By Bernard Maldonado

As an established script writer and project leader, Jeff will work closely with myself and the other Committee members as Solona evolves as an Internet Accessibility Resource. We have been communicating for several months about the possibility of him coming on board as a member. I’m very pleased that he accepted the offer and I am very excited to start working with him.

Jeff Bishop is an application developer at the University of Arizona and has over 21 years of programming experience in application development, database development and advanced web platforms. In addition to having a wide variety of jobs throughout his career, he is an expert in leading adaptive technologies for the blind including Window-Eyes, JAWS for Windows and other AT related platforms and products.

Jeff is married and lives in Tucson, AZ with his wife and two teenage sons.

The Solona Steering Committee is currently staffed by: Steve Sawczyn, Brandon B, Cara Quinn, and Jeff Bishop.  The purpose of the Steering Committee is to keep up with issues that arise and to ensure that Solona is on the right track with things like:  new & existing service evaluations, trend analysis, user support and operations issues that arise from time to time.

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By Bernard Maldonado

Today is a great day for Mac/Voice Over users who use Solona for Captcha solving!

A programmer named Theresa Ford, http://www.cattail.nu, developed an easy-to-use tool for Mac users that streamlines the Captcha solving process.

Theresa’s tool, which can be downloaded at http://www.cattail.nu/mac/solona , is a giant leap forward for Mac users; it greatly reduces the time required to submit a Captcha and retrieve the solution from Solona. By using her tool, a user can perform all the tasks to solve a Captcha without every opening the Solona web page!  Her program stores your username, password, and other variables to reduce the effort and time required to solve a Captcha.

Here’s how her program works: the user captures an image of her desktop with the Captcha to be solved. Then she opens the terminal window and executes the Solona script program. Through a series of prompts, the image is uploaded, the Captcha is solved by a Solona live operator, and the code is automatically retrieved within the script window and copied to the clipboard so it can be easily pasted into the appropriate form field.  Audio feedback alerts the user that her Captcha code solution is ready to be pasted.  In summary, the process is is reduced to capturing the screen image and executing the script.  Users get the same result without having to navigate the Solona web site.

Theresa’s tool is built upon the Solona API, which was established so that individual developers could write programs that allow users to access Solona by means other than the website.  The API provides programmers with ways to access Solona functions such as:  logging in, uploading an image, retrieving a Captcha code, etc.  The API will provide alternative ways for users to access Solona for solving Captchas.

Be sure to check out her white paper that provides all the technical information & instructions you need to properly use her tool. Again, the tool and white paper can be found at: http://cattail.nu/mac/solona .  There are a few parameters to set in the script file, so be sure to follow all of the instructions and test the script with a ‘dummy Captcha’ so that you are comfortable using when when you really need it.

I am so thankful to Theresa for reaching out and taking time to develop this tool for the Mac community.  This is a perfect example of how working together and brining together different resources can make a service better.  Please take a moment to say “thanks” to Theresa Ford. You can also find her on Twitter.

By Bernard Maldonado

Last week, an audio captcha alternative was published on the Main Yahoo Registration Page.

This was a major development for accessibility.

For years, screen readers users have been complaining that there was no audio alternative to the graphical Captcha on the sign up page.  Other sites like Twitter, Google, and Craigs List all offer an audio alternative to the visual Captcha.

Earlier this year, I wrote an article about how Yahoo Japan offers an audio alternative even though it was not offered on Yahoo USA.

The issue was that the tool was in place, but no audio ever played.  It had buttons and tabs, but no sound.

Now, as of today, October 13, the audio works and the tool appears to be functioning as it was intended.

The new Captcha tool incorporates a toggle function between the visual and audio Captcha.  Once a user lands on the Captcha, she will notice a button that says “Need Audio Assistance?”  Once that button is activated, the visual Captcha goes away, and is replaced by numbers spoken through an audio file built into the Captcha tool.  The user can revert back to the graphical Captcha if she so desires.

