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For those who can't see, attempts to use the Internet all too often end in frustration. But it isn't the disability that's to blame, says Jonathan Lazar.

It's poor Web design.

"Web designers design for people with full hearing and sight," says Lazar, associate professor of Computer and Information Sciences and director of TU's Universal Usability Laboratory. "They're not considering the needs of people with impairments."

Lazar, in collaboration with the Baltimore-based National Federation of the Blind (NFB), is winding up a yearlong study of the difficulties encountered by computer users with no (or low) vision. The National Science Foundation-funded project gathered data from collection diaries kept by nearly 100 blind Web surfers who volunteered to help with the project.   

According to Lazar, it's one of the largest studies of blind computer users ever undertaken.  

Many blind people rely on screen readers, he notes, often with limited success. Screen readers produce computer-synthesized speech output, enabling users to essentially listen to Web pages. "If the designer didn't incorporate accessibility into the Web site, the screen reader won't be much help," he says. "And it's not a big deal to make the site accessible. Most of it is just building the textual equivalent for images, layout or applets into the interface.

Without audible cues, blind users can become disoriented, says Lazar. "You have to put the right words in the right places--for example, column , chart , table or total--to enable the screen reader to identify the content accurately," he adds. "For instance, if you label a picture with picture here, it's not descriptive or useful."

And, although U.S. law requires accessibility for federal Web sites, Lazar says it won't be easy to get non-federal Web sites to comply. But that's where the NFB can flex some muscle.  

"We've been analyzing data from our volunteers," he says, "and we're documenting the frustration and the amount of time lost."  Blind users cite the following as their top five frustrations:

1. page layout causing confusing screen reader feedback
2. conflict between screen reader and application
3. poorly designed or unlabeled form
4. no alt text for pictures
5. misleading links, inaccessible PDF files, and a screen reader crash (3-way tie)
   

 "Now that we've identified these problems, the NFB will be in a position to more effectively advocate for policy changes, improved Web design and better assistive technologies," says Lazar. He presented his research findings at the NFB's annual conference last summer in Louisville, Ky. The findings will be published in The International Journal of Human-Computer Interaction and The Proceedings of the ACM Conference on Assistive Technologies (ASSETS).

Completing this research by no means marks the end of his relationship with the National Federation of the Blind.

"I've submitted a number of grant applications in partnership with the NFB, and I'd like to continue the partnership for a good number of years," says Lazar. "We're so lucky to have this wonderful organization in Baltimore."