An IT Application Developer’s View of AT Interoperability
Andrew Kirkpatrick
Adobe Systems
February 7, 2007

The Big Picture
Adobe wants to do the right thing for users
Adobe wants implementing the right thing to be easier to accomplish

Adobe Reader and PDF
Pre-1998:  inaccessible to AT
Need to convey rich document information to users
Headings
Tables
Digital Signatures
Comments
Implemented MSAA on Windows to deliver information to AT

Accessibility Implementation
MSAA did not have everything that was needed 
Adobe needed to augment the API in minor ways
Adobe needed to work closely with Assistive technology vendors to ensure that support for the specific implementation, including the modifications was interpreted correctly

Over time, additional improvements were required
Adobe specified some new control types in its implementation (e.g. Digital Signature)
Adobe defined a new Document Object Model to convey additional information (e.g. headings)

Working closely with assistive technology vendors is required for support.

What we need
The ideal accessibility API would allow developers to have a reasonable expectation that AT support would be simplified.
Support for additional platforms would be simplified 
Every addition to an API or new API adds demands on resources for AT support
…for every AT to be supported
IT has a limited capacity to work with AT

The more comprehensive the API, the lower the investment for IT and AT.

Better by Adobe(tm).