It does not appear that any plugins are required for the audio to work.  This is especially important for cross platform support.  This is good for cross-platform functionality among Windows, Mac, and Linux Internet users.  Many audio Captchas require a separate plugin that can be confusing for people who wish to use them.

All in all, this is a great development for Yahoo and for people who rely on accessible Captchas.

If you are a screen reader user, and get a chance to try out the Audio Captcha on Yahoo, please comment about it on Twitter or your favorite mailing list or blog.  Let others know how it works for you.

It will be wonderful when Yahoo extends this new functionality to groups and other properties that fall under the Yahoo umbrella.

Thank you, Yahoo, for taking this great step towards allowing people to solve Captchas independently, while at the same time, protecting the registration system from automated bots that are ultimately responsible for spam and unwanted Internet activity.

Bernard Maldonado

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By Bernard Maldonado

A Captcha was submitted to Solona yesterday by a user who was attempting to use the Shopping Cart on the Dell Outlet Website.

At first, I thought “no way, impossible!”  “Impossible that there’s a Captcha on Dell’s website!”  But a moment later, I calmed down and decided to check it out for myself.

The Captcha is presented at the time someone attempts to ‘add an item’ to their shopping cart.

Dell provides a long explanation for the Captcha.  Here is the text, which is taken directly from their screen entitled “Add to Cart Validation” : 

“Why do I need to type characters from a picture before I add a product to the cart?

Typing the characters from a picture helps ensure that an individual, and not an automated program, is adding a product to their cart.

This is important because hackers use harmful programs to try to reserve large amounts of inventory, which then means inventory is unavailable to our customers. To protect the integrity of your purchase, we ask you to take this step. In most cases, an automated registration program can’t recognize the characters in the picture.”

Once you read this screen, you will see that there is an image and an edit box in which the letters and numbers must be typed.  If the Captcha code is mis-typed, it is refreshed once again to be solved.  There is no audio alternative, nor is there any information on how to Contact Dell if you need assistance at this point.

Dell has no right to use an inaccessible Captcha that prevents a group of customers from using web resources.  If there is a bot-related problem, then Dell must address that properly and not implement a component that creates a barrier for a group of people.  Period.  There is plenty of technology to address that issue.

It doesn’t matter that Solona or WebVisum can solve this Captcha.  That is not the point at all.  This is a matter of independence, accessibility, and responsible web design.  Dell has an obligation, as a public company, to provide equal access and proper design so that everyone can use their web-related resources.

Now that the case has been made about the Captcha on the Dell Outlet Website, let us take a step back and look at this issue from a different perspective.  There is more going on here than just a Captcha.  A deeper investigation reveals that Dell basically avoids Accessibility information.  Allow me to explain.

I subscribe to the theory that everything, whether it is good, bad, or indifferent, starts at the top and rolls down hill.  With that in mind, and applying this to Accessibility, one should be able to visit a corporate website and easily find information that provides the corporate accessibility guidelines and initiatives.  If a company embraces Accessibility, it should be available for the public to see and reflect upon.

I decided to research several large computer firms with Accessibility in mind. 

The first firm I investigated was IBM.  Accessibility within IBM.  It is very easy to find a link to Accessibility directly from the main page of the IBM website.  This is a good example of rolling down hill.  The topic is out in the forefront for everyone to find and review.  The information is clearly presented and many details are provided.  Two thumbs up for IBM and their Accessibility campaign and presentation.

Next, I decided to visit HP and read about Accessibility at HP.  Just as the case with IBM, HP has a direct link on the main page of the HP Website for Accessibility.  The page is very informative and provides insight to how HP is promoting Accessibility at every level within the organization.  Without knowing anything about HP and Accessibility, a visitor can easily be informed by reading the Accessibility page.  Again, two thumbs up for HP and their proactive approach to this important topic.

