[Trainer-talk] Two websites that reformat web pages into simpler formats

[Julie Adkins]

These are fantastic for low vision computer users who use screen
magnification, but I think can also make web browsing a little simpler for
screen reader users, too.  I wrote the Readability instructions below for
JAWS users.  If you are a sighted mouse user, just follow the instructions
that appear on the screen on the Readability web page.  

 

If you are a mouse user, I love to put both Skweezer and Readability on the
Favorites bar, and the user can just quickly click on each one (first on
Skweezer to do a search or pull up a particular web page, and then on
Readability once they have opened a specific article to be read).  

 

Website to use as a search engine (save it in your favorites) so all your
websites will be reformatted into a cleaner, linear format:
www.skweezer.com.  By the way, if you have students who are Spanish
speakers, it can be set to Spanish!

 

Webpage that isolates the actual article you want to read, removing all the
links, images, etc. and puts it in one column:  Go to www.readability.com
and press Enter on the "Install Now for free" link.  Then you will tab to a
link that says Read Now, but do not open it.  Instead, press the Application
key and then press F for Add to Favorites.  It may tell you it is unsafe, in
which case you will have to press Y for yes to allow it.  Now when you open
an article you want to read, open Read Now from your Favorites, and it will
reformat it.  It may take a minute to convert it,  so wait until you hear
100 percent. JAWS should read the article automatically.  It appears to be
saying "main region start" at the beginning of the text of the article.  I
got there quickly by pressing N two times, but you could just let it start
at the beginning and go on down.  

 

Sighted users would also want to click on the little button on the left side
of Readability (when it opens an article) that has a big A and little A on
it to try out the different fonts and background colors.  If you use screen
magnification, you can reduce the column width so it won't move back and
forth visually when you use the Zoomtext AppReader or DocReader.  

 

Julie Adkins, MA, CVRT

Certified Vision Rehabilitation Therapist

Metrolina Association for the Blind

704 Louise Avenue

Charlotte, NC 28204

704-887-5121

www.mabnc.org

 

CONFIDENTIALITY NOTICE: This e-mail message, including any attachments, is
for the sole use of the intended recipients(s) and may contain confidential
and privileged information. Any unauthorized review, use, disclosure or
distribution is prohibited. If you are not the intended recipient, please
contact the sender by reply e-mail and destroy all copies of the original
message.