[BlindHandyMan] FW: [JAWS-Users] [JAWS] New Google accessible search for blind/visually impaired

2008-01-16 Thread Larry Stansifer
Here is an alternative to wading through all of those graphics laden web
sites before we can find that tool or part we really want. I have played
with it just a bit and found it to be pretty clean and quick.


First I will past the link then under the link I will post the information.

Read the information before using the link.

http://labs.google.com/accessible/

Accessible Search FAQ

What is Google Accessible Search?
Accessible Search is an early Google Labs product designed to identify and
prioritize search results that are more easily usable by blind and visually
impaired users. Regular Google search helps you find a set of documents that
is most relevant to your tasks. Accessible Search goes one step further by
helping you find the most accessible pages in that result set.

How does Accessible Search work?
In its current version, Google Accessible Search looks at a number of
signals by examining the HTML markup found on a web page. It tends to favor
pages that degrade gracefully --- pages with few visual distractions and
pages that are likely to render well with images turned off. Google
Accessible Search is built on Google Co-op's technology, which improves
search results based on specialized interests.

Why is Google offering this?
Accessible Search is a natural and important extension of Google's overall
mission to better organize the world's information and make it universally
accessible. Google Accessible Search is designed to help the visually
impaired find the most relevant, useful and comprehensive information, as
quickly as possible.

In the past, visually impaired Google users have often waded through a lot
of inaccessible websites and pages to find the required information. Our
goal is to provide a more useful and accessible web search experience for
the blind and visually impaired.

How do you decide which sites are accessible and which are not? Broadly,
Google defines accessible websites and pages as content that the blind and
visually impaired can use and consume using standard online technology, and
we've worked with a number of organizations to determine which websites and
pages meet those criteria. Our methods for identifying accessible pages and
content are always evolving; Currently we take into account several factors,
including a given page's simplicity, how much visual imagery it carries and
whether or not its primary purpose is immediately viable with keyboard
navigation.

How can sites make their content more accessible to the blind? Some of the
basic recommendations on how to make a website more usable and accessible
include keeping Web pages easy to read, avoiding visual clutter
-- especially extraneous content -- and ensuring that the primary purpose of
the Web page is immediately accessible with full keyboard navigation. There
are many organizations and online resources that offer Website owners and
authors guidance on how to make websites and pages more accessible for the
blind and visually impaired. The W3C publishes numerous guidelines including
Web Content Access Guidelines that are helpful for Website owners and
authors. Broad adherence to these guidelines is one way of ensuring that
sites are universally accessible.

Does Accessible Search Filter Out Inaccessible Content?
No. First of all accessible is a very subjective measure --- what's more,
queries can vary widely with respect to how accessible the results are. As
an example, if you are looking for information such as weather forecasts or
reference material such as the definition of an unfamiliar term, the result
set often consists of both accessible and inaccessible content. In these
cases, Google Accessible Search promotes those results that have been
measured to be more accessible. On the other hand, if the particular query
is about video games, the chances are fairly high that a majority of the
best results for that query will be visually busy pages. So in the final
analysis, we never filter content in Google Accessible Search; we pick the
best results exactly as we do with regular Google search, and then re-order
the top results by their level of accessibility.

The Result Set Looks Identical To Regular Search?
The operational word in the above question is looks. Google Accessible
Search does not in any way change the look and feel of Google search
results. What it does (see earlier question) is to re-order results based on
how accessible they are.

Navigating Search Results
After Google Accessible Search was launched, many of our users sent us
feedback about the results page (both Google Accessible and regular search)
being difficult to navigate with screenreaders. In response, we have updated
the results page in both cases to have section headers that can be used in
conjunction with screenreader hotkeys to quickly skim through the page.
Thus, once Google has responded to your search query, use your access
technology's move by section keys to move between the section that
displays sponsored ads and the 

Re: [BlindHandyMan] FW: [JAWS-Users] [JAWS] New Google accessible search for blind/visually impaired

2008-01-16 Thread Rodger Hood
It works for me much better and faster to boot.
  - Original Message - 
  From: Larry Stansifer 
  To: blindhandyman@yahoogroups.com 
  Sent: Wednesday, January 16, 2008 11:10 AM
  Subject: [BlindHandyMan] FW: [JAWS-Users] [JAWS] New Google accessible search 
for blind/visually impaired


  Here is an alternative to wading through all of those graphics laden web
  sites before we can find that tool or part we really want. I have played
  with it just a bit and found it to be pretty clean and quick.