Next, I checked out Fujitsu.  The main web page has a direct link to the Fujitsu Accessibility information page that illustrates how the company works to provide accessibility to customers and end users.  I encourage you to read their Accessibility page.  Fujitsu makes very good points about testing and proactive design so that all users can enjoy their content.  The page isn’t long, but it is strong.  Please take a moment and read the Fujitsu Accessibility Page.  As small as their PC/laptop market share may be in North America, their Web Page is very impressive and it is backed up with high quality management, people, products, and practices.

The last firm I researched was Dell.  When you open the main website at Dell.com, you will see no such link or reference to Accessibility.  There are many links to different portions of the website, but none related to Accessibility.

There is a link called Corporate Responsibility.  Upon opening that link, you will see that Dell addresses issues like:  Cultural Diversity, Environmental Responsibility, Corporate Accountability, and Social Giving.

Dell does not mention Accessibility here ANYWHERE!

Don’t get me wrong, all those topics are important.  However, I do not understand how such a large and almost ubiquitous company can all but avoid the topic of Accessibility on their website.  Dell has enough resources to address all of those topics including Accessibility.

Dell is not a startup company.  Dell is a twenty years old company with endless resources and management centers.  How could a company of this stature avoid this topic compared to their competition? 

IBM, HP, and Fujitsu have clearly stated and easy-to-find pages that are dedicated to Accessibility.  Dell fails miserably in this category.  The Captcha on their Outlet Store only reinforces their inability to understand the needs of such a large market segment of dedicated customers.

That is what I mean when I say that the Captcha is just one component of the overall problem at Dell.

Someone at Dell thinks that the Captcha is a good thing since it fends off bot-related attacks.  The fact is that it is a complete departure from responsible web design and Corporate Responsibility.

Several other firms make a point to promote Accessibility and explain how they reinforce the principles that provide equal access to resources.  IBM, HP, and Fujitsu are just three examples of such firms who should be commended for their actions.

Dell:  take a hint from them.  Devote resources to Accessibility, publish specific information related to this topic, listen to your customers, follow guidelines, and most of all..LOSE THAT CAPTCHA!

By Bernard Maldonado

Hundreds of people are happily using the tool.  However, a few users referred to an error that said: “Cannot paint canvas”.  At this point, the tool appeared unable to function for those users.

Until now, I never could replicate this, and it really bugged me all this time.  Keep in mind, if you don’t have any problems using the tool, then you really don’t need to keep reading this article.

This evening, I was tandem-connected with a user who reported the problem, and I was finally able to understand the issue.

There is no problem with the software or your machine.  The issue is that the Solona tool cannot be executed if the Options interface is open.  It must be resident in the system tray.  If you are able to navigate the Settings window, then you cannot execute the hot key shortcut to run the program.  It simply won’t work.

Once again, the Options Interface Window for the tool must be closed!  The system tray icon should be the only active item from the tool when you want to capture a web page.  When you start the tool, it automatically moves into the System Tray.  From there, you can access the Options Interface if you like.

I hope this makes sense.

If you don’t have the tool yet, you can obtain it by logging in to your Solona account and following the link you see on that landing screen to download the tool.

If you don’t know what this tool is:  It is a small software that makes using Solona much easier by automating the screen capture portion of the process.  By using the tool, you are able to create an image of the Captcha by simply using a customizable Hot Key combination. You save lots of time and get your Captcha solved much faster!  No more using MS Paint and copying and pasting.  Just one hot key combo and that’s it!

If you have any questions, or if you still have the Canvas error after this explanation, please feel free to contact me, or ask a question to @solona on Twitter and I will personally assist you to resolve the issue. 

Thank you.

Bernard.

By Bernard Maldonado

Solona carried out research during the summer to determine if Captchas are used on any United States Senator websites.

First, let me start by saying that there are many good accessibility features built into the Senate.gov website system.  The purpose of this article is not to bash all Senate websites.

