[gui-talk] a search engine for the blind

[Steve Jacobson]

Sherri,

When I saw the article you forwarded, I raised several questions because this seems like something that is worth 
discussing.  I have some misgivings about the site, but I can't say that I see it as being obviously good or bad.  
Therefore, I think the discussion is a good thing and certainly not anything you should feel begatively about.


On Thu, 27 Jul 2006 17:06:45 -0400, Sherri wrote:

>That makes sense to me and is what I thought they were saying. Wow, I didn't 
>mean to get such a thread going. Just sent the message out by way of 
>information. (smile)
>----- Original Message ----- 
>From: "Joel Deutsch" <jdeutsch at dslextreme.com>
>To: "NFBnet GUI Talk Mailing List" <gui-talk at nfbnet.org>
>Sent: Wednesday, July 26, 2006 12:38 PM
>Subject: Re: [gui-talk] a search engine for the blind


>It isn't that it limits what topics you can search for.  It filters the
>results it presents with regard to how closely their page design adheres to
>the W3C standards.  If you want to know the full story, g to that URL (I
>didn't notice if the original post with the article provided it) and click
>on the FAQ link to see the entire explanation.  Then it will become clear.

>----- Original Message ----- 
>From: "Sherri" <fl_mom at earthlink.net>
>To: "NFBnet GUI Talk Mailing List" <gui-talk at nfbnet.org>
>Sent: Wednesday, July 26, 2006 9:26 AM
>Subject: Re: [gui-talk] a search engine for the blind


>Well, I wondered when reading the article if the search engine would be
>limiting as far as topics searched for. Thanks for the additional info.
>----- Original Message ----- 
>From: "Joel Deutsch" <jdeutsch at dslextreme.com>
>To: "NFBnet GUI Talk Mailing List" <gui-talk at nfbnet.org>
>Sent: Wednesday, July 26, 2006 11:00 AM
>Subject: Re: [gui-talk] a search engine for the blind


>Hi Sherry,

>This new Google search engine was also written about a couple of weeks ago
>in the New York Times tech update section and several other places, and a
>number of blind and low vision people on the mailing lists I'm subscribed to
>have been trying it out.  The principle is interesting, although personally
>I'm more concerned with the accuracy of search results rather than being
>blocked by Google from knowing about a site which doesn't come up to the
>standards written into this program.  If a site turns out not to be
>navigable, I can just try the next search result.  Add to this the fact that
>I tried out the search using search terms that ought to have led me to a
>site I already was familiar with an visit often, without any hassle, but
>this search engine didn't show it at least on the first couple of pages of
>results, which is where it comes up on a regular Google search.  I forget
>now which site this was, but it suggested to me that the criteria that are
>written into the algorithms that make this search engine's choices aren't
>just going to protect you from horrible, graphics-dominated sites that would
>frustrate you by silence or by focus problems, but all sorts of perfectly
>Jaws-civilized sites, as well.  But the thing is in a Beta stage, at
>present, so who knows how nicely it may become refined.  One thing that's
>interesting is to click on the FAQ link on the home page of that search
>engine, which explains basically how the thing is set up and what its
>intentions are.

>There happens also to be another variant of Google that blind and low vision
>folks may appreciate, and this one is reached using the usual google.com URL
>but with a slash e at the end of it.  I  forget what the e stands for.

>Here, the search results are, I think, the same as what you'd turn up using
>the regular Google with the same search terms, but the results are more
>simply presented, just a URL, practically.  I understand that if you can't
>make sense of that URL, lacking a few lines of sample text beneath  it, you
>can do this mouse hover thing and see some descriptive info that appears if
>you are sighted and hold your mouse pointer on the right place, or if you
>use the Jaws tools for accessing that "mouse over" deal.  Which I tried to
>learn, using Surf's Up, but found discouragingly complicated to do, so I
>never use that sort of feature.

>But the alternative site's worth trying, in case it suits you better than
>the frustration I describe.

>----- Original Message ----- 
>From: "Sherri" <fl_mom at earthlink.net>
>To: "Multiple recipients of NFBnet GUI-TALK Mailing List"
><gui-talk at nfbnet.org>; <nfbf-l at nfbnet.org>
>Sent: Wednesday, July 26, 2006 6:58 AM
>Subject: [gui-talk] a search engine for the blind


>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

>    ---------------------------------------------------------------------------

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