In the UK, there are over 2 million people with sight loss, with 360,000 registered as blind or partially sighted. Approximately 25% of those with partial sight loss are employed, this decreases to 10% for those who are blind. There is therefore a pressing need to enable blind and visually impaired people to gain better access to the job market. Evidence has shown that people who are visually impaired can seek employment if the professional tools they use have appropriate accessibility. These adaptations help visually impaired individuals to access vocational learning and employability opportunities.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Computer networking is a promising area for employment for visually impaired people because command line software, which is text-only, is widely used; this software is already accessible through assistive technology such as screen readers. The Open Networking Lab Accessibility<\/a> project, which is funded by the UfI VocTech Trust<\/a>, allows visually impaired people to acquire basic computer networking skills through the use of accessible network simulation software. In order to achieve this, we have extended the PT Anywhere<\/a> network simulation tool to offer an accessible interface for visually impaired learners. We have collaborated with visually impaired users, members of the broader disability community, and accessibility specialists, in order to identify user requirements and test the new software developments.<\/p>\n\n\n\n The following video summarises our main challenges and goals:<\/p>\n\n\n\n