Why do the blind need access to the internet?
In the developing world, the blind lack access to the internet. The internet provides an opportunity for learning and exploration. Traditional Assistive Technology is costly to purchase and maintain; putting it out of reach for many people who are blind in the developing world. The World Blind Union estimates that 15 percent of the world’s population suffer from some form of blindness. The effects of the blindness is felt most in developing countries. Issues of poverty, a lack of education and high unemployment are only amplified when applied to the blind population and the larger disabled community. These issues are coupled with social stigmas about blindness and perpetuate a continued lack of opportunity for the blind and visually impaired.
The issue of poverty is highest in Africa, Asia and Latin America, where the United Nations Office of Economic Development estimate 2.7 billion people live on $2 per day and 1 billion even live on less than $1 per day. The ubiquitous access and availability of internet connected technologies have increased opportunities for people who before lacked communication and access to the rest of the world through the internet. Globalization is made possible by the increased connectivity of internet access. Mark Zuckerberg, creator of Facebook, other leaders of technology companies and non-governmental organizations know that increasing access to the internet is the first step to poverty alleviation. Accessible Internet Suite for the Blind and Visually Impaired is designed to ensure that as soon as a computer and internet access is available, the person who is blind will be ready with the tools, training and technologies for equal access.
The steps available on this page will assist those who provide instruction to the blind on how to create the Accessible Internet Suite in another language. My volunteer experience is in Central America so the Spanish version has been my primary focus but all the software used has been localized in to most languages. Feel free to read my original blog post on why I developed the idea of a sustainable Assistive Technology solution for the blind and visually impaired in the developing world.
What is the Accessible Internet Suite for the Blind and Visually Impaired?
The accessible Internet Suite for the Blind and Visually Impaired is a package of free and open source software for browsing the web, sending and receiving E-mail, communicating with people using instant messages and editing documents.. This software suite is combined with the free and open source screen reader NVDa and a screen magnifier. All of this is contained on the USB memory and when the person who is blind disconnects the USB memory all of the information is saved on the USB memory and nothing remains on the computer. The applications in the Accesible Internet Suite were contributed by the Mozilla Foundation
What are the benefits of using the Accessible Internet Suite for the Blind and Visually Impaired?
The primary benefit is that the person who is blind or visually impaired can have full access to any computer without having to purchase expensive Assistive Technology solutions that would be difficult to maintain. They can use the applications in the suite and when they are finished, they simply disconnect the USB memory and all of their applications, documents, settings and Assistive Technologies are stored on the USB memory and nothing remains on the computer. This makes computers in schools, libraries, internet cafes, computers belonging to friends and families instantly available and accessible to the person who is blind or visually impaired. All the software included is based on freely available and open source technologies so the user is free to update and use it forever. The screen reader is NVDA, an open source screen reader that has been translated in to 43 languages. NVDA works with popular web browsers, E-mail programs, office suites and most applications on Windows. If the user has access to their own computer, they can install the software from the Accessible Internet Suite for the Blind or Visually Impaired or just the NVDA screen reader. The applications all combined in to an Accessible Internet Suite makes it easy to deploy, use, maintain and freely distribute. The secondary benefit for the blind user is that they will have expanded access to information and will have increased access to knowledge, which can provide increased access to education and employment opportunities.
What are the installation instructions?
- Download the Accessible Internet Suite for the Blind and Visually Impaired 2017-02. The file is a .zip archive.
- Click no thank you continue to view on Dropbox.
- Click the Download button to start downloading the file.
- Extract the contents of the .zip archive directly on the USB memory. For best results I recommend 4 GB or larger. You may have success with 2 GB if 4 GB USB memory is too costly.
- Remove the USB memory and plug it back in to the computer. Windows will prompt you to choose an action. Select Open folder to view files.
- Click the i.bat file. This will launch the menu of applications and the NVDA screen reader simultaneously.
How do I build this project for other languages?
This answer will be updated.
