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IBM Creates Browser for the Blind

The $149 Home Page Reader will aid low-vision Web surfers.

By Judy Heim, PCWorld   

Computers have opened many avenues for the physically challenged, but the intensely graphical Web remains daunting to blind or low-vision users. IBM is addressing this problem with a new browser called Home Page Reader.

Available in January for $149, Home Page Reader reads Web pages aloud. What makes it unique among browsers for low-vision users is that it parses a site's HTML code to make sense of elements such as tables and columns that normally choke speech readers.

My husband, who is blind, installed it on his office PC and became immediately addicted. He was able to view some of a Web site's graphics in one window (he has some hazy vision), while Home Page Reader read to him the site's text in another window. The male robotic voice switched to a female one to signify links. You can set Home Page Reader to signify links by pinging or chiming "link!"

You navigate Web sites by pressing numeric-keypad buttons rather than clicking a mouse. Home Page Reader includes bookmark and history lists, and even handles e-mail.

"I was using the Web only for business-related stuff because it was so stressful figuring out how Web pages were laid out and what information was on them," commented Christopher Chaltain, an IBM software engineer who is blind. "With Home Page Reader, I find myself surfing for fun."

Home Page Reader requires Netscape Navigator and runs on Windows 95, 98, and NT. It needs a minimum of 32MB of memory for Win 95 and 98 and 64MB for NT; IBM recommends at least a 150-MHz Pentium MMX. For more information, see the IBM link at right or call 800/426-4832.

This specialized browser is not alone in its efforts to help visually impaired users. Advocacy groups encourage Web designers to make their sites accessible via all-text versions. Microsoft includes large-print and high-contrast settings in Windows 95 and 98 that carry over to browsers. Adobe has even created a special version of Acrobat that allows speech readers to read PDF documents.

Home Page Reader doesn't break down all the Web's barriers: It offers no interpretations of Java applets or image maps, and users may still find themselves rubbing their brows over graphics-laden sites. But it does represent a small triumph in the fight.