I.B.M. launches improved web accessibility software

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I.B.M. has launched new software that makes it easier for users – especially those with visual and motor impairments – to access and navigate the Web. The software will make it possible for Web pages to be automatically narrated or magnified. IBM announced that it is contributing Dynamic Hypertext Markup Language (DHTML) accessibility technology software to the Mozilla Foundation's Firefox 1.5 version Web browser. This will allow software developers to build accessible and navigable Rich Internet Applications, 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. The advances in DHTML are primarily aimed at helping disabled computer users, but many non-disabled people would rather use the keyboard than the mouse for some applications.