Browse the Web with your Eyes Closed
Joe Lazzaro, Byte Magazine, December, 1996, p 36

Surfing the Web can be extra challenging if you can't see the screen.
Thousands of blind or visually impaired computer users access the Web using
speech, braille, or screen enlargement hardware and/or software. If you have
a PC and a visual diability, you probably know that it's possible for you to
access the Web, but most Web sites won't work well with your adaptive
equipment.  

Webmasters who don't add descriptive tags to the elements in their pages make
it more difficult for adaptive programs. But awareness about adaptive
technology is increasing in the computer industry. Microsoft is leading an
ambitious effort to make adaptive technology more mainstream, and Netscape is
investigating ways to make its software better support accessibility
products. The company's Active Accessibility program will make future
versions of Windows and related applications more accessible to users with
vision impairments. Software developers can use the Accessibility SDK, slated
to ship in November, to write adaptive Windows programs. 

The flagship Active Accessibility product is Microsoft Internet Explorer
(MSIE) 3.0, which has hooks to enable the screen reader software used by the
blind community. MSIE works with synthesizers, braille displays, large print
programs, and other assistive technology. 

The Productivity Works (609/984-8044; info@prodworks.com) wrote its
pwWebSpeak browser for the blind from scratch. The browser has its own
built-in speech processor and doesn't require a separate screen-reader
program. The browser parses a Web page's Hypertext Markup Language (HTML)
code to present the information in a more speech-friendly manner. And
pwWebSpeak can drive a variety of speech synthesizers, including the Sound
Blaster voice card. 

With the awareness of adaptive technology among mainstream software
developers increasing, the future may loom a bit brighter for computer users
with disabilities.