CD-ROM Access
Multimedia Encyclopedia Accessibility Technical Report
by Madeleine Rothberg and Tom Wlodkowski
December 1997
The CD-ROM Access Project focuses on making multimedia software accessible to blind and visually impaired students. This project, funded by the National Science Foundation, will develop and implement guidelines that allow software publishers to create truly accessible products. Our first step has been an analysis of current CD-ROM software, and we present here our results for four multimedia encyclopedias.
We are grateful to the companies who provided us with software titles for inclusion in our research. An analysis of the current state of multimedia is vital to the development of meaningful access guidelines, without which software companies won't have the know-how to produce accessible products. We hope that the guidelines and support that emerge from this project fill that need and bring an increased awareness of the importance of designing educational software which is user-friendly for all learners.
Interactive encyclopedias are commonly used at home and in schools. Because a print encyclopedia can be difficult for blind or visually impaired students to use, an accessible electronic encyclopedia would be a great tool. Unfortunately, most of the programs we tested had serious usability flaws for people who rely on a screen reader for access. Screen magnifier users should have more success with these encyclopedias.
Each encyclopedia tested is the version that was available when our testing began. Except where noted, we tested both Macintosh and Windows versions and described any major differences. Multimedia software often changes substantially from version to version and our comments are therefore only applicable to the version listed. New releases may be more or less accessible. We hope that a long-term outcome of this research will be more accessible software, but because products are designed long before they are released it may take some time before improvements are evident.
Note that none of the encyclopedias reviewed here have special features for visually impaired users to improve their understanding of visual images. These products do not include video description for their multimedia clips or descriptive text for photographs. Some, however, include useful photo captions.
We tested each piece of software with three screen readers and two screen magnifiers: JAWS for Windows 95 version 2.0, Screen Power for Windows 95 version 3.0 revision C, outSPOKEN for Macintosh version 1.7.5, LP Windows version 6.1, and inLARGE version 2.1. While we tried to use each program as fully as possible, we may not have used all possible features. Our comments should not be understood to compare the access technologies to each other.
Compton's Interactive Encyclopedia 1997 Edition for Windows (The Learning Company)
Overview
Compton's has a highly graphical interface without a standard menu or keyboard commands. Your ability to use this product with speech will vary. Screen Power is more successful than JAWS in accessing the graphical interface, and Screen Power users may find that they can use the most crucial features after setting up labels with sighted assistance. Less experienced screen reader users will probably find Compton's too frustrating to use. With screen magnification this program can be used independently by a low vision student, but it will take some time for them to learn the layout of the image-packed screen.
Compton's provides several types of help. An introductory article describes the screen layout and is easily accessible. A standard Windows help system is also included, but screen reader users won't be able to launch it without sighted assistance. Finally, an "Explain" feature allows you to click on screen objects and hear audio hints about them. While useful for screen magnifier users, this feature is difficult or impossible for screen readers to manipulate. Note: We tested only the Windows version of Compton's because their Macintosh version was out of date at the time. A new version, Compton's 98, is expected soon. Its interface, however, will probably be quite different from the one we tested.
Navigation
Compton's has no standard menu bar. Most features and options are selected using a graphical toolbar at the side of the screen. This toolbar can be labeled with sighted assistance by Screen Power users, but cannot be accessed in JAWS without creating macros. A second pop-up toolbar cannot be used by either screen reader. This prevents screen reader users from accessing the Bookmarks, Help, Tips, and a number of other features. Because the program has no keyboard interface, users must be skilled with their screen reader's review commands, even in Screen Power, which is able to access the program relatively well. Screen magnifier users will find it taxing to explore the screen due to the lack of any standard menus or keyboard commands, but should be able to use the encyclopedia with practice.
Content
Articles appear in a window which can be enlarged to fill the screen for easier reading. Photos have caption text, which can also be read. Multimedia content includes audio clips and video clips. All clips play when first selected, and Screen Power can access the controls, though it is easier with Braille than with speech. JAWS is not able to use the multimedia controls, so to play the clip again, the user must close and re-open the clip.
Low vision users will appreciate a feature that displays the text of the articles and photo captions in a range of sizes. Either of the largest two might be useful for some low-vision users. The search tool text is not enlarged, however. Videos run in a small window and cannot be enlarged, and while the photos can be enlarged the quality is not as good as with the other encyclopedias. Some fun features, such as the Planetarium, Timeline, and Explore scenes, work reasonably well for magnifier users, though it may take some time to understand the screen layout. Maps are also usable with magnification. The maps and interactive features are not usable with a screen reader.
Encarta '97 Encyclopedia (Microsoft)
Overview
Encarta '97 is useful for low-vision users with screen magnification and offers some important settings that improve access. Screen reader users, though, may find it difficult to use primarily because the toolbar which serves as a menu is not at all accessible with speech. However, after some configuration with sighted assistance, screen reader users can perform most types of searches independently and can read the articles they find. The product's more interactive features are not very accessible to screen reader users, and the product help cannot be used at all on the Macintosh with outSPOKEN. Accessing Help with Windows screen readers requires sighted assistance, though the text once open is readable.
