EIA (Enhancing Internet Access) - A review of usage in libraries
Rob Seiler, Toni Seiler,
ELR Software Pty Ltd
EIA (Enhancing Internet Access) was designed to assist and train people with special needs to use the web. It provides intuitive access to web pages and other public information (eg library catalogs), and is especially suitable for use with a touchscreen. It consists of 3 parts:- the EIA Browser, the Internet Tutorial, and the AAP (Awareness and Assessment Protocol). A new component, WordCue, developed as part of a project funded through AccessAbility, allows users to obtain additional visual and spoken clues about unfamiliar words in Web content. The concept and rationale for the EIA Browser was originally presented at the 1997 ARATA conference. Since that time a number of libraries in several Australian states have installed this Browser, with a touchscreen, to provide improved Internet access for people with disability, and for older adults unaccustomed to computers and web technology. This paper will report results of a survey designed to evaluate the usage of the EIA Browser in public libraries, and installation/management difficulties encountered by staff.