For instance, many Senators offer text-only websites.  Some sites provide Section 508 compliance statements.  Many offices are equipped with TDD /  TTY equipment.

I learned about a new service called BrowseAloud, which is offered on the main Senate Website.  Take a moment to learn about BrowseAloud.

The point that I want to make is that many Senator websites offer accessibility features.

However, some Senators’ websites are infected with inaccessible Captchas on the official contact form.

Here is the list of Senators (and their website addresses) that have inaccessible Captchas on their websites:

Senator Jeff Sessions (Alabama) Contact Page
Senator Richard Shelby (Alabama ) Contact Page
Senator Pat Roberts (Kansas) Contact Page
Senator Jim Bunning (Kentucky) Contact Page
Senator Tom Coburn (Oklahoma) Contact Page
Senator Bob Bennett (Utah) Contact Page

Here are some other noted sites with special circumstances:

-Senator Mike Crapo (Idaho) Contact Page - The Captcha has an audio alternative.  Furthermore, the code is always the same:  vc7sr (verified from different machines)

-Senator John Cornyn (Texas) Contact Page - The Captcha is only on the Graphical site. The text-only site does not use a Captcha.

-Senator Jim Demint (South Carolina) – The Captcha was recently deactivated.  Kudos to Senator Demint and his web page team.  Thank you Senator Demint for promoting accessibility and setting a good example for your colleagues.

Why do these Senators use Captchas that represent inaccessible barriers for visually impaired constituents?

If you are  interested in contacting your Senator about the inaccessible Captcha, you may use this Senate Contact Page to find his or her phone number.

Thank you.  Bernard Maldonado

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By Bernard Maldonado

Google announced the acquisition of ReCaptcha today.  A blog post offers general details about the transaction.

As of noon today, there is not much detail from the ReCaptcha Official Website.  A quick scan of the Google Press Releases also does not yield details into the transaction.

After reading the article, it’s clear that Google wants to leverage the power of the ReCaptcha tool with the Google Books Project.  Furthermore, Google aims to tighten security to prevent rogue accounts being created.

ReCaptcha, a non-profit project managed by Carnegie Mellon University, uses a control word, plus another word that comes from text that could not be correctly OCR’d.  The person solving the Captcha contributes to digitizing books by doing what the OCR engine could not:  convert the graphic into text.

Google books is a grand project.  It makes sense that Google took notice and sought to incorporate the ReCaptcha Project into the Google Books Project.  The Google book conversions can benefit from Captchas that are correctly solved.

This acquisition opens the door to a few questions that I would like to point out and discuss:

1. In previous months, Google published a white paper on a new Captcha based on rotating an image. Here is the link to that project.  What will happen with that tool?  Since it does not contribute to any book project, will it be scrapped?

2. What kind of Captcha will Google now present on registration pages?  Google’s current Captcha has a 20% failure rate expectation by design.  The two Captchas are fundamentally so different – Google and ReCaptcha.  It’s hard for me to imagine half of each to combine a new tool.

3. What innovation will take place regarding accessibility?  This is such an important topic since Captchas are literal Fire Walls for visually impaired Internet users.  Will Google reach out to accessibility advocates in order to provide information and cooperation?

4. Since Google is a for-profit company, and offers extensive services related to demographic targeting, will Google attempt to use Captchas in a way similar to it’s popular Ad-sense or Ad-words products, or the way GMail is targeted based on key words? 

There is a lot of room here for Google to innovate.  It is important that we understand their objective.

Just as I pointed out in the Microsoft Patent Application article, I see an opportunity for Google to enhance the level of accessibility incorporated to the Captch Tool.

It is widely known the the audio alternative for Google, as well as ReCaptcha, are near impossible to solve.  That is why services like Solona and Web Visum exist – to empower people to solve Captchas as independently as possible.

I look forward to more information regarding this acquisition as well as any future tools that are released and implemented.  As I learn more, I will post to the blog.

