Accessibilty Help

Computer Technology and Accessibility for People Who are Blind or Have Low Vision

Computers and computer technology have had a profound and significant impact on the lives of people who are blind or have low vision. Until recently, the only way that people who were blind or had low vision could access printed material and the Internet was by using a sighted reader.

Today, using computers equipped with specialized hardware and software that provide speech capability and screen magnification, people who are blind or have low vision can surf the web, communicate via e-mail, read electronic books, and access daily newspapers independently.

The goal of accessibility is to ensure that every Web user, regardless of visual, auditory, or other physical impairment, has access to all information and experiences that are now available online.

Below, you can find information about using our site, including how to change the font size, font color, and background color; how to do a search; search tips; and access for people using screen readers.

Summary: Information about our site, how to change how it looks and tips for people using screen readers.

• Using the site [1]
• Where to start [2]
• Search tips [3]
• How VisionAWARE is built for accessibility [4]

Using the site

• Change your browser settings [5] - find out how to change the font and background color and size to suit your needs.
• Use VisionAWARE controls to set font size and font and background color.
• There are six choices: small, medium, or large black font on white background; small, medium, or large white font on black background.
• These controls are found just under the banner on the right side of the page.
• The 3 buttons with a black "-","+" and "++" will change font size on a white background.
• The 3 buttons with a white "-","+", and "++" will change font size on a black background.
• The "-" is the smallest text size, the "+" makes the text medium size, and the "++" makes the text large.

Where to start

The top of the page consists of the page banner. On the top right is a short menu that includes the following links:

• The Home page
• The Download link that contains publications for purchase, articles of interest, and our Are You Aware? newsletter
• The About link that contains information about AWARE and VisionAWARE
• The VisionAWARE Team link that contains biographies of our web site creators and contributors
• The Contact page that you can use to write to us. 

At the bottom right of the banner is the Search box and Search button. The search is for VisionAWARE content only, not the entire internet. Read our Search tips. [3]

The left column is the site menu. It contains cateogories of information. When you select some of these categories, a sub-menu will drop down allowing you to refine your choice. For example, if you select Financial Management, you will see a sub-menu containing Credit Cards, Safety, Banking, and so on.

When you select a category from the left column menu, related titles of articles will appear in the main content area in the center column. When you select one of these titles, the content of the article will appear in the content section. At the bottom of the article are links to email this article to a friend, to comment on the article for members, and a link to the category from which this article came so that you can see related articles.

At the bottom of the left column is a login box. If you want to use the Forum or post comments about any article on the web site, you need to become a member. Links to register are provided in the login box. Once, logged in, you can log out in the menu in the banner after the About link.

Search tips

A search box appears in the banner at the top right of each page. To get the best results follow these tips:

• Use keywords - the search won't work well using natural language (for example, "how can I find out about using the telephone?"); keywords (eg telephone) will find better results.
• Use quotes to search for an exact phrase (eg "threading a needle").
• Refine your search: if your search does not find the information you seek, the Advanced Search link will give you more ways to refine your search. You can type in a list of words that may or may not be in the text, an exact phrase that must be in the text, and or a list of words that must not be in the text.

How the site is built for accessibility

Web Accessibility

The site satisfies standards for web accessibility. The site has also been tested by people who are blind or have low vision, using a range of access technology.

When the VisionAWARE site is checked using automated web accessibility checking tools, it will pass. However, information messages are flagged for attention. These are generated automatically and do not indicate failure of accessibility.

For example when it identifies that there is a picture on a page, it generates a recommendation about using meaningful alt-text. This doesn't mean that we have used inaccessible pictures; the automated tool is just flagging a design element that could potentially cause accessibility problems. Being an automated tool, it can't verify if that feature has been used in an accessible way.

Layout

Access to all content is from the left column; content is organized by categories and each category is a menu item in the left column.

Navigation for screen readers: The site uses Cascading Style Sheets and not tables to control all of the layout. Screen reader users can use the screen reader's navigation keys to get around the site. When you get to VisionAWARE webpage, before you hear the main page content you will hear a skip navigation link. Screen reader users can use this link to move directly to a page's main content.

Content

The content has been written and formatted to make it accessible. For example:

• headings highlight sections of text
• links use meaningful text
• links that open new windows give a warning to screen readers immediately following the link text
• All images which convey meaningful information have alt text which described the content of the picture.

For general information about computers and accessibility, see VisionAWARE's guide for Making Computers Accessible. [6]