BUSiNESS WEDNESDAY, JULY 2, 2003 SAN JOSE MERCURY NEWS Continuedfrom Page IC with disabilities," said Raman, a researcher in the Human Language Technologies Lab at IBM's Almaden research facil- ity in South San Jose. "You want to design it right from the beginning and make it work for you." Raman, 38, is one of a small community of engineers creat- ing new technologies that will make the Web much more re- sponsive to the needs of all us- ers. The standards that he and other researchers are working on will form the framework for the next generation of Web ap- plications. Raman's goal is to allow Web developers to cre- ate a single piece of content that can take many different forms - text, audio and video to accommodate many dif- ferent types of users. Accessibility Step into Raman's spartan office and one striking detail jumps out - there are no pa- pers or books anywhere. "There's nothing I can do with paper," laughs Raman. Noth- ing, that is, except tear it up and fold it into intricate de- signs, which he does when he fidgets. Raman, who sports Ray-Ban sunglasses to shield his cloudy white eyes, empties his pockets for a visitor and they are full of oragami-like structures. Raman's Web research is done in conjunction with the World Wide Web Consortium (W3C), the international stan- dards-setting body that works to ensure the Web develops in a cohesive and relatively seamless manner. The group, headed by the Web's original creator, Tim Berners-Lee, is on the forefront of efforts to promote accessibffity for the disabled. When the Internet was young, and primarily text- based, blind users could ac- cess most of it through text- to-speech software. As the Net evolved and began adding bells and whistles - graphics, audio and video - it became less accessible. That evolution has forced developers to find new ways to bring information to disabled users, said Jun Fruchterman, who is working with W3C on accessibility issues and helped dr3fl aome of the federal gov erthflėnt's Web accessibility re~uI~tions in 1999. `Before. the goal was sepa- rate and equal. But of course once it's separate, it very quickly stops being equal," said Fruchterman, who runs Benetech, a non-profit tech- nology company in Palo Alto. "Now, the goal is universal de- sign that's integrated and equal: Don't make disabled people use a different Web structure but make it so they can use it too." Raman's research for IBM, which overlaps with his stan- dards-setting work for W3C, includes developing speech technology for a variety of de- vices. He's also working on a technology called "x-forms," which would make it easier to collect data on the Web. For example, a Web form that now must be completed by typing could be filled out by voice or by a beamed message from a PDA. The myriad technical chal- lenges of making the Web a more responsive medium are just another set of puzzles to someone who devours all manner of math games and brain teasers. Raman's eyes began to dete- riorate during his childhood near Mumbai, India. Because the slightest fall or injury could trigger further damage to his eyes, he spent most of his childhood as a bookworm in the corner of the room while his cousins and other children ran and played around him. His love of puz- zles and numbers came early. Even after he was fully blind, he could twist and turn a Ru- bik's Cube (specially outfitted so his fingers could distinguish the textures) in seconds. These days, most of the the counter space in the San Jose condominium he shares with his Labrador guide dog, Hub- bell, is taken up by puzzles and elaborate geometric struc- tures made of children's build- ing toys. No more gibberish After graduating with a bachelor's degree in mathe- matics and a master's degree in computer science in India, Raman came to Cornell Uni- versity to study applied math- ematics. It was then that he began using speech software.~ In his applie4 mathematics class, the software read back gibberish when it tried to read complex mathematical equa- tions on the screen. So Raman designed his own software that could decipher the formu- las. That project, which even- tually turned into his doctoral thesis, launched his interest in speech technology. In 1994, Rarnan wrote a pro- gram, ehiacspeak, that allows his computer desktop to be completely audio-enabled. A computer voice reads to him what's displayed on his screen as he navigates e-mail, surfs the Web and accesses pro- grams. Raman's software is distributed free on the Web and IBM will package it soon as part of a suite of server software. It's also distributed on Sun's operating system, Solaris. On this particular day, Ra- man is showing visitors how the program works. He opens his e-mail program using his keyboard and the computer voice reads the messages to him at warp speed. It sounds exactly like playing an audio tape on super-fast forward. With nothing to see, all of his concentration goes to his ears. "That way, I'm hearing it as fast as you would read with your eyes," he said. Raman joined IBM in 1999 after having worked for Digi- tal Equipment and Adobe. He gets excited when he talks about XML, or Extensi- ble Markup Language, which Raman and others believe is a linchpin in making the Web more accessible. Specialized needs The problem with the Web these days, Raman and others say, is that content takes a back seat to presentation. And snazzy Web pages with lots of graphics, streaming audio and video content are often use- less to people with disabilities. XML is a system of encod- ing Web content so programs can work together more intel- ligently. Once content is writ- ten in XML, it can be dis- played as plain text, audio or graphics. "The ~ ,~i ioxm irom content is a key tool for accessibility, but it's also a good design technique for lots of other reasons," said Ber- ners-Lee. XML "helps one adapt information to different applications, needs, devices, cultures, languages, and so on.,, Advocates of XML fervently believe its adoption will not just improve access for the disabled but lead to better products and technology for everyone. As devices such as cell phones get smaller and small- er and the world becomes more wired, "who's going to want to read the newspaper visually by looking at that small screen on your cell phone?" asked Raman. "You're going to want your phone to read you the newspa- per." IF YOU'RE INTERESTED For more information on Ramari's work, see http://emacspeak.sf.net/ raman. For more on Web accessibil- ity, see www.w3.org/WAI. Contact K Ocinh Ha at kha@mercurynews.com or (408) 278-345Z RAMAN A voice for speech technology GARY REYES - MERCURY NEWS TV. Raman sends ,i moss~~ge to a colleague as his guide dog Hubbell waits nearby. Raman is helping to establish new standards that will enable the Web to be more interactive for the disabled.