[gui-talk] a search engine for the blind

Thu Jul 27 20:28:29 CDT 2006

Less,

This is not the site that was mentioned in the article.  This site is one that some blind people like, but as I understand it 
was tailored for certain aspects of Internet Explorer.  To my knowledge, the IE site doesn't do anything differently with 
respect to ranking search results even though the look is different.  The site being discussed sorts search results so that 
the most accessible sites come first.  

On Thu, 27 Jul 2006 17:22:14 -0400, Les Kriegler wrote:

>Hi Sherri,

>I did not read the article, but did go to ggoogle.com/ie and noticed a much
>simpler presentation once the search text was entered.  If that was the site
>referenced in the article, it is easier to use and eliminates a lot of
>clutter.  Perhaps this can be a positive step toward google addressing other
>accessibility issues like the google toolbar.  It's certainly a step in the
>right direction.

>Les 

>-----Original Message-----
>From: gui-talk-bounces at nfbnet.org [mailto:gui-talk-bounces at nfbnet.org] On
>Behalf Of Sherri
>Sent: Thursday, July 27, 2006 5:07 PM
>To: NFBnet GUI Talk Mailing List
>Subject: Re: [gui-talk] a search engine for the blind

>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_searc
>h_engine_for_the_blind_google_unveils_accessible_web_search.htm

> 
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