- From: Kynn Bartlett <kynn-hwg@idyllmtn.com>
- Date: Thu, 14 Oct 1999 07:44:32 -0700
- To: "webmaster@dors.sailorsite.net" <webmaster@dors.sailorsite.net>
- Cc: "'Web Accessibility Initiative'" <w3c-wai-ig@w3.org>
At 10:27 AM 10/14/1999 -0400, Bruce Bailey wrote: >Productivity Works pwWebSpeak is a special purpose browser designed for the >blind. I have used it only a little, but I would think that it is not >useful for this population because (from what I saw of it) it strips away >all graphics from a HTML document. >http://www.prodworks.com/pww32.htm By the way, I wanted to share with you and others why I use pwWebSpeak as an instruction tool for web designers. Namely -- because it strips away all graphics and graphical formatting from an HTML document. That's a good thing? Yes. Because it's a GREAT "splash of cold water" in the face of (visually oriented) web designers, who _must_ realize that the presentation they see is only _one_ way to render their precious sites. Seeing your web site presented in stark bold-yellow-on-black is a great way for you to realize, hey, not everyone is going to experience your web site the way you do. This is important for that crucial paradigm shift embedded in the accessibility meme -- considering the web as a multimodal information medium instead of a visual medium. Both JAWS and IBM's Home Page Reader present the graphical web designer with a view of the graphical web page they're used to, which means that it's less than useful _for this purpose_ of being a wake-up call and educational tool. As I'm not a blind user, I can't comment on the suitability of pwWebSpeak for general use compared to other options; my main concern is with the education and enlightenment of web authors, and for that, pwWebSpeak is indispensable. Likewise, since it does remove graphical content, it wouldn't be useful for non-readers, as Bruce has rightly noted. -- Kynn Bartlett <kynn@hwg.org> President, Governing Board Member HTML Writers Guild <URL:http://www.hwg.org> Director, Accessible Web Authoring Resources and Education Center <URL:http://aware.hwg.org/>
Received on Thursday, 14 October 1999 10:59:30 UTC