New Technology Aims to Improve Internet Access for the Impaired

Aging populations in many developed countries mean disabilities -- especially impaired vision but also motor and cognitive dysfunctions -- are likely to rise. By 2010, Microsoft estimates that 70 million people in the U.S. will be using some form of assistive technology, like screen readers or screen magnifiers, up from 57 million people in 2003. New technology from Microsoft, IBM and others, as well as efforts by government and standards bodies, are trying to address some of frustrations by making computer programs and the Internet more accessible for the visually impaired and other disabled people. One major obstacle to better access to Web pages for the disabled has been differing standards. U.S. government Internet accessibility guidelines, for instance, deviate somewhat from the recommendations of the World Wide Web Consortium, the Internet's leading standards-setting body. Harmonizing standards is "one of the things we hope will improve over the coming years," said Judy Brewer, director of the Web Accessibility Initiative at the World Wide Web Consortium. Better access to Web pages also gives business a way to reach millions of potential customers among the visually impaired. "This is an important market," said Sharron Rush, executive director of Knowbility, a nonprofit organization that promotes accessible technology. "You certainly don't want to miss out on this amount of buying power."
[SOURCE: Wall Street Journal, AUTHOR: Chris Reiter chris.reiter@dowjones.com]
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