The Voice of America will dedicate the entire program of an upcoming
communications World to explore the issue of the growing difficulty by
blind persons to access international broadcasts.  This is due in part to
the new generation of shortwave receivers and the trend by many
broadcasters to offer their services on the World Wide Web.  New web
designs are posing particular difficulty.  Details for the show are below
as well as the e-mail address to send in information on this topic that
might be used as part of the program.

kelly



Newsgroups: alt.comp.blind-users


from VOA Communictions World

Steve Bauer has been having problems getting access to Communications
World in RealAudio format from the redesigned World Radio Network Web
site. Steve is blind, and WRN now has a menu system that requires
pointing and clicking a mouse, something he cannot do.

Steve, I contacted Kark Miosga at World Radio Network. He said that
because of feedback WRN has been getting about their redesigned Web
site, non-frames and text-only versions will be made available. That
should improve your access.

I also heard recently from Tim Hendel about a similar problem for blind
listeners: menu systems on the newer shortwave receivers.

Because of this input, a special edition of Communications World during
the weekend of February 20 1999 will deal with media use by blind persons,
and their problems of access to the media. If you are blind, vision
impaired, or otherwise interested in the subject, please let me hear
from you. My postal and e-mail addresses in a few minutes.

-----------------------------
Kim Andrew Elliott
Producer and Presenter
Communications World
VOICE OF AMERICA
330 Independence Avenue, S.W.
Washington, D.C. 20547 USA
E-mail: [log in to unmask]
Fax: +1-202-619-2543
-----------------------------


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