Suchergebnisse

In the past, computer displays consisted mostly of unformatted text or simple row-column displays of information. This made providing access for persons who were blind a relatively straightforward task. As computers become more visually complex, however, new strategies are needed to augment the standard approaches to provide access. This article reviews the different types of information that are currently presented visually on computer systems and then discusses possible alternative display mechanisms for each that would be usable by blind persons. Some of the techniques described are commercially available; some exist as research prototypes; others, however, are still conceptual in nature. This article provides an overview and a summary of techniques identified as a result of the planning conference. The information present was compiled as a part of a state-of-the-art session, held in Madison, Wisconsin, on access to visual graphic computer interfaces by blind persons; the session was cosponsored by the Trace R&D Center, the Veterans Administration, the National Federation of the Blind, the American Foundation for the Blind, and Smith-Kettlewell Institute.

The graphical user interface is a powerful new interface for mainstream computer users and a source of serious concern for those who cannot see. Fortunately, it will eventually be made as accessible to blind people as character-based forerunners. The systems that evolve will provide blind computer users with new capabilities not possible with character-based computers and access systems. However, the effects of previous inaccessibility, the current limited accessibility, and lingering doubts about the solvability of some of the access problems have slowed efforts to capitalize on the advantages and opportunities of these new systems. This article identifies potential new problems posed by graphic computing environments and describes some programs and strategies that are being developed to provide access to these environments.