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Visually impaired people can now take advantage of the Internet. Thus plc and Apart Consultancy have renewed their partnership to assist blind and partially sighted people to access the Internet through a telephone helpline.

The helpline gives advice to visually impaired (VI) customers on how to get online using Demon - the Internet brand of Thus - as their Internet Service Provider. The helpline also gives advice on how to use specialist IT packages or 'access technology', such as screenreaders ('talking Web browsers') and magnification packages. It also answers general Internet queries such as how to use the Internet, email packages and chatrooms with various access technologies1 and goes a long way to meeting the needs of the Disability Discrimination Act 1998.

The helpline takes calls during office hours and is linked to Demon's main customer-facing teams. Currently, Apart Consultancy2 is the only UK-based company contracted by an Internet Service Provider to offer specialist support for the visually impaired.

"We contract Apart Consultancy to help our visually impaired customers enjoy their Internet experience. We work with Apart by passing onto them customers who would benefit from their specialist expertise, letting them know that this technology exists, and where to get it," said Cynthia Gordon, marketing director at Thus.

There are 1.5 million visually impaired people in the UK, with about twelve per cent of them under the age of 65.

"Both myself and my partner are visually impaired and use braille and speech output to help us run our business. The Internet is now a core tool for business use but not all Web content is easily accessible to the visually impaired," said Joe Paton, founder of Apart Consultancy.

Demon, as an Internet Service Provider, has for several years been working to meet the requirements of the Disability Discrimination Act (DDA). The DDA states that any service provider, whether it is an airline, restaurant or ISP, must ensure that their service is fully accessible. The DDA only came into effect in 1998, whereas Demon has employed Apart since 1997.

One of the organisations benefiting from the Demon facility for visually impaired people is Islington Library and Information Service in London3. Their service was launched in May 1999 by David Blunkett, Education and Employment Secretary. Councillor Barbara Smith, Lead Member on Libraries said: 'We have worked closely with Apart and Demon to provide equipment and services at the Library, and it is an important part of our modernisation of Islington Library and Information Service. It has been invaluable in enabling our visually impaired customers to make the best use of the Internet, providing magnified screen and sound. Our accessible internet service is free to use and particularly valuable for people who do not have their own PC.'

Notes

1  Access Technology includes braille keyboards, speech synthesis software which both reads the text on the screen and highlights links when encountered on the Internet, and screen magnification software that increases the size of the font on the screen.

2  Apart Consultancy, based in Essex, has worked with Demon Internet for the past three years. The company was established in 1996 by Joe and Lynda Paton with the aim of providing IT access solutions to blind and partially sighted people. Joe is blind and Lynda is severely visually impaired. They both have to use braille and speech output to access the Internet. Apart provide a specialist customer service function for Demon's visually impaired customers. Tel. 01702 531157.

3  To book an appointment or for further information call Islington Central Reference Library on 020 7527 6931.