Here are some additional links that talk about the Google & ReCaptcha Transaction.

http://www.pcmag.com/article2/0,2817,2352941,00.asp

http://www.willhambly.com/2009/07/recaptchas-business-model.html

http://googleblog.blogspot.com/2009/09/teaching-computers-to-read-google.html

http://www.centernetworks.com/google-acquires-recaptcha

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By Bernard Maldonado

I thought I would share with you, the captive audience, about a success story regarding a modified ReCaptcha Captcha on a website.

The problem was that a site, Wakerupper.com,  had modified the ReCaptcha tool so that it did not offer the audio alternative.  As a result, a visually impaired person is required to take additional steps to negotiate the barrier.

A bit about Wakerupper:  This is a site that allows you to program a specific time for you to receive a phone call and hear a message that you preset.  They have a list of interesting uses for Wakerupper on the website, including “escape from a boring meeting or date”.  You can learn more by visiting the website.  I’ve never used it, but it looks like a great service!

@EatBird on Twitter was trying to use Wakerrupper.  He asked me to take a look at the site and see if I could understand why they did not offer an audio alternative, which is a feature built into ReCaptcha. 

I examined the form and determined that the audio portion had been omitted for some reason.

After this, I found their @wakerupper Twitter address and respectfully asked them to please re-incorporate the audio alternative and briefly explained why.  Along the way, a few other peeps also mentioned the issue to their followers on Twitter.

Within a day, the Wakerupper Captcha issue was solved!  A follow up visit to the site revealed that the audio alternative had been restored and was working correctly.  They had also reached out with a reply on Twitter acknowledging the issue and the fast repair.

What a great response on their part to a simple request to make their website more accessible.  Thank you, Wakerupper, for addressing this quickly.

The reason that I mention this is to let people know how easy it is to make a difference in web accessibility.

All it takes is one person to tell a few others.  A few tweets later, coupled with a cooperative website administrator, and we have a success story.

If you notice a website with an inaccessible captcha, let someone know.  If you browse a site with an issue that you think can be fixed easily, share it with your followers on Twitter.  You might be pleasantly surprised with the outcome!

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By Bernard Maldonado

Note: the middle of this article contains some long quotes.  Please make sure to read towards the end of the article for additional commentary.

Microsoft filed a Patent Application with the US Patent and Trademark Office on August 13, 2009.  According to the application, Microsoft seeks legal protection for the concept of embedding advertising within Captchas.

In case you are wondering what a Captcha is:  A Captcha is a security puzzle that can be embedded in a webpage that must be solved before access is granted to the next resource.  Captchas are generally used on account setup pages and comment pages for webblogs.

Current usage of Captchas includes text in graphic form.  The most widely used Captcha Tool, ReCaptcha, is a mature tool that provides a graphic representation of two vocabulary words and an audio alternative for visually impaired users.  Other Captcha tools similarly display text, numbers, or words in graphic form that a user must type into an edit field in order to gain access to resources such as:  email account registrations, forum posts, and ticket search results.  It’s widely known that most Captcha tools to not provide accessible alternatives to the graphic text.

Captcha contents are, shall we say, more mechanical than attractive.  The graphic is a word or two words in a regular font, one color (black usually) and there are geometric shapes that obscure the letters so that OCR systems cannot easily convert the graphic to ASCII text.  The objective is not to entertain the user, but to provide security for the web resource.

According to Application number 20090204819, Microsoft seeks to rejuvenate Captchas.  They want to inject a dose of pizazz and sparkle into each security device.  Make no mistake, Microsoft also wants to monetize Captcha security devices.  The idea is to make the Captcha like a commercial.  The application points out that the ad Captcha will use similar “Cost per Click” techniques.  Furthermore, ad’s will be shown based on demographic indicators of the website or users.  It is believed that this will help target potential consumers more effectively.

One example would be to show a colorful graphic with words and images.  One of the words on the ad would be “XBox”.  The question would be “what is the brand represented in the Captcha”.  So the user would have to enter “XBox” in order to gain access to the next level of the webpage resource.

