Another appeal for an IDispatch interface for Firefox

This is to reiterate a suggestion I made a couple years ago.  On
Windows, it certainly aids accessibility for assistive technology
developers to be able to obtain information about Firefox user interface
controls and web content via a COM interface.  Unfortunately, however,
an early-bound, low-level COM interface that is tailored to C++
programmers does not help scripters of assistive technology.  JAWS,
Window-Eyes, and Hal, for example, include full-fledged scripting
languages that are designed for advanced users with skill in a high
level programming language.  Such individuals often know from personal
experience what kinds of enhancements to their browsing experiences
would be most helpful.  The 3rd party market of accessibility extensions
to Firefox would be significantly larger, in my opinion, if scripters
could build extensions on top of their assistive technologies.

For this to happen, the COM object models of Firefox (and other Mozilla
applications such as Thunderbird) need to be additionally exposed via a
late-bound IDispatch interface with a ProgID that supports automation
clients.  For example, the syntax to obtain an initial COM object might
be something like

OFirefox = CreateObject("Firefox.Application")

I know that adding an IDispatch interface is not a trivial programming
project.  Nevertheless, it is a common practice among software
developers for Windows applications, and I think the benefits would be
significant on that platform.  Internet Explorer offers such an
interface, and as a result, I know of JAWS and Window-Eyes scripters
(including myself) who have put it to good use, e.g., enabling access to
the DOM of the current web page in ways not facilitated by default
screen reader functionality.

Regards,
Jamal

Jamal Mazrui
Deputy Director, Accessibility and Innovation Initiative 
Federal Communications Commission
202.418.0069