Business, Technology, & Inovation news: Subject: Making Search Available to the Auditory Gifted

Thursday, December 28, 2006

Subject: Making Search Available to the Auditory Gifted

> style-span" face="Verdana" size="3"> style="font-size: 10.8px;">By <A href="http://
> newsletters.searchenginewatch.com/c.html?rtr=on&s=auxa,1uvi,
> 52v,k7or,bz47,c1vg,av9l"> face="Verdana" size="3"> size: 10.8px;">Matt Bailey</A> style-span" face="Verdana" size="3"> style="font-size: 10.8px;">, span" face="Verdana" size="3"> style="font-size: 10.8px;"> style-span" face="Verdana" size="3"> style="font-size: 10.8px;"> November 30, 2006 style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 10.0px 0.0px"> span" face="Verdana" size="3"> style="font-size: 10.8px;">Until re
> cently, the needs of visually impaired users wasn't a top priority
> for search engines. That's changed, but there are still issues that
> need to be resolved, according to people with vision challenges.</
> SPAN> class="Apple-style-span" face="Verdana" size="3"> style-span" style="font-size: 10.8px;">Earlier this year, Google
> released an accessible search for visually impaired users, a
> personal project of Google engineer Dr. T.V. Raman. The move by
> Google to release the project came on the heels of Google changing
> from the visual-based security device called "CAPTCHA," which
> requires users to type the letters that they see in an image.</
> SPAN> class="Apple-style-span" face="Verdana" size="3"> style-span" style="font-size: 10.8px;">With its accessible search,
> Google added an audio component in response to online petitions and
> out
> cry from visually-impaired users. With the CAPTCHA system, blind
> users were not able to access many Google services, such as GMail,
> Blogger, Google Groups, or a Google account, as the visual
> challenge kept them from participating. style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 10.0px 0.0px"> span" face="Verdana" size="3"> style="font-size: 10.8px;">Dr. Raman comes from a background of
> advocating standards-based programming and structured data on the
> web. 0.0px"> class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: 10.8px;">Raman says,
> "For accessibility, clean, well-structured semantic markup is the
> best thing you could hope to have. The three key phrases 'clean,'
> 'well-structured' and 'semantic' are all important in the above.
> Adherence to specs definitely makes checking easier. I believe that
> Web sites creating clean,
> well-formed XHTML content will, over time, find it significantly
> easier to serve all their users better -- simply because their
> content will be easier to manage and evolve." style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 10.0px 0.0px"> span" face="Verdana" size="3"> style="font-size: 10.8px;">Google's accessible search was received
> positively by the blind community, yet many low-vision users took
> issue with the tagline of "search for the visually impaired." Why?
> It turns out that many sites are accessible for blind users, yet
> the same amount of accessibility is not available to low-vision
> users, who require different methods in order to access the
> content. 0.0px"> class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: 10.8px;">Creating
> accessible web sites 0.0px 10.0px 0.0p
> x"> class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: 10.8px;">The main
> obstacle to creating accessible web sites is that needs vary widely
> -- there is no single "fix" that will make a site accessible to all
> users. Because of the varied nature of access, the multiple types
> of assistive technology, and multiple user needs, sites must cater
> to a host of diverse combinations. style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 10.0px 0.0px"> span" face="Verdana" size="3"> style="font-size: 10.8px;">For example, consider Lee, who has
> albinism, a condition of "low-vision." She prefers to view yellow
> or white text on a black background for added contrast. Google's
> accessibility search was not helpful to her, as it was obvious that
> it was initially created for blind users. However, she is a Google
> search fan. She would like the ability to store her Google
> preferences through a cook
> ie so that her background and text color preferences would be
> automatic. 0.0px"> class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: 10.8px;">Another user,
> Glenda, is currently writing a book about overcoming cerebral palsy
> and building a life for herself. She uses a combination of
> assistive technologies to interact online. Her main input device is
> a keyboard, on a non-slip mat. She also uses a joystick to control
> the cursor movements, and word prediction software that predicts
> the words that she is typing, which saves on keystrokes.</
> FONT> class="Apple-style-span" face="Verdana" size="3"> style-span" style="font-size: 10.8px;">Glenda does not have any
> vision impairments, but she relies on interfaces that are clear,
> simple, and have a consistent design, and that have features that
> enable her to
> input information easily and do not distract her by moving or
> flashing elements. 10.0px 0.0px"> size="3"> 10.8px;">Chris is blind, but is able to use the internet and
> related technologies faster than most sighted persons thanks to
> JAWS, a software utility that reads information on the screen using
> synthesized speech. 10.0px 0.0px"> size="3"> 10.8px;">He says, "What is 'usable' to people with varying levels
> of vision impairment has hardly been studied and those of us
> interested in doing so are few and far between. So, in my opinion,
> moving from 'accessible' to 'usable' will take another decade."</
> SPAN> class="Apple-style-span" face="Verdana"
> size="3"> 10.8px;">Continued development at Google class="Apple-style-span" face="Verdana" size="3"> style-span" style="font-size: 10.8px;">Google continues to enhance
> its accessible search tool. It has recently been improved to give
> blind users access to the same advanced search features that are
> available in the regular Google search. style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 10.0px 0.0px"> span" face="Verdana" size="3"> style="font-size: 10.8px;">Dr. Raman, who has been intimately
> involved with building speech-enabled interfaces for many years,
> sees the Google accessible search as "a good first step in
> delivering the most accessible information online" and says that
> Google will continue to develop ways to be more accessible.</
> FONT> class="Apple-style-span" face="Ve
> rdana" size="3"> 10.8px;">He welcomes any user feedback, as ";we get better when we
> know what works for the user and welcome feedback on everything
> from improving taglines to adding new features."</
> P> style-span" face="Verdana" size="3"> style="font-size: 10.8px;">Dr, Raman feels that the impact of the
> accessible search will go beyond a simple service and one that will
> affect the development of the web. "I hope that as we continue to
> improve accessible search, we'll have a long-term positive impact
> on increasing awareness of the need to create clean, accessible web
> content," he says.

# posted by JP @ 9:56 AM

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Thursday, December 28, 2006

Subject: Making Search Available to the Auditory Gifted

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