Navigation
Magnifier users will want to configure the Settings, available from the Options menu for Windows and the Edit menu for Macintosh. Options include skipping the opening screen, which is difficult to use, and setting the toolbar-like menu to open only when clicked, rather than popping down whenever the mouse strays across it. Some keyboard navigation is possible, though there is no audio feedback unless a screen reader is in use, and not even then on the Macintosh. The visual feedback from keyboard navigation is too subtle for low-vision users. Windows screen reader users may find the keyboard navigation crucial to accessing different kinds of topic searches.
Content
The articles in Encarta '97 can be viewed in three sizes of text, allowing lower magnification to be used, however, only the article text and not photo captions, buttons, or the search window are enlarged. Articles can also be read with the screen readers, though Screen Power users may find it more difficult. Playing multimedia clips from a screen reader may be inconsistent or difficult, though JAWS users will find that the keyboard navigation makes it possible. Photos are available in a large view and can be magnified further, with diminishing clarity.
Encyclopaedia Britannica CD '97 (Encyclopaedia Britannica)
Overview
The abundance of text-rich content and the use of Netscape Navigator for the user interface make Britannica one of the more user-friendly electronic encyclopedias. Even though this product is quite usable without sighted assistance, minor tweaks to the user's access software (screen reader or screen magnifier) or modifications to Netscape settings are necessary for optimal navigation. Sighted assistance may be helpful to accomplish this task. Visual content (maps and other graphical images) is not accessible to people using screen readers but this information stands up quite well under magnification. Product help is a series of articles with hypertext links and is quite accessible. (The default browser for this product is Netscape 2.0 though later versions can be used also.)
Navigation
Ease of navigation varies with access software but is greatly enhanced when images are not loaded by the Netscape browser. To set this up, however, the user must go through a series of steps: first turning off image loading, and saving that setting, then execute a command called "Clear the cache," and finally restarting the software. Britannica uses the standard Netscape menu bar which is completely accessible to the Windows-based screen readers. Menus on the Macintosh version are partially accessible, and we believe this has more to do with how outSPOKEN interacts with Netscape than Britannica's product design. Britannica's opening screen on both platforms is reasonably accessible thanks to the inclusion of alt text which allows the user to link to the same feature that is invoked by the corresponding graphic button. Navigating the opening screen on the Macintosh is somewhat more challenging because of outSPOKEN's inability to determine the status of three essential search controls. A workaround is possible provided that the user is relatively familiar with the screen reader.
Content
The majority of the content included in this product is text based, thus it is accessible to screen readers. The largest exception is mathematical equations. This is a direct result of the inability of conventional screen readers to accurately interpret mathematical formulas and symbols. Content text is also readable using a screen magnifier thanks to a simple and functional screen layout. CloseView (the factory installed magnifier on most Macintosh computers) may display an unsatisfactory text quality using Britannica's default font size. Selecting 24-point type under Netscape's option menu vastly improves readability under all levels of magnification. Graphical content, including some diagrams, maps, and national flags, is not central to the use of this product and is not accessible to a screen reader but stands up well under magnification.
1997 Grolier Multimedia Encyclopedia (Grolier Interactive Inc.)
Overview
Limited independent use of the 1997 Grolier Multimedia Encyclopedia is possible with speech but many Windows users may find the necessary workarounds too frustrating and time consuming. This is primarily because JAWS and Screen Power controls are hampered by the product's use of the arrow and number pad keys for navigation and edit box entry. Since virtually all screen readers use these keys, we expect that all Windows users will experience some type of conflict. Sighted assistance is required to decipher screen layout and to help identify clickable images on various screens. Knowledge of how to mark pixel location with your screen reader will also improve access to this product.
People using magnifiers will find this product to be reasonably accessible though it may take some time to become familiar with the screen layout. Photos do not magnify well with inLARGE for the Macintosh, but a full screen version of each photo is available. Regardless of whether you are using a screen reader or magnifier, be sure to configure the preferences not to load the title screen. This screen is not essential because all functions available there can be invoked from the menu bar.
Navigation
For Windows users, the keyboard conflict described above is the largest cause of difficulty. Use of the search controls on the Windows version is also difficult, and the keyboard conflict makes searching unreliable. While outSPOKEN's inability to announce the status of search controls complicates this task, memorization of screen layout obtained through sighted assistance will make searching possible and easier. Navigation with LP Windows is reasonably accessible. Operation of search controls using inLARGE for the Macintosh is slow because the magnifier cannot maintain focus due to the presence of overlapping dialog boxes.
Content
This product contains text articles and a wide array of media (photographs, movies, sound files, etc.). With some effort, screen reader users can locate the article text which appears in a column to the right of the search tool. Article text is readable once the screen reader is restricted to read in the column where the article is located. Independent use of the multimedia components is not possible. Product content is reasonably accessible under magnification on both the Windows and Macintosh platforms. Be advised, however, that video images do not run when LP Windows version 6.1 is active. Movies can be magnified effectively with inLARGE.
Conclusion
We hope these reviews are useful as you choose multimedia software for your home or classroom. However, because technologies and user needs vary widely, we suggest you try out software with the adaptive technology you use, if possible, before making a purchase. You can also check our software selection guidelines which may help you evaluate whether a piece of software will meet your needs.
Research for this article was done by the authors and by Rick Ely of In-Vision, Northfield MA, and Brenda Loughrey of Pittsburgh Vision Services.
