Hi all,
First let me introduce myself for those of you who may not know me. I’m Ken Saunders and have been contributing to various Mozilla projects since early 2005. I’m the creator and project manager of Access Firefox (accessfirefox.org). I’ve called myself a Mozilla gypsy because I’ve been bouncing around from project to project (since Spread Firefox was shutdown) and hadn’t found a home until I realized that Mozilla accessibility is where I really belong and would like to be.
My accessibility knowledge is limited to what I’ve learned and experienced as a sighted end user with a visual impairment (congenital Ocular Albinism with Pendular Nystagmus), and that is why Access Firefox has primarily focused on other users with visual impairments or those without perfect visual acuity, although there is some limited information for blind users and the content may be helpful to individuals with other conditions (cognitive, etc).
I have very little experience with a screen reader (NVDA), and my coding knowledge is modest (HTML, CSS, and a little XUL).
Why am I sharing this with you? Well, there’s a good chance that I’ll be bothering one or more of you at one point or another for help, guidance, information, and wisdom so you may as well know a bit about me. :) (more here accessfirefox.org/AFx_About_Ken_Saunders.php)
I have some ambitions, but doable ideas and goals and they can’t be accomplished without your help. A few of them are as follows.
Expand and grow the Mozilla accessibility community
Early draft at Contribute/Accessibility#Goals
Audit accessibility info and resources for end users
Accessibility/End_User_Resources
Audit accessibility info and resources for developers
Accessibility/Developer_Resources
Expand Access Firefox’s content to include coverage of more disability types, more blind user resources, and developer info.
There’s an open door for those who would like to take part in the above by becoming a content contributor, topic manager, or other areas.
There’s also this blog (http://blog.accessfirefox.org/) if you’re interested in sharing any accessibility news and info and/or Mozilla related content. I’m using WordPress for it and haven’t finished customizing it, but I’m open to redoing or refining the theme and structure.
What it comes down to is, as I was discovering and learning about Firefox accessibility features and add-ons for my own use, I realized that there wasn’t a single place or point where other end users with accessibility needs could get an overview of what’s available. It was spread out all over so in the hopes that I could spare others from the chore of finding Firefox accessibility resources and info, I created accessfirefox.org. Aside from two good friends that have built and maintained the back end, I’ve managed the site alone. I’ve written all of the content but it isn’t comprehensive enough because my knowledge is limited.
So if you have experience, and/or expertise in Mozilla accessibility whether it be for end users or developers and you feel that it may benefit the accessibility community, then please contact me.
Getting Personal
If you’re currently contributing to Mozilla accessibility, please add your info to Accessibility/People for the following reasons.
- We’re trying to determine the current size of the community.
- We’d like for everyone to get to know each other better and know what everyone is working on.
- We’re working on a system to connect new and potential contributors to people rather than just pages to make them feel more welcomed and part of a coherent community.
- And because, there’s surely more than just four of you out there. :)
Thanks for your time.
