There have been many technological advancements allowing people with impaired vision to enjoy the internet. Readspeaker and Browsealoud are two such creations, which have been nominated for the 2006 New Media Awards in the accessibility category. The applications read the content of web sites to people who are not able to see the text.

Another invention now allows legally blind people to actually view web sites. The Massachusetts Institute of Technology has created a “seeing machine”. It plugs into a computer and allows people with limited vision to read, study the layouts of buildings or see faces of friends. It uses light emitting diodes, like those used in digital clocks and remote controls, to project images directly into people’s eyes. By cutting out images in people’s peripheral vision, it helps seeing-impaired people to more easily focus on the image.

Elizabeth Goldring, a legally blind poet, spent 10 years creating the machine, which has a current price tag of $4,000.