Bush Aims To Bring Internet to the Disabled

An executive order signed Tuesday by U.S. President George W. Bush aims to make computers -- and the Internet -- more accessible to people with disabilities, beginning with new requirements for government Web sites.

"The Internet brings a world of information into a computer screen, which has enriched the lives of many with disabilities," Bush said in a speech Tuesday at the Pentagon, which has a technology center devoted to people with disabilities. "Yet technology creates challenges of its own."

Among those challenges, the president said, are the growing use of "brilliant graphics" in Web sites, which make it difficult for visually impaired people to navigate the sites, video technology that is put on the Web but does not include closed captioning, and "complex keyboard commands" that are hard for people with impaired motor skills to use.

Those obstacles mean that computer use and Internet access for disabled people is about half that of the rest of the population, the government says.

Bush said the modified equipment at the Department of Defense has helped more than 20,000 Pentagon employees gain access to communications and the Internet. The department is using voice-recognition software and screen-reading technology, among other things, to help employees communicate with their co-workers.

E-Shopping for the Blind

In the UK, brick-and-click retailer Tesco last month unveiled a special page on its Tesco.com Web site that lets visually impaired people shop there without using special equipment. The system, which the company developed along with the Royal National Institute for the Blind (RNIB), uses technology that converts text to speech, describing products and guiding consumers through the buying process.

Advocates for the blind say existing software often does not work with flashy Web sites that use lots of links and graphics. Lorraine Marchi, founder and chief executive of the National Association for the Visually Handicapped, told the E-Commerce Times last month that her group's members would rather have Web sites address their needs directly than rely on third-party technology.

Tesco said that by bringing its e-commerce services to the blind, it is tapping into a potentially lucrative market, as many disabled people are likely to benefit from shopping at home.

More Accessible

In the United States, companies including America Online (NYSE: AOL) are also working on making their products and services accessible to people with disabilities. According to the U.S. Census Bureau, more than 1.5 million blind or visually impaired people already have access to the Internet.

Bush's executive order, which stems from a bill introduced by Sen. Jim Jeffords (I-Vermont), takes effect next Monday. The law requires federal agencies to make their Web sites and other information technology accessible to people with disabilities.