The Captcha tool would also provide an audio alternative.  Microsoft already provides audio on resources like:  Hotmail, Live, and MSN.  However, it is well known that the audio message is extremely difficult to interpret.

In an effort to include an accessible alternative, the new advertising model would include an audio alternative in the form of a commercial.  The following is a direct quote from the Microsoft patent  Application:  “As an alternative or supplement to graphical ad-based HIPs (Human Interactive Proof), the ad-based HIP challenge may be audio-based by being implemented as an audio recording, file, or clip that is played on the user’s computer or other device, typically for example, as an assistive technology to enable sight-impaired users to access websites, or use Internet-enabled or other locally-running applications. The audio may comprise, for example, a slogan, musical jiggle or ditty, spoken words, or other sounds (or combinations thereof) that are used to convey an advertising message while also providing the basis for an ad-based HIP.”

In English, what that says is that you can expect to hear a commercial much like you would on TV or radio.  For example, if you are solving a Captcha for a sports related site, you might expect the commercial to be about Gatorade.

Here’s the bad part.  MS claims that the spoken audio would be obscured by noises such as “screeching tires” and “revving engines”.  Here is a quote from the application:  “an audio ad-based HIP could start with the sounds of revving engines and screeching tires that are played over a fast-tempo rock music track before a voiceover next says “Get ready for high-flying stunt driving in Xbox Live Arcade due in stores in November, and only for the Xbox 360.” The user will type “Xbox” to successfully pass the challenge when prompted to identify the product in the advertisement. The sounds effects and music can help obscure the voice and reduce the ability for a computer to recognize the challenge answer. As a result, the audio ad-based HIP can generally be expected to be equally robust as conventional audio HIPs where users typically listen to obscured or garbled letters or numbers and then type them into their computers.”

COMMENTARY:

Folks, I won’t hold back any punches.  By making a business out of Captchas, Microsoft has an obligation to make sure that this new security device has been run through every level of accessibility testing that is available.

There is no excuse on earth for someone to realize a profit from a Captcha that is not 100% accessible to everyone. 

If Microsoft wants to monetize this tool, there is a higher level of compliance that must be expected concerning accessibility.

I realize that this is still in the early stage of development and deployment.  Honestly, I have not seen any example of this new concept beyond the images contained in the application.  Perhaps Microsoft is already planning on extensive accessibility testing and compliance.  I might be pleasantly surprised.  However, I suspect that this will be exactly like a current MSN Captcha audio alternative, but it will be a commercial instead of just numbers.

Having said that, I am inclined to believe that proactive cooperation between a Consumer Organization of Blind People and Microsoft is the only way to ensure an end result that can be beneficial for everyone.

You might find my commentary negative or pessimistic.  On the contrary.  I take pleasure in finding opportunity here within to bring accessibility to Captcha devices.

With the introduction of profit, the developer cannot claim “lack of resources”, or “lack of funding”.  Microsoft has plenty of both, and has just opened the gate for creating a HIP security device that is accessible to everyone.

A truly accessible Captcha is long overdue.  Many vendors offer audio alternatives.  We all know how those work and how difficult they are to successfully negotiate.  This is the perfect opportunity to engage and demand an accessible Captcha.

If you are reading this, and agree with what I have just said, then I encourage you to contact your Blind Advocacy Group of choice and express the need to approach Microsoft and extend willingness to help ensure that this new Captcha is truly accessible.  At the least, contact Microsoft and let them know that you want their new Captcha technology to address the needs of both visually impaired and hearing impaired Internet consumers.

Best Regards,

Bernard Maldonado
Solona Captcha Solution Service
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By Bernard Maldonado

In an effort to allow people to ask questions, make comments, or simply talk about Solona or Captcha issues, I am going to establish a weekly (for the most part) session on Ventrilo for people to participate.

