New to the Internet? It's an mPowering world of information and entertainment. This page provides a few useful links to get you surfing.
If you are reading this page continuously with speech using KeyWeb, you will notice that some words or phrases are heard in conjunction with a tiny beep. In Braille, these same words or phrases are surrounded by brackets, dots 2-4-6 and dots 1-3-5. These words or phrases are hyperlinks, often just called links. Links are the fundamental elements of the Web. The World Wide Web is a massive series of connected pages. Hyperlinks allow you to go somewhere else on the Web. Most of the time, hyperlinks will take you to another page. That page might be on the same web site, or just as easily, another web site, possibly even half way around the world. Sometimes, hyperlinks can take you to a specific section of the same web page you're reading. By pressing ENTER, or a cursor routing key when over a hyperlink, you will activate that link. This is what sighted people mean when they talk of clicking on a link.
So with that background out of the way, let's introduce you to a few useful sites on the World Wide Web.
At HumanWare, we're always innovating. Make sure you stay up-to-date with our latest product developments. HumanWare has an extensive Web Site, updated regularly. Feel free to visit us from time to time. This link will take you to the HumanWare web site.
Humanware also runs two e-mail lists which can get help and information sent right to your inbox. If you would like to receive announcements from HumanWare about new software for your BrailleNote or special events, then feel free to join the BrailleNote announcements list. Only authorised HumanWare personnel can post to this list, and the traffic is very low, usually about one message a month. Choose this link to go to the BrailleNote Announcements List Subscribe page.
HumanWare also runs an open forum for customers and prospective customers to exchange hints and tips about the BrailleNote and VoiceNote. It's a great way to get to know other BrailleNote or VoiceNote customers, and provide feedback on features you'd like to see added in the future. As part of being accessible to our family of BrailleNote and VoiceNote users, HumanWare staff also monitor this list for product suggestions, and contribute when time permits. Be warned though, this list can get busy and you may receive 40 or 50 e-mail messages a day. Choose this link to subscribe to the BrailleNote users' list.
If you have a Software Maintenance Agreement, or you wish to download the latest version of KeySoft to which you are entitled, choose this link to go to HumanWare's Software Distribution Web Site.
The Internet offers you literally billions of web pages to choose from. So how do you know what's out there and how to access it? There's a special kind of web site, known as a search engine. Search engines constantly crawl the web and help users to find what they are looking for. Using a search engine, you type a word or phrase into the edit box, press the "submit" button, which can often be activated simply by pressing ENTER, and browse through the results. If you find something that you like, remember you can add it to your favourites in KeyWeb so you can come back there later.
Google is the world's most popular search engine, and should be able to assist you in locating web pages on just about any topic.
To help you become familiar with using forms on the Web, which make the Web a truly interactive place, click on the Google link and search the Internet from here.
News
One of the most exciting things about the Internet for blind and vision impaired people is the ability it gives us to access the latest in-depth news. Here are just a few news sites to get you started.
BBC News
CBC News
CNN
The New Zealand Herald
The Sydney Morning Herald
Many blindness organisations have excellent web sites. Here is a selection to get you started.
American Council of the Blind
American Foundation for the Blind
Association of Blind Citizens of New Zealand
Blind Citizens Australia
Canadian National Institute for the Blind
National Federation of the Blind
Royal Blind Society
Royal National Institute of the Blind
Royal New Zealand Foundation of the Blind
Using KeyWeb, you can browse for and download a wide range of reading material.
If you are a United States citizen, you are entitled to access the web Braille programme of the Library of Congress National Library Service for the Blind and Physically Handicapped. Please contact them for further details. You will find that KeyWeb works well with Web Braille.
The Canadian National Institute for the Blind also offers a range of on-line services for its members through its Digital Library programme. Please contact them for further details.
Bookshare is fully available to United States residents, and Bookshare support is integrated into KeySoft. Some material from Bookshare is also available to anyone. Visit the Bookshare site.
The Baen Free Library offers many free science fiction titles for download.
The International Electronic Braille Book Library is available to anyone and offers a wide range of titles for download.
Project Gutenberg is a treasure-trove of classic literature that is in the public domain. All books can be downloaded for free.
If you have BrailleNote mPower or VoiceNote mPower, you can listen to radio stations and other on-line entertainment wherever you have an Internet connection.
ACB Radio offers content produced by blind people from around the world. They offer four on-line radio stations as well as a huge archive of material that can be downloaded or listened to on demand.
Mike's Radio World is a frequently updated directory of radio stations from around the world. At this time, BrailleNote mPower and VoiceNote mPower will play streams listed in the directory that are in WindowsMedia or MP3 format.