The blind leading the blind

Next time you sit in front of a computer, think of all the things you can use it for: surfing the net, writing documents, finding information, chatting to people ... everything short of washing up. When you switch it on, try doing all this with your eyes shut.

Fortunately, anyone losing their sight permanently would find it is still possible to do many of these things. In fact, the internet is opening a whole new world to visually impaired people. Blind people access the web using screen readers, where a synthetic voice reads the screen display. Software is also available to magnify print on the screen for those with residual vision. It is even possible to have on-screen information displayed in Braille, though this is an expensive option.

However, if a website has too many graphics, or is badly designed, it can be difficult for visually impaired people to use. (Via Guardian Unlimited)