make FireFox Browser More Accessible

IBM announced that it is contributing software to the Mozilla Foundation's Firefox Web browser to make it easier for more users -- including those with visual and motor impairments -- to access and navigate the Web.

In addition to contributing code that will make it possible for Web pages to be automatically narrated or magnified, and to be better navigated with keystrokes rather than mouse clicks, IBM is contributing Dynamic Hypertext Markup Language (DHTML) accessibility technology to the upcoming Firefox Version 1.5. This will allow software developers to build accessible and navigable "Rich Internet Applications" (RIAs) -- a new class of applications that are particularly visual and interactive. DHTML will also allow users to efficiently navigate content more easily using keystrokes rather than a mouse.

This is being done in support of ongoing work at the World Wide Web Consortium (W3C) Web Accessibility Initiative, and as part of IBM's commitment to open standards and open source.

This software will make Firefox 1.5, running on Windows, the only browser to give developers the ability to add accessibility functions to RIAs that will make them more "accessible" to the disabled or elderly. As interactive, responsive, intuitive and feature-laden as programs installed on a PC desktop, RIAs can run without requiring users to install additional programs on their PCs. However, the features that make graphical applications so popular are difficult for many users with disabilities to use.