Blinds can surf the Internet from any computer, anywhere
Earlier blind or visually impaired people, required special screen-reading software typically installed only on their own machines but new software called WebAnywhere, lets blind and visually impaired people surf the Web on the go. The tool developed at the University of Washington turns screen-reading into an Internet service that reads aloud Web text on any computer with speakers or a headphone connection.
This is for situations where someone who’s blind can’t use their own computer but still wants access to the Internet at various places like museum, library, public kiosk, friend’s house, the airport etc.
Free screen readers already exist, as do sophisticated commercial programs. But all must be installed on a machine before being used. This is the first accessibility tool hosted on the Web, meaning it doesn’t have to be downloaded onto a computer. It processes the text on an external server and then sends the audio file to play in the user’s Web browser.
You don’t have to install new software. So even if you go to a heavily locked-down computer, say at a library, you can still use it. To test the software, researchers had people use the tool to do three things typically done at public machines: check e-mail, look up a bus schedule and search for a restaurant’s phone number. People using WebAnywhere were able to successfully complete all three tasks, using a variety of machines and Internet connections.
source: rxpgnews.com
If you enjoyed this post, please consider to leave a comment or subscribe to the feed and get future articles delivered to your feed reader.