[gui-talk] a search engine for the blind

Thu Jul 27 22:53:39 CDT 2006

Yes; I think with google.com/ie, you don't even need this other site at all.
I didn't know about that one till somebody on one of these lists mentioned
it.  So, I tried it, this morning, and was amazed at how simple it was.
Bam!  The stuff was right there!  That's not the site for the blind, though,
from what I seem to remember, but it works well for us, and for anybody who
doesn't want all those garbage ads and stuff.  Pam.
----- Original Message ----- 
From: "Les Kriegler" <kriegler at nycap.rr.com>
To: "'NFBnet GUI Talk Mailing List'" <gui-talk at nfbnet.org>
Sent: Thursday, July 27, 2006 5:22 PM
Subject: Re: [gui-talk] a search engine for the blind


> 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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