Joseph J. Lazzaro
For more than a decade, the on-line world has been providing megabytes of information to thousands of blind computer users. Speech synthesizers, interfaced to personal computers, can read ASCII text as it scrolls onto a video monitor. But blind users' easy access to on-line information may be drying up as major providers, such as America Online and Prodigy, require users to have GUIs to access their on-line services.
GUI systems are typically difficult for the blind to operate, and few on-line-service providers seem to be aware that vision-impaired users may wind up as road kill on the information highway. For example, America Online is currently not user-friendly for visually impaired consumers who use Windows-b
ased speech or braille-output systems, although the company says it is investigating remedies for this situation.
One solution to providing access is to construct GUIs that the blind can operate effectively; another is to offer parallel ASCII or GUI interfaces so that users can select the one that's best for them. Cyberia Communications (York, PA, data: (717) 840-1444; voice: (717) 840-0139) has chosen the latter route for its on-line service. The company offers subscribers a variety of services. When users log into Cyberia, for example, they can choose from three interfaces: normal emulation, graphical RIP (Remote Image Protocol) emulation, and Easy Access for the Blind emulation. When a user chooses the third interface, all graphics are stripped, and the menus are presented in a format that's easily readable by various screen-reading devices.
Other on-line services, such as BIX, CompuServe, Delphi, and GEnie, offer text interfaces that are suitable for the blind community. Vision-impaired user
s want to ensure that the ASCII option is kept open. "The trend toward the GUI is a disturbing development, because reliable access to these interfaces just isn't here yet," says Brian Charlson, senior computer instructor of adaptive equipment at the Carroll Center for the Blind (Newton, MA). "The blind are not against the development of the graphical user interface, but we are firmly against the development of any interface that doesn't work with speech, braille, or screen-magnification systems," he adds. The point is to produce a GUIthat can work for both the sighted and the blind alike.
Cyberia's GUI interface
screen_link (33 Kbytes)
Cyberia provides three different interfaces for users to access its services, including ones for blind users and users of communications programs that support RIP.
Cyberia's ASCII interface
screen_link (12 Kbytes)
On-Line-Access Services Inconsistent for the Blind
