A visually disabled person utilizes some form of a screen reader when navigating the Internet. Some of these screen readers include Jaws, Naturally Speaking and IBM Home Page Reader. These software programs literally read the content of the page. In cases where there is an image file (which could be anything from a picture to a button), "alt" tags must be specified in the code (HTML) of the web page in order for something to be read. Alt tags are simply a brief description of the image and can be easily included in HTML code. To better understand the challenge facing visually impaired or blind web users, consider the following quote.
Bobby. This was one of the first accessibility checkers to be developed. There is an online version that checks single pages; however, if whole web sites need to be tested, the commercial version of Bobby must be purchased. Available at http://bobby.watchfire.com/
The WAVE. This is an online tool that inserts icons into the page at appropriate locations so as to visually alert the web developer to potential problems. Available at http://wave.webaim.org/index.jsp
A-Prompt. Developed at the University of Toronto, Developers install this software program onto their own computer which can then recommend changes to the site being checked. Available at http://aprompt.snow.utoronto.ca/
InFocus. Created by SSB Technologies, this is one of the oldest commercial accessibility checkers. It is a software program that users can use to check entire sites for potential Web accessibility problems. Available at http://www.ssbtechnologies.com/
PageScreamer. This was created by Crunchy Technologies includes a family of products including PageScreamer, PageScreamer Spider, PageScreamer Central and PageScreamer Plugins. The first three check accessibility and give reports on findings. The last, the plugins can be used with FrontPage, ColdFusion Studio, HomeSite and JRun Studio. Available at http://www.crunchy.com/
AccVerify, AccRepair, and AccMonitor. This is a family of tools developed by Hi Software. AccVerify was used for testing in research done by the team at Central. It may be interesting to note that although AccVerify in itself is a rather pricey program, HiSoft (it's maker) has teamed up with Microsoft FrontPage to offer a product, AccVerify SE that works through FrontPage to check for site accessibility. The product is available free of charge to registered users of FrontPage. Available at http://www.hisoftware.com/
WebABLE Accessibility Monitor. This is an online service which provides a variety of services from customizable reports to W3C WAI and Section 508 reporting. Available at http://www.accessibilitymonitor.com/
Two software programs were used for the majority of testing in this research, Bobby Worldwide and AccVerify. These programs are highly recommended for webmasters wishing to design an accessible site.