These pages describe of the University of Toronto's Adaptive Technology Resource Centre's audio look and feel project. The impetus of this research was to create an alternate user interface using the Java Foundation Classes (JFC or "Swing"). One of the features of JFC is its pluggable look and feel architecture -- the ability to define the presentation and control of a user interface component separate from what that component does. Furthermore, Swing supports the ability to plug in multiple look and feels that run concurrently. The audio look and feel project is an attempt to explore this architecture and provide an alternate means of controlling Swing-based software. Thus, in addition to the "standard" GUI based interface, the user can control the software using a keyboard only, while receiving auditory feedback as to where they are, within the user interface, and what they can do.
This research was funded in part by a grant from Sun Microsystems, Inc.
Copyright (C) 1999 Adaptive Technology Resource Centre, University of Toronto.
Verbatim copying and distribution of this entire article is permitted in any medium, provided this notice is preserved.
Updated: 1999 Sep 06 JS
Web site maintained by Joseph Scheuhammer