[gui-talk] a search engine for the blind

Thu Jul 27 00:04:47 CDT 2006

We're not saying the accessible site has anything to do with Google's
accessibility.  We're wondering why they took company resources and
spent time developing this feature instead of using those same
resources to improve the accessibility of their site.

On Wed, Jul 26, 2006 at 07:53:39PM -0700, Joel Deutsch wrote:
But the search site-- if by that you mean the interface where you actually 
begin your search-- isn't terribly unfriendly in the standard edition, nor 
all that much a relief or a blessing in the version that leads to the sites 
their search engine estimates to be accessible.  Again, it is not their 
search interface that there was a problem with, and this isn't the main 
intention of this version.  I don't see why people keep referring to it as 
something it isn't.  The point of that search engine is that its results and 
the hits you get are governed by how well the sites at those URL's adhere to 
W3C guidelines, basically.  This has nothing to do with some intentions 
Google has for thedesign or redesign their own displays, one way or another. 
The entire thing is about the sites this search engine discriminated in 
favor of.  What does that have to do with Google attending to its own site 
design issues, one way or another?

does anyone see what I mean?  This doesn't make sense to me.  Let's say it's 
not a search engine for information, but a consumer guide to new washing 
machines.  Now, the search engine here would be programmed to list currently 
available washing machines in descending order of tactile and aural 
accessibility/operability.  What would this have to do with the search 
engine company's commitment or lack of commitment to make their *own* web 
site, the place from which you run the search,more or less accessible in 
some degree?  Is it clear what I'm asking about the below kind of comment?

thanks.
To: "NFBnet GUI Talk Mailing List" <gui-talk at nfbnet.org>
Sent: Wednesday, July 26, 2006 7:21 PM
Subject: Re: [gui-talk] a search engine for the blind

Another concern I have is whether by creating a separate web site, they feel 
they don't have to keep the regular site
accessible if changes are in the wind.

On Wed, 26 Jul 2006 20:42:34 -0500, Wayne Merritt wrote:

>While I'm all for an "accessible" search engine, who's to say that what's
>"accessible" for Google is really accessible for me? It seems that the 
>words
>accessible and usable are developing different definitions, in terms of web
>access. In other words, a site can be accessible but not usable by a blind
>person. Like others, I think that in defining what really is accessible,
>Google might very well leave out the one site I'm looking for. Its nice to
>see them give some thought to accessibility though. If only we could steer
>them more towards making some of their other products, like the side bar 
>and
>desktop options for the Google Desktop Search utility, more accessible and
>usable by the blind.

>Wayne
>----- Original Message ----- 
>From: "Steve Jacobson" <steve.jacobson at visi.com>
>To: "NFB in Computer Science List" <nfbcs at nfbnet.org>; "NFBnet GUI Talk
>Mailing List" <gui-talk at nfbnet.org>
>Sent: Wednesday, July 26, 2006 10:08 AM
>Subject: Re: [gui-talk] a search engine for the blind

>> What do others think about this special Google search engine for the
>> blind?  I really don't want someone deciding for me what I am capable of
>> reading or navigating
>> when I am looking for something on a search site.  I will even go a step
>> further and say that I don't understand Google spending time on this at
>> the expense of
>> working to solve other accessibility problems on their site.Can someone
>> tell me what I'm missing here?  I understand that nothing is stopping me
>> from using the
>> regular search engine, but I just don't understand what is so neat about
>> this.
>>
>> On Wed, 26 Jul 2006 09:58:03 -0400, Sherri wrote:
>>
>>>I ran across this article in a weekly newsletter I receive. I haven't
>>>tried
>>>this site yet, but thought this might be of interest. The link to get to
>>>the
>>>entire article is at the bottom of this e-mail.
>>
>>>Sherri
>>>> A Search Engine For The Blind: Google Unveils Accessible Web ...
>>
>>>---------------------------------------------------------------------------
>>
>>>by Chris Sabga
>>>Infopackets Gazette
>>>Infopackets Contributor
>>
>>>Google has just unveiled Accessible Web Search, a search engine for the
>>>visually-challenged. Here's how it works: Regular Google sorts search
>>>results primarily by how relevancy, but Accessible Search takes it a step
>>>further by also listing pages will that will be easy for the blind to
>>>navigate. To meet Google's Accessible Web Search criteria, a web Site has
>>>to be "visually simple." That means it ...
>>>... Click to read the rest of the article (and our most recent articles)
>>>online:
>>
>>>http://www.infopackets.com/channels/en/windows/gazette/2006/20060726
_a_search_engine_for_the_blind_google_unveils_accessible_web_search.htm
>>
>>>    ---------------------------------------------------------------------------
>>
>>>_______________________________________________
>>>gui-talk mailing list
>>>gui-talk at nfbnet.org
>>>http://www.nfbnet.org/mailman/listinfo/gui-talk
>>
>>
>>
>> _______________________________________________
>> gui-talk mailing list
>> gui-talk at nfbnet.org
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>>

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