  First I will past the link then under the link I will post the information.

  Read the information before using the link.

  http://labs.google.com/accessible/

  Accessible Search FAQ

  What is Google Accessible Search?
  Accessible Search is an early Google Labs product designed to identify and
  prioritize search results that are more easily usable by blind and visually
  impaired users. Regular Google search helps you find a set of documents that
  is most relevant to your tasks. Accessible Search goes one step further by
  helping you find the most accessible pages in that result set.

  How does Accessible Search work?
  In its current version, Google Accessible Search looks at a number of
  signals by examining the HTML markup found on a web page. It tends to favor
  pages that degrade gracefully --- pages with few visual distractions and
  pages that are likely to render well with images turned off. Google
  Accessible Search is built on Google Co-op's technology, which improves
  search results based on specialized interests.

  Why is Google offering this?
  Accessible Search is a natural and important extension of Google's overall
  mission to better organize the world's information and make it universally
  accessible. Google Accessible Search is designed to help the visually
  impaired find the most relevant, useful and comprehensive information, as
  quickly as possible.

  In the past, visually impaired Google users have often waded through a lot
  of inaccessible websites and pages to find the required information. Our
  goal is to provide a more useful and accessible web search experience for
  the blind and visually impaired.

  How do you decide which sites are accessible and which are not? Broadly,
  Google defines accessible websites and pages as content that the blind and
  visually impaired can use and consume using standard online technology, and
  we've worked with a number of organizations to determine which websites and
  pages meet those criteria. Our methods for identifying accessible pages and
  content are always evolving; Currently we take into account several factors,
  including a given page's simplicity, how much visual imagery it carries and
  whether or not its primary purpose is immediately viable with keyboard
  navigation.

  How can sites make their content more accessible to the blind? Some of the
  basic recommendations on how to make a website more usable and accessible
  include keeping Web pages easy to read, avoiding visual clutter
  -- especially extraneous content -- and ensuring that the primary purpose of
  the Web page is immediately accessible with full keyboard navigation. There
  are many organizations and online resources that offer Website owners and
  authors guidance on how to make websites and pages more accessible for the
  blind and visually impaired. The W3C publishes numerous guidelines including
  Web Content Access Guidelines that are helpful for Website owners and
  authors. Broad adherence to these guidelines is one way of ensuring that
  sites are universally accessible.

  Does Accessible Search Filter Out Inaccessible Content?
  No. First of all accessible is a very subjective measure --- what's more,
  queries can vary widely with respect to how accessible the results are. As
  an example, if you are looking for information such as weather forecasts or
  reference material such as the definition of an unfamiliar term, the result
  set often consists of both accessible and inaccessible content. In these
  cases, Google Accessible Search promotes those results that have been
  measured to be more accessible. On the other hand, if the particular query
  is about video games, the chances are fairly high that a majority of the
  best results for that query will be visually busy pages. So in the final
  analysis, we never filter content in Google Accessible Search; we pick the
  best results exactly as we do with regular Google search, and then re-order
  the top results by their level of accessibility.

  The Result Set Looks Identical To Regular Search?
  The operational word in the above question is looks. Google Accessible
  Search does not in any way change the look and feel of Google search
  results. What it does (see earlier question) is to re-order results based on
  how accessible they are.

  Navigating Search Results
  After Google Accessible Search was launched, many of our users sent us
  feedback about the results page

Re: [BlindHandyMan] FW: [JAWS-Users] [JAWS] New Google accessible search for blind/visually impaired

2008-01-16 Thread David Ferrin
Good deal Larry, like I said it should benefit the handy folks on here who 
are always looking for something or another.
David Ferrin
 www.jaws-users.com
- Original Message - 
From: Larry Stansifer
To: blindhandyman@yahoogroups.com
Sent: Wednesday, January 16, 2008 2:10 PM
Subject: [BlindHandyMan] FW: [JAWS-Users] [JAWS] New Google accessible 
search for blind/visually impaired


Here is an alternative to wading through all of those graphics laden web
sites before we can find that tool or part we really want. I have played
with it just a bit and found it to be pretty clean and quick.

First I will past the link then under the link I will post the information.

