Interliant Builds Web Site for the Blind
From: Computer Reseller New - February 12, 2001

ASP Interliant has worked with the American Federation for the Blind (AFB) to
create a feature-rich Web site intended to make e-commerce accessible to the
blind and visually impaired community. The site uses technology that can
"read" graphics, among other things. AFB President Carl Augusto wanted a site
that was graphically appealing to those with sight but also highly accessible
to the visually impaired. Augusto says the site should create a community for
the blind, their care givers, and service providers and should also offer
products for purchase. Interliant attached links to the site's graphics so
that a screen reader can read the graphics as though they were text. The site
also has a color-change option for people with low vision, which Augusto says
is important and a good example of how small changes can make any site more
accessible to those with disabilities. Screen readers can translate online
text into Braille or a synthetic voice but cannot handle the graphics that
e-commerce sites frequently use to sell products or link to other
applications. Interliant CEO Herb Hribar says that the AFB site is a
prototype for public-service agencies, nonprofit organizations, and
commercial sites. Augusto says that the AFB site could become a host site for
agencies and schools that cannot afford their own sites. 


http://www.corporate-ir.net/ireye/ir_site.zhtml?ticker=INIT&script=410&layout=9&item_id=144753
