Technology

Using the internet – technology information sheet

Summary: This information sheet looks at what the internet is, how to get connected and some methods of accessing the web and Email with access technology. It also gives some information about web accessibility.

• What can the internet do for me?
• How do I get online?
• How do I use the internet?
• Is the internet accessible?

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What can the internet do for me?

The internet is a world-wide network of computers giving access to a huge free information resource. People browse the world-wide-web finding information about hobbies, jobs, holidays, local information and will often shop online for music, books and even groceries. You can keep up-to-date with friends and relatives by email and you can meet new people on many of the chat and bulletin boards. You can also sign up to mail lists on your favourite hobby or interest and participate in a virtual community. There is a wealth of information out there on virtually any subject you could wish for.

This resource has opened up new opportunities for people with sight problems as potentially it offers easy access to electronic information which may not have been available in other formats. Using email brings a new degree of independence to someone with sight problems as they can read their own letters and communicate with others more easily.

The best way to find information on the internet is by using a search engine. You enter a keyword or phrase and the search engine will search through the pages on the internet to find websites which include your keyword. There are lots of search engines on the web and it is usually worth using more than one, as you may get different results from each.

One popular search engine is Google. It is also easy to use with a screen reader as you don’t have hundreds of adverts to read through on the page before you get to the search box. Other search engines include

Lycos and Yahoo.

How do I get online?

To access the internet, you will require a computer, modem and telephone connection or a connection to a cable service and a cable modem.

You will then need to choose an Internet Service Provider (ISP) who will give you your connection to the internet. There are some which charge monthly for their service but all calls are free. Others charge no monthly fee but you have to pay for your telephone calls. So if you intend to use the internet a lot, it may be cheaper to pay for a monthly service. If you won’t be online much then it may be cheaper just to pay for call charges. It is also important to check the cost of helpline calls as these may be at a premium telephone rate.

If you want a broadband internet connection which will mean a faster connection to the internet, this is usually a fixed rate per month and may cost more than an ordinary ISP, depending how much you use the internet. You will need to have a cable service in your area, or you local BT telephone exchange must be broadband (ADSL) enabled.

There are many ISP’s but you may require sighted help to install and set-up your internet account. If you do, you can contact RNIB’s Computer Volunteers (Tel: 0845 604 2341) who may be able to do this for you if they have a volunteer in your area.

There are two ISP’s which provide services which do not require sighted help to set up. They are Dolphin Computer Access and Portset. These companies are access technology specialists and have set these ISP’s up especially for people with sight problems.

Dolphin Computer Access: 0845 130 5353

Portset: 01489 893 919

Freedom Box is a new product that is a task oriented set of online services offering access to email and the internet and some other services. It can be accessed from a standard PC and is intended for use without other software or access technology. It is available in the UK from Computer Room Services 01438 742 286 and others.

If you want to use the internet without a computer, PhoneAnything provides voice access to websites through any telephone including internet pages, streaming audio and email. Call the PhoneAnything Voice portal at local rates on 0845 333 0845.

How do I use the internet?

Most people using the internet will use an internet browser such as Internet Explorer or Netscape Navigator. These are common browsers which display internet pages and allow the user to set their own browsing preferences, so that they can over-ride a web page's fonts and colours, and set their own, a feature which is very useful to partially sighted users. Opera is another Windows Web browser that is easily customisable and which contains features that may be particularly useful for some users with low vision.

Most magnification programs and screen readers will be tested on Internet Explorer or Netscape Navigator (or both) before release. Screen readers such as Jaws and Hal have special features to help you to use Internet Explorer. Be aware that there are different versions of screen readers and browsers available, and the manufacturers constantly update them with new features. Levels of accessibility can be closely linked to specific versions.

There are also text only browsers, which strip out graphics and present the user with the web page’s text only. Examples are Lynx, Net-Tamer and WebbIE.

WebbIE can be made to work alongside Internet Explorer and your own screen reader. If you do not wish to download it, it can be purchased on a CD for £10.

Another option, which is cheaper than a screen reader, is a talking web browser like Home Page Reader (HPR) or Connect Outloud. Home Page Reader has been developed by IBM. It works in conjunction with Internet Explorer and provides text and links in a new window so they can be spoken. It is important to remember that Home Page Reader does not give complete access to the PC.

Connect Outloud is from the developers of the screen reader, JAWS, Freedom Scientific. This program is designed to work with Internet Explorer and email and can also be used with braille displays. Connect Outloud also includes its own word-processor and enables the user to navigate around the windows environment and use the calculator.

There are also some self-voicing programs for blind and partially sighted users that give access to the internet. These include Guide from Software Express, 0845 22 55 005 and the Keyspeak programs from Portset 01489 893 919.

Is the internet accessible?

Using the web does present its own distinct challenges. Firstly if there are any doubts about the usefulness of the web then please bear in mind the access to information and communication that it offers, for blind and partially sighted people. It may take time for you to get to grips with this new technology, but once it becomes familiar the effort will prove infinitely worthwhile.

Websites should be flexible in design, enabling partially sighted users to adjust the text and colour settings. Reading and moving around web pages is a very different experience when you can’t see the screen. You work through the pages sequentially without any visual cues to guide you and enable you to skip to what you are interested in.

For this reason web designers need to think about creating their website in an ordered and usable way and making sure that all aspects of their site can be read by a screen reader. Not all web designers do this and so some sites are harder to read than others, some will not be accessible at all. Fortunately web designers are becoming more aware of the issues of website accessibility and things are changing slowly. This is partly due to the Website Accessibility Initiative (WAI) which is a worldwide forum to improve access to the internet for people with disabilities and the work of RNIB’s Campaign for Good Web Design. The British Standards Institute have published a Publicly Available Specification PAS 78 supporting these guidelines and is a guide to good practice in commissioning accessible websites.

Information about web accessibility issues, and guidelines, can be found on the website of RNIB’s web accessibility consultancy.

This information sheet is intended as an introduction to the subject for blind and partially sighted people and their supporters. It is not intended as a complete list of all products and services available, nor should it be inferred that products and services mentioned in this information sheet are recommended or endorsed by RNIB.

Technology Information Service
Email: technology@rnib.org.uk
Web: http://www.rnib.org.uk/technology
Telephone: 0870 013 9555

Information sheet written June 2006.

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Content author: technology@rnib.org.uk

Last updated: 08/04/2008 18:38