The Internet for the blind and visually impaired

A qualitative study of fifteen blind or visually impaired persons and sixteen professionals who work with blind and visually impaired persons sought to explore the potential role of the Internet in information provision for this group of people. Traditional forms of access to information such as print have meant that people who are blind and visually impaired have more difficulty in accessing the same range of information that people who are sighted take for granted. Increasingly, computers are being viewed as the solution to the problem of access to the printed word. This study sought to understand the role of the Internet in information provision, within the context of other sources of information and everyday information needs. The article presents findings about the current ways in which people who are blind and visually impaired find information for their everyday lives; the role of the Internet in this process; barriers to using computers and the Internet; and three case studies in information seeking.