> > In other words, for a person with a serious visual impairment to
>effectively
>> use a *computer*, do they only need a voice-enabled browser, or do they
>> actually require a screen reader that operates at the OS level?
>
>There is a huge range of variability in visual and cognitive impairment;
>so I think the right attitude is to offer a set of tools and let each
>person choose the set which solves their problems.
>
>it need not just be visually-impaired people, remember. it might
>be dyslexics who find it easier to listen than read.
I've got to agree with Matt (and not just because he's a colleague).
Ever since this strand started I've been wondering why you would want
to do this? People who want or need to have web pages read to them
will probably already have a system set up on their computer to do
that. Well formed html/xml is easy to interpret by voice
synthesizers. Some operating systems won't have such software as
standard, but they are likely to be older ones that won't be able to
use this system anyway.
The dyslexic argument is interesting, but I'm not convinced. Again,
there are ranges of severity, and both an audio and visual stimulus,
provided it doesn't "overload" the user, will improve information
retention. But the web is already a comparatively stimulating
environment. Poorly designed user interfaces are a bigger obstacle to
people with dyslexia than being able to read pages. Good web pages
already condense their information into unfussy, bit-sized chunks and
a good search engine means one can hone-in on information which might
take hours to locate in a traditional library.
In other words, well written web pages will have a far greater
impact, while a badly written page will cause problems regardless of
whether it's read on a screen, from print, or through a voice
synthesizer. If it were a book I had to access I might want it as an
audio book, but in most cases web sites don't function like books.
Advice from people like the British Dyslexia Association can be
summed up as "follow the W3C WAI and make your text's meaning as
plain as possible". I don't hear them calling for voice synthesizers
on web sites.
You might also like to know that a high percentage of dyslexic users
prefer to use Apple Macs because the GUI is less rigid and can be
adapted to the user's preferred method of working. So that fact that
"Browsealoud" only works on I.E. on a PC is partly self-defeating --
you are already excluding some dyslexic users from this service.
My essential point is that I don't see what problem "Browsealoud" is
trying to solve?
Maybe the feedback from Sebastian's trial run of the service will
tell me, and I do ask that he post a brief summary of his trial so
that we can get an idea if this was something that did solve a need.
But I have my doubts that it will be used beyond the novelty value.
Regards,
Laurence
--
Laurence J. Cornford
Corporate Information and Computer Services
The University of Sheffield
285 Glossop Road
Sheffield
S10 2HB
tel. 0114 222 1191
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