Google's New Accessible Search Engine
Posted by ET on 10/28/2006 1:30:56 PM.
If you are like me, and I know I am, you've found it increasingly difficult to find anything useful on the internet these days. Most, it not all, of the searches I initiate yield results with about 500 links all designed to sell me something. If there is anything informative there, I can't find it amongst all the clutter on my screen.The folks at Google Labs have initiated a new search engine designed to address this problem that plagues the blind community. The new search engine has a query screen that is simple and devoid of the extraneous garbage apparently designed to ensure that the average blind user with a screen reader never finds the form field where they can enter their query. This search engine goes far beyond that however. It also filters the search results and presents those most likely to be accessible to blind computer users and on target for content. What an amazing idea!! Even more amazing yet, it seems to work! I've only been using the new search for a few days and have already found more useful content than I found all last year with my standard methods.
If you would like to try the new search engine, go to http://labs.google.com/accessible/faq.html where you can read about the techniques employed and find a link to the site itself. Google also solicits your feedback at this site and they apparently really want it because they don't even require that you submit enough information to pass a FBI screening before you get to the message box .
I'd be interested in knowing if the Google Accessible Search works for you and will monitor responses to this message if you want to provide feedback. If I got that link wrong up there, I'm sorry! I've never been able to get that cut and paste thing to work for me and besites, it leaves big gaping holes in my LCD screen when I try it!
ET
There are currently 2 replies.
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1 . Re: Google's New Accessible Search Engine
Posted by jw321 on 11/26/2006
I ramp up the font size and use the advanced search on Google. Sometimes I'll have several internet windows open at once, searching under different combinations of words. It works - I'm great at finding info.
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2 . Re: Google's New Accessible Search Engine
Posted by corykad on 12/15/2006
yeh, I'v used google for years but this is great! let me know about anything that you know of that works good with jaws
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