I recently had the opportunity to study Internet access for the disabled and boy, did I get a surprise!

Obviously, those without sight will not benefit from graphic images but a text description of the images present is a nice "enhancement" - but it is almost NEVER done. To accommodate speech synths, many sightless surfers use - yes - Lynx. Imagine their complete frustration in discovering the joys of the "fully Netscape enhanced" - "everything is so very pretty", "completely clickable on a single ISMAP graphic" site. I have to get a synth just to appreciate how truly bad it can be.

But, the unsighted aren't the only ones suffering from the proliferation of "graphic Ga-ga." Imagine, if you can, the problems confronted by those who don't possess what we consider "full" motor skills. Try the following:

1. Set your mouse to full acceleration and at it's fasted vertical and horizontal speeds;
2. Consume enough alcohol to mildly crash your coordination (please - don't drive...);
3. Try using Netscape on some of the members of the "hall of shame" and see if you can "hit the mark" with any consistency.

ONE alternate: (and then, only under protest) Spyglass's client-side mapping.

Keep give'n them hell,

-- Bill Powell