actually, the activity of stripping out the non text stuff is only
partly true.  there is also some substitution by some screen readers
for windows through their parsing of the content such that some non
text information is converted into something useful.

You write:
        What we are only actually looking for is a user interface
between what we are good at doing and what the web site does.

This is the aim although far from perfect of the current development
work on the gui of windows.  I've seen huge strides in the past couple
of years in this directions.  While I am not fond of it and do not
embrace it entirely, it has enabled lots of people to obtain
employment, retain their jobs and be educated.  I am all for a perfect
solution.  I will not hold my breath for one to come along any time
soon.  The average individual today sighted or blind and blind need to
be a bit above average in this regard can put up a pc with windows on
it and be connected in minutes with windows.  It takes a lot of
technical know how to do this with even dos let alone unix or linux in
command line mode.

still to those who have a problem with this concept, I say, don't rule
out what you don't understand.  I have no particular ax to grind.  I
have always supported access in its best form while at the same time
remaining as practical as possible even though it can be quite
frustrating at times.  If you all can convince rehab and most of the
proffessional world that there are tools that we should be using that
would provide us with nearer to equal access, I am behind you 100
percent.  I have been endeavoring to do this for a long time.  The cry
I hear is that those tools are non standard, they don't fit into our
network or way of life, we don't know how is one that is important but
we don't hear that one much.  We hear a lot of excuses.  Oh, I know
there are tools out there but for this job, you need this and if you
can't use this than you don't get the job.  Change that attitude and
then we will talk happily and seriously about how to move forward.

Martin McCormick