Apart Or a Part? Access to the Internet by Visually Impaired and Blind People, With Particular Emphasis on Assistive Enabling Technology and User Perceptions‪.‬

The concept of the 'Information Superhighway' or the World Wide Web (hereafter referred to as the Web) is well known and understood. The rapidly growing numbers of both users and electronic documents is testimony to the claim that the Web is becoming an everyday part of life for many people. The Web as a digital information environment offers new methods of learning and patterns of information use. So, what does the Web offer to partially sighted and blind people? Does it offer a means of filling the information gap traditionally experienced by visually impaired people? And will this new medium provide equal access to, and use of, public information that has previously been unavailable? The Web has been welcomed by the Royal National Institute for the Blind (RNIB). The RNIB claims that 'the Internet is one of the most significant developments since the invention of Braille ... [because] for the first time ever, many blind and partially sighted people have access to the same wealth of information as sighted people and on the same terms' (RNIB, 1998)' The Web is potentially a democratising tool, promising greater accessibility to information, services and society. It is important to discover the perceptions of visually impaired users to see whether claims of universal access--and ease of access--are justified and to ascertain the scope for access and use of Web-based resources. There is currently little information available regarding how the Web has affected the lives of visually impaired users. There is no real data on how visually impaired users who use the Web for practical purposes perceive and experience this valuable information tool.