There are no requirements.  This is simply an free form opportunity for people to login and ask me questions or let me know what they think about Solona.  Or, maybe you have a question about a particular site’s captcha and want some information about the captcha.  I am happy to work with you during this session.  I do not plan on talking proactively.  Rather, I want to respond to what people ask or say.

This is one way that I can think of put Solona on the ground level for people to come and get answers.

Many thanks to Steve Sawczyn for providing the use of his Ventrilo Server that is also used for the AT Maine weekly Technology Show.  I am deeply grateful and thankful for him letting me use this resource.  I try to sit in on his show – it is a good resource.

The Meet up will be every Tuesday at 7 PM CST (GMT -6) to 8 PM.  The first session will be this Tuesday August 18, 2009.

I look forward to meeting you and speaking with you during these sessions.  Thank you.  Keep reading for connection details.  Note that I am bilingual (English and Spanish).  So if a Spanish speaking person has a question, I will be happy to respond in Spanish.

Here are the details on how to connect:  

The server address is:  v45.darkstarllc.com / and port number 5881

If you need detailed instructions beyond this, then please read below:

FOR WINDOWS USERS:

In order to join the Assistive Technology Show, you will need to install and configure the Ventrilo client. Should you prefer, you can access an audio tutorial which takes you step by step through the following instructions.

Here’s how to get up and running. First, download Ventrilo. Clicking the above link will take you to Ventrilo’s download page. Choose the first Ventrilo client which is the Windows version. A Macintosh client also exists and directions for getting it running are similar to those written here. After choosing your version, you’ll be presented with an agreement page basically warning you that it’s illegal to export the software to Iran, Cuba, etc… Simply hit agree and the download finally starts. You can choose to either save, or run the downloaded file — I chose to run it as I didn’t think I’d be needing to reinstall it again. Either way, you’ll be presented with a standard installation wizard, the same one you’ve probably seen countless times when installing other software. Simply “next” your way through the wizard and choose finish when prompted. Ventrilo will have placed an icon on your desktop, simply choose it to run the program.

When running Ventrilo for the first time, you’ll be asked if you want to read the beginner tutorial. If you’re curious, choose yes, otherwise, choose no to just get started. This is now where things get a wee bit tricky. Fear not, you’ll only have to do this once. You’ll be on a user name field, actually it’s a combo box. Hitting tab once will take you to an unlabeled button. Press space to activate this button. Basically, what we’re doing here is creating a new user profile. The users, once created, appear in that combo box, but in order to create them, we need to use the user manager i.e. the unlabeled button. Choose new to create a new user and type in your name. Tab to ok to create the user. You can now set options for your newly created user, although the defaults are perfectly fine. Tab to OK, unless there’s something you really do want to change. After choosing OK, you’ll be placed back on that unlabeled button, press tab. You’ll now be on a server field, yet another empty combo box. Pressing tab again will take you to yet another unlabeled button, this is the server manager. Choose this unlabeled button and as before, choose new to create a new server entry. Once created, the server entries will appear in the combo we just skipped over. Although this may seem complicated, the advantage is that you can define multiple servers and simply choose the one to which you wish to connect. After hitting new, you’ll be asked for a name. call the server whatever you wish — I called mine A T Maine, but you can put whatever you’d like here . Press ok to create the entry. You will then be able to define settings for the newly entered server profile. The first attribute we need to define is the server’s host name, or address. In the case of my server, the address needed is: v45.darkstarllc.com . I have my Ventrilo server hosted which is why we have a darkstarllc address and not an atmaine one. Pressing tab will take us to the “port” value. By default, 3684 will be filled in, we need to change this in our case to 5881. Although 3784 is the standard Ventrilo port, mine is different because it’s hosted by another company. Pressing tab will move us between additional options — the defaults are fine. Press ok to finish adding the server. Now that we’ve got our user profile created and our server added, we can simply tab to connect and hit space. That’s it! You’ll be connected, you’ll hear a really cool sounding connect sound and you’re in. From then on, in order to use the server, you need only start Ventrilo from the desk top, tab to connect and hit space… You don’t even have to go back to the A T Maine web site.

