Wordtube inaccessible to the blind…

Hi. I recently installed the Wordtube plugin to handle the media content on my Website. I was able to install it no problem, configure it fine as well, implement it on my site’s homepage just great.

So, what’s the problem?

OK, the problem is that I am almost totally blind and using a screen-reader software package called Jaws For Windows, version 9, and the Flash media holder that I can see has appeared on the homepage as a dark rectangle is not making itself visible to the screen-reader.

When I arrow from the end of the last word in the paragraph immediately above the player, I come right to the first word in the paragraph immediately below the player. The player itself is invisible to Jaws.

This has to do with incorrect coding practice, because Adobe provide an easy way for coders to create accessible Flash buttons that not only appear to screen-reader software, but also are correctly labeled e.g. Play, Stop, Volume Up and Volume Down etc. Unfortunately coders are not required to implement these accessible buttons, it is simply a guideline to best practice.

An example of a plugin that does have accessible buttons is the Smart YouTube plugin. All the buttons appear in the tab order of the WordPress page along with any links and form controls like edit fields.

I am really desperately trying to find an MP3 player that works with WP2.7 both from the admin panel and also the live site. I really hoped this Wordtube player would be the one as its very powerful, but any blind visitors to my Website will be unable to play any of the multi-media content unless this problem can be fixed.

Please could you look at using standard Flash buttons instead of the current GUI, and could you possibly look at doing this as a matter of real urgency?

Providing accessible Websites is crutial in this age of Disability Descrimination laws coming in to effect around the World, and so I hope you can help by making these very simple changes as quickly as possible.

I don’t want to provide an Email address here because of Spiders, but you can contact me by putting mtsw69 and @gmail.com together to form my full Email address.

Please let me know if there’s anything you can do to help.

Regards,

Matt