Issue List: Issue: Java-Based Canvas-Chat Client

lient apparently was not implemented using the Java Access Bridge. It is inaccessible to the screen reader, which reads some buttons correctly but mostly just says “button” over and over again. Tab navigation within the client is also uneven – some buttons get the focus when tabbed or “arrowed” to, others are skipped or accessed out of order. It is quite easy to get “stuck” within a single panel in the client.

Either implement a new client in Java using the Access Bridge APIs (which must be accompanied with help that indicates that screen reader users must install the Java Access Bridge) and having the ability to undock, not display, or skip focus on the canvas, or allow an existing and accessibility-verified chat program to communicate with the D2L chat service. On Windows, the only chat client that works with JAWS is MSN Messenger. On Mac, an inexpensive plugin called iChatter allows for excellent voicing within iChat. So, one possible solution would be to make the chat server for D2L be able to interact with other chat clients. iChat, for example, uses the “standard” Jabber for communication.

This issue has been revised on 7/21/08. A variation of it appears either in global issues or in the resolved issues section.