Read the information before using the link.

http://labs.google.com/accessible/

Accessible Search FAQ

What is Google Accessible Search?
Accessible Search is an early Google Labs product designed to identify and
prioritize search results that are more easily usable by blind and visually
impaired users. Regular Google search helps you find a set of documents that
is most relevant to your tasks. Accessible Search goes one step further by
helping you find the most accessible pages in that result set.

How does Accessible Search work?
In its current version, Google Accessible Search looks at a number of
signals by examining the HTML markup found on a web page. It tends to favor
pages that degrade gracefully --- pages with few visual distractions and
pages that are likely to render well with images turned off. Google
Accessible Search is built on Google Co-op's technology, which improves
search results based on specialized interests.

Why is Google offering this?
Accessible Search is a natural and important extension of Google's overall
mission to better organize the world's information and make it universally
accessible. Google Accessible Search is designed to help the visually
impaired find the most relevant, useful and comprehensive information, as
quickly as possible.

In the past, visually impaired Google users have often waded through a lot
of inaccessible websites and pages to find the required information. Our
goal is to provide a more useful and accessible web search experience for
the blind and visually impaired.

How do you decide which sites are accessible and which are not? Broadly,
Google defines accessible websites and pages as content that the blind and
visually impaired can use and consume using standard online technology, and
we've worked with a number of organizations to determine which websites and
pages meet those criteria. Our methods for identifying accessible pages and
content are always evolving; Currently we take into account several factors,
including a given page's simplicity, how much visual imagery it carries and
whether or not its primary purpose is immediately viable with keyboard
navigation.

How can sites make their content more accessible to the blind? Some of the
basic recommendations on how to make a website more usable and accessible
include keeping Web pages easy to read, avoiding visual clutter
-- especially extraneous content -- and ensuring that the primary purpose of
the Web page is immediately accessible with full keyboard navigation. There
are many organizations and online resources that offer Website owners and
authors guidance on how to make websites and pages more accessible for the
blind and visually impaired. The W3C publishes numerous guidelines including
Web Content Access Guidelines that are helpful for Website owners and
authors. Broad adherence to these guidelines is one way of ensuring that
sites are universally accessible.

Does Accessible Search Filter Out Inaccessible Content?
No. First of all accessible is a very subjective measure --- what's more,
queries can vary widely with respect to how accessible the results are. As
an example, if you are looking for information such as weather forecasts or
reference material such as the definition of an unfamiliar term, the result
set often consists of both accessible and inaccessible content. In these
cases, Google Accessible Search promotes those results that have been
measured to be more accessible. On the other hand, if the particular query
is about video games, the chances are fairly high that a majority of the
best results for that query will be visually busy pages. So in the final
analysis, we never filter content in Google Accessible Search; we pick the
best results exactly as we do with regular Google search, and then re-order
the top results by their level of accessibility.

The Result Set Looks Identical To Regular Search?
The operational word in the above question is looks. Google Accessible
Search does not in any way change the look and feel of Google search
results. What it does (see earlier question) is to re-order results based on
how accessible they are.

Navigating Search Results
After Google Accessible Search was launched, many of our users sent us
feedback about the results page (both Google Accessible and regular search

Re: [BlindHandyMan] FW: [JAWS-Users] [JAWS] New Google accessible search for blind/visually impaired

2008-01-16 Thread Dan Rossi
There is also www.google.com/ie which doesn't search for more accessible 
sites, but the interface is completely stripped down and very easy to 
navigate.

-- 
Blue skies.
Dan Rossi
Carnegie Mellon University.
E-Mail: [EMAIL PROTECTED]
Tel:(412) 268-9081


Re: [BlindHandyMan] FW: [JAWS-Users] [JAWS] New Google accessible search for blind/visually impaired

2008-01-16 Thread Tom Fowle
the google.com/ie
is still fine but I note now the first link is sign in
all you gotta do is go down one to the text entry box
but it's obvious they are trying to get you to sign up so they
can collect more data.

Tom



Re: [BlindHandyMan] FW: [JAWS-Users] [JAWS] New Google accessible search for blind/visually impaired

2008-01-16 Thread Trouble
The sign up is on all there pages unless your signed in.

At 05:02 PM 1/16/2008, you wrote:

the google.com/ie
is still fine but I note now the first link is sign in
all you gotta do is go down one to the text entry box
but it's obvious they are trying to get you to sign up so they
can collect more data.

Tom



Tim
trouble
Never offend people with style when you can offend them with substance.
--Sam Brown

Blindeudora list owner.
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