In order to talk, simply use your left control key. You can change this hotkey, but I think I’ve caused enough confusion for one day.

FOR MAC USERS:

Please note, an audio tutorialexists to help guide you through the download, installation and configuration of the Ventrilo client. You may listen to the audio tutorialeither by following this link, or by looking at the Assistive Technology Show podcast episodes from within iTunes.
Mac users are able to take part in the Assistive Technology Show as a Ventrilo client for Mac exists. Simply go to Ventrilo’s download page and downloadthe Mac client. Mount the image and copy the Ventrilo application to your applications folder.

Ventrilo on the Mac looks and behaves similarly to its Windows counterpart described above. After running Ventrilo for the first time, You’ll find yourself on a user name drop down field. Navigating to the right using VoiceOver will take you to an unlabeled button. Use vo-space to activate this button. Basically, what we’re doing here is creating a new user profile. The users, once created, appear in that drop down, but in order to create them, we need to use the user manager i.e. the unlabeled button. Choose new to create a new user and type in your name. navigate to ‘ok’ to create the user. You can now set options for your newly created user, although the defaults are perfectly fine. Navigate to OK, unless there’s something you really do want to change. After choosing OK, you’ll be placed back on that unlabeled button, continue navigating right. You’ll now be on a server field, yet another empty drop down. Navigating further right will take you to yet another unlabeled button, this is the server manager. Choose this unlabeled button and as before, choose new to create a new server entry. Once created, the server entries will appear in the drop down we just skipped over. Although this may seem complicated, the advantage is that you can define multiple servers and simply choose the one to which you wish to connect. After hitting new, you’ll be asked for a name. call the server whatever you wish — I called mine A T Maine, but you can put whatever you’d like here . Press ok to create the entry. You will then be able to define settings for the newly entered server profile. The first attribute we need to define is the server’s host name, or address. In the case of my server, the address needed is: v45.darkstarllc.com . I have my Ventrilo server hosted which is why we have a darkstarllc address and not an atmaine one. Navigating right will take us to the “port” value. By default, 3684 will be filled in, we need to change this in our case to 5881. Although 3784 is the standard Ventrilo port, mine is different because it’s hosted by another company. Further navigation will move us between additional options — the defaults are fine. Press ok to finish adding the server. Now that we’ve got our user profile created and our server added, we can simply navigate to connect and activate it. That’s it! You’ll be connected, you’ll hear a really cool sounding connect sound and you’re in. From then on, in order to use the server, you need only start Ventrilo from your applications folder, navigate to connect and activate it. You don’t even have to go back to the A T Maine web site.

One more thing worth noting is that by default, Ventrilo uses the control key as it’s “push to talk” key. For VoiceOver users, this creates a bit of a conflict as whenever you attempt to navigate, Ventrilo will think you’re wanting to say something. The default hotkey can be changed, however, by performing the following actions:
#1 Navigate to and activate the settings button.
#2 Vo-shft-end to move the VoiceOver cursor to the bottom of the settings screen — this is a very important step.
#3 Navigate left until you encounter the OK button.
#4 If mouse tracking is disabled, route your mouse pointer to the OK button.
#5 disable mouse tracking with vo-shft-f3.
#6 Navigate to the top of the settings screen using vo-shft-home.
#7 As you navigate right, you will eventually encounter an edit field for the default hotkey. Anything typed in this field becomes the new default hotkey. Problem is, as you attempt to navigate away from this field, you’ll change whatever you had intended to be your default hotkey. Since we know our mouse pointer is in the correct place, simply press whatever you’d like the default hotkey to be, I chose the function key, and physically click your mouse. Physically clicking the mouse will activate the OK button and your new default hotkey will be saved.