ButtercupReader
Making website accessibility a reality for the visually impaired: introducing ButtercupReader.
ButtercupReader, developed by Intergen for Microsoft, is a living example of the way in which innovative technologies can enable breakthroughs and remove barriers. ButtercupReader is a Silverlight application that allows visually impaired people to read DAISY (digital accessible information system) “talking books” and better access the information contained within Word documents.
No special hardware required, and no cost to the user. The only thing needed is Microsoft Silverlight, which is free and just takes a few minutes to download. There are a number of readers on the market, but none so accessible or easy to obtain. All you need to do is open your browser.
Intergen was commissioned by Microsoft to develop the reader, based on our extensive experience developing TextGlow. Intergen enlisted the expertise of the Royal New Zealand Foundation of the Blind to provide valuable consultancy on the project. Kevin Prince, the Foundation’s Adaptive Technology Services Manager, comments, “Buttercup’s design is exciting and intuitive to use. Intergen has done really clever things with all the interactive design interfaces and the result is a really sharp, well-designed experience.
The key to it all is that it’s absolutely accessible – it can be there, ready to go on a web browser, with no special applications or expense required." ButtercupReader is proof that rich internet applications such as Silverlight can truly deliver a compelling and engaging experience within a web browser, rich in interactivity, usability and simple to run. Some of ButtercupReader’s innovations include the concept of self-voicing (in Internet Explorer), touch screen actions, keyboard shortcut keys, word search, resizing and contrast capabilities. Silverlight’s rich visual elements make for seamless “zoomability.”
Chris Auld says, “ButtercupReader shows that not only can we build an application that is accessible, we can build an application whose sole purpose in life is to be accessible – and that’s very much where the future is heading.” Try the application yourself at http://www.buttercupreader.net