I want my desktop to look beautiful, even if I can't see it

At the moment I'm on training in Paris, learning about advanced .NET & all things code-like.  One of the fellow delegates who also works at Microsoft UK is Saqib Shaikh who sits in the Microsoft Consulting Services (MCS) group as a developer.  One of his main passions is accessibility for computers because he's blind.  Recently he's been working on some Windows Workflow Foundation projects which he promises to let me look at when we're back in the UK.

Last night I invited Saqib out for dinner and an informal chat about accessibility.  Primarily, because I know very little about it and second because I'm interested how Vista is looking to change the accessibility landscape.

We found a nice little brasserie just off the Place de la Concorde and this is the conversation we had:

So we've just had our French onion soup (translate), Saqib agrees with me that it was great.  So let's start with an easy one. What is accessibility?

Well in my opinion, it's helping blind, deaf and mobility impaired people to use programs on a computer.  So effectively helping people who have trouble  hearing/seeing/moving to interact with computers as easily as possible.

"Ok so that's pretty much what I thought it was too - glad we're on the same page!"   I sip on my 2001 Medoc and absorb the bustling atmosphere of the restaurant, contemplating my next question. "Let's talk about your computing history. You mentioned you've been a coder for about 11 years; how did you first get into computers and then how did you progress onto programming?"

I went to a school for the blind in Worcester which is regarded as one of the best in Europe.  I was fortunate because it was not only well equipped in terms of facilities but provided its students with an excellent preparation for life in the outside world. 

So the first computer I used at school was a BBC; it sounded like a Dalek, and had talking interfaces to programs like WordWise.

Next up was DOS where I first cut my teeth on C and C++.  This is where I came across some of the first "screenreaders" (screenreaders - does what it says on the tin), and because the DOS screen is plain text it was fairly easy to get screenreaders which could cover a large number of applications and there was also customisation for the major applications like WordPerfect etc.

So when did you get your hands on a GUI based operating system? Was it Mac or PC first? I smile wryly and Saqib senses this and smiles back, and says:

Although there were screen readers for Windows 3.x they didn't seem to work as well as the DOS ones, so I stuck with that until 1997 when I upgraded to Windows 95.

Wow I was really expecting a Mac! I admit to him that my first GUI based PC was the Mac Lisa and we talk about old school computing for a while. So what was Windows 95 like from an accessibility point of view, from a general computing perspective it was a major shift - did accessibility make similar strides?

By the time Win95 came out the GUI screen readers were starting to mature, but blind people who relied on their computers for their job had to relearn how to use the computer, which in many applications was less accessible than in DOS.  It was a major paradigm shift for blind computer users, and required a totally new way of thinking.

For me it wasn't such a big problem because I wasn't working at that point.  I was just doing schoolwork and playing around and that's why I didn't switch until '97 when the company that made my DOS screen reader came out with their first Windows version.  One of my blind friends helped me learn Windows 95 and I built on that feature by feature.

Is there a large community of blind computer users out there? He pauses as the waiter serves his Salmon and Spinach turine whilst I feast my eyes on my duck in honey sauce with fried potatoes. I introduce Saqib to the whereabouts of his food on his plate before we wish each other "bon appetite" and continuing:

Yes, and I have been involved in various online communities over the years.  Whilst at University I helped code some unix screenreaders because there was very little available.  More recently, I was part of the community that helped shape Apple's accessibility features in OSX 10.4 (Tiger).

I'm impressed and keen to know more about how Apple fosters this particularly community.  So what was it like helping Apple out on their accessibility?

 It was an amazing opportunity to help shape the product so early on in its lifecycle.  In terms of accessibility I think Apple were quite revolutionary in their approach, whereas the Windows accessibility ecosystem has evolved over time.  And then there's Sun's and IBM's accessibility efforts around Gnome, but I never really got involved with that.

I'm guessing Microsoft have an internal accessibility community?

Yes, of course we've got the Accessible Technology Group, but in terms of a community there's a group of people from all over the world who meet every month to discuss  accessibility issues.

It's very flexible - whatever issues are on peoples' minds.  But one of the most prominent topics at the moment is Vista, as you would expect.

I love good segway and can't resist: What do you think of the accessibility in Vista, does it provide the revolution you crave?

For me the biggest enhancement in Vista is the new accessibility framework, but I won't see the benefit of that until screen readers and third party developers make use of it.

So the revolution is in the pipeline but depends on ISVs to develop using the framework?  You better explain more about the framework then.

Well, it's called UI (User Interface) Automation, or UIA for short.  It's an accessibility/testing framework that allows an application to programmatically get a list of controls on the screen, get information about each control, and perform actions on the control.  The accessibility platform harnesses UIA because of this ability to plug-in to the controls of an application. 

An automated test suite can simulate mouse clicks and key-presses and ensure the controls behave in the expected way, but UIA can also be used by screen readers, magnifiers, and alternative input devices.

Ok, so if you test an application using UIA, you are also making it accessible?

 Yes, that's right.  I'm hopeful that more and more third parties will start testing with UIA, and (maybe without knowing it) be providing better accessibility as well.  Of course, it'd be much better if accessibility was considered as part of the design process, but the reality is that this is often not done.

I can sense Saqib isn't completely satisfied with all that Vista has done for accessibility so I ask him: What's changed between XP and Vista - apart from the UI Automation?

For me, personally, UIA is the main accessibility enhancement.  There's the awesome new speech recognition, and a very natural sounding speech synthesizer.  But it's hard to know, since unlike most other Microsofties I haven't yet been able to take Vista for a test-drive - I'm waiting for the assistive technology vendors to make their products Vista-compatible.

We order coffee and ask for the bill.  While we are waiting, Saqib comments:

One thing that annoys me is that I'm pretty sure the upcoming Vista screenreaders turn off Aero so I can't get the glass effects and flip-3d.

I raise an eyebrow, Saqib continues:

I mean, I want my desktop to look beautiful, even if I can't see it.

I hadn't even thought of it like that, Saqib. I pause, it takes me a couple of seconds to understand him. He's right - even though he's blind he should still be able to have the same cool features in Vista that I take for granted - there's so much hype about the new interface and graphics, it's something to show off right? He should be able to show it off as well as someone who doesn't need the accessibility features. So have you got anything interesting coming up soon?

Yes in a couple of weeks time I've got to present to the BSC (British Computer Society) because I'm through to the final four candidates for their "Young IT Practitioner of the Year Award 2006".

 I feel very humble. I agree to get the bill in return for Saqib sorting me out a place at the award ceremony dinner. Later that night I check out the BSc website and find Saqib's profile listed:

Saqib is 24 years old and currently working for Microsoft UK, on the Microsoft Academy for University Hires. He graduated from the University of Essex, with a first class honours degree in Computer Science - with the highest mark in the class. Saqib went on to do an MSc, and has worked for four high profile companies since then. His entry focuses on these achievements, particularly in light of the additional barriers he has had to overcome, being blind.

To find out more about the accessibility in Windows Vista, check out the following resources:

Preview of Windows Vista Accessibility on Microsoft.com

Read the developer guide to accessibility and Windows UI Automation (WUIA)

Interview from Seattle Times with Rob Sinclair, Director of Accessible Technologies Group

Matt's comments on the article

The photo above features Saqib using his computer during training thanks to his screenreader.