A Preliminary Study on the Effect of Audio Feedback to Support Comprehension of Web Content Among Non-visual Internet Users

Unlike normal users, the visually impaired need to rely on added technology that enables them to browse the Internet. Screen readers have been used to achieve this purpose in aiding this group of users. It is a software that has a programmed narrator which reads out aloud each item that appears on the computer screen. This paper aims to provide the visually impaired computer users an Internet search experience similar to normal users. We argue that accessibility of information from web content should be made equal to all users. An interview and a pilot testing were conducted for data collection from a group of visually impaired computer users. The study suggests that audio feedback could support comprehension of web content effectively and becomes more efficient with respect to several criteria that need to be considered in the development of a screen reader for the visually impaired computer user.