OpenDocument Plans Questioned by Disabled

ComputerWorld is reporting that John Winske, president of the Disability Policy Consortium, is raising some questions about the accessibility of the OpenDocument format. From the article: "Winske, who has muscular dystrophy, said he instantly remembered how Microsoft had to be "prodded and dragged, kicking and screaming" to make its software accessible during the transition from DOS to Windows. None of the prominent desktop applications that can create and save documents in OpenDocument currently work well with screen readers, magnifiers and other assistive technologies -- at least at a level comparable to that of products from Microsoft, whose 40-person Accessibility Technology Group is now widely praised by disabilities advocates."

Comments

Hold on!

[MindStalker]

Didn't we just read the other day about a plugin to make MS Word open OpenDocument. Once MS Word can open the documents shouldn't you then be able to preform all of the other functions..

Case closed.

Doesn't Office have a plugin for OD

[varmittang]

Software industry group Open Source Victoria has teamed up with NSW technology company Phase N to develop a plug-in for Microsoft Office users to view documents in the Open Document Format. From here: http://www.theage.com.au/news/breaking/opendoc-plu gin-for-ms-office-users/2005/10/20/1129775888552.h tml So it is being worked on, just give it time since MS isn't helping at all.

ummm ..... this is news HOW?

[Gorshkov]

This is absolutly a non-story .... with the plugin for Word/Office/whatever, the ability of ODF applications to work with assistance devices will be - by defination - *exeactly* as good as what it currently is in word.