Screen+Readers++Not+All+They're+Cracked+Up+to+Be

There is no doubt that the World Wide Web is a source of volumes of information, entertainment and connections among people. However, not everyone can equally access this expansive resource. There is a large portion of the world's population who cannot effectively us ethis resource.

Someone who is blind is obviously unable to view a website. Fortunately, a screen reader can partially address this issue. It can read aloud content to the user if the site has been programmed for it to do so. As wonderful as this technological development is, it has significant limitations, especially in regards to Web 2.0 applications. In order for a screen reader to work effectively, the programmer must remember to include every verbal descriptions of every graphic and navigation element or the screen reader will say something generic like “link 2 or graphic X” (Bronst, S., 2010). This is particularly necessary when using any Web 2.0 applications or the user will be unable to effectively participate in online discussions. Another screen reader issue involves those distorted characters that make the security codes one often sees when submitting information to a website. A screen reader is unable to read these and therefore the interactive nature of the site is lost on someone who relies on it. This technology also cannot convey visual layout. While a typical website visitor can quickly scan the page to get the lay of the land, a screen reader reads the page line by line starting at the top of the page. It doesn’t know to skip advertisements or other extraneous content (WebAim, 2011). Imagine opening up your Facebook page and having to listen to a line by line reading rather than quickly selecting the feature you want to access. Finally, data tables are nearly impossible to access using a screen reader as every cell will be read in a linear fashion. It is clear that while screen readers have opened the door for visually impaired people, there remains further work to be done to ensure they can fully participate in online activities.

[]

[]

In an informal study done by students in a Lesley University class studying the capabilities of screen readers, not a single one was able to perform on Flash-based websites. As more and more websites are becoming Flash-based, this issue becomes more urgent to correct.