A sight for sore eyes

Judy Malk, 76, has such poor vision that she needed to lean in and view web pages with her magnifying glass.

"You didn't want to stay at the computer very long because it's not very comfortable," said Ms Malk, who lives in Campbell, California.

Now she's surfing the internet night and day, doing online banking and buying books for her daughter-in-law in Hawaii - using IBM software designed just for seniors like her.

The company's Web Adaptation Technology software allows Ms Malk and others with vision impairments and disabilities to manipulate web pages to suit their needs.

The software can read aloud what's on the page, magnify text, block distracting screen backgrounds or animation as well as make the keyboard easier to use.

The technology is also now being rolled out for use by children with learning disabilities and physical impairments, including those in Santa Clara County school districts, according to IBM.

"It reduces the fear factor that inherently comes with the new paradigm of the internet," said Kristin Fabos, executive director of SeniorNet, a Santa Clara-based non-profit that trains seniors how to use computers and technology.

SeniorNet worked with IBM to develop and roll out the software at its centres nationally. "If you add to the fear a disability like low vision or an arthritic condition, it makes using computers and the internet that much more daunting," Ms Fabos said.

The Web Adaptation Technology addresses common problems experienced by seniors.

Sufferers of arthritis or tremors, for example, may hold down a key too long and get repeats of the same letter. The software automatically eliminates key repeats. If someone drags his or her fingers across the keyboard because of poor coordination, it filters out the jumble of letters that would normally appear on the screen.

"Typing problems change not just day-to-day but even in the same session as they get tired," said Vicki Hanson, manager of IBM's Accessibility Research Group, which developed the technology.

"The software is monitoring how you're typing and automatically adjusts to your typing pattern. It's looking for characteristic errors and eliminates them."

The text of web pages can also be reformatted into a single column of magnified text, eliminating the need to scroll to the right when text is enlarged.

In 2002, IBM installed Web Adaptation Technology at SeniorNet centres across the country. Earlier this year, the software was put on the web download.

IBM gives free access to the technology through its not-for-profit partners and is distributing the software through 40 partners in 13 countries, said Jocelyn Zona, the company's community relations manager for the western United States.

There are 10,000 users of the technology, and the company plans to make it available to many more, Ms Zona said.

Ms Hanson's group, based in New York, is now working with children with physical and learning disabilities to add even more features.

One downside of the software is that web pages don't retain their look and feel.

"It never looks as good when you change it," Ms Hanson said. "But if you can't read it the way it was designed, it's no good to you."

KRT