Accessibility solutions for visually impaired users of Web discussion boards

Web-based content management systems present specific presentation and navigational problems for visually impaired users. These systems are widely used in e-learning, ironically to ensure that disabled students have equal access to course materials. In this paper, we present a short-term solution, based on proxying through the IBM intermediary framework, that allows Web pages sourced from a Web content management system for e-learning, such as WebCT, to be rewritten to conform to W3C accessibility guidelines. In particular, threaded discussion boards present unique navigational challenges, which are addressed in our software prototype. Longer-term structural challenges remain in this area.