Web Accessibility : Project Proposal

On almost all websites, text is a major component of their makeup. However, it is not always safe to assume that the information is being easily extracted. There are many individuals that have disabilities that cause them to have trouble reading and interpreting what they are reading. An example of this would be those with dyslexia. Similarly, it is not always the case that the native tongue of those reading is the same as the language on the page. Those new to a language may understand most of the content, but get stuck on a particular term.


When was the last time you saw a term that stopped you in your tracks like the one above?

I propose a tool to help individuals read and understand sections of text on websites. By simply selecting a word or compound term on the page, the tool will bring up an assistant window. The window will be composed of separate tabs representing 3 main things:

1. A formal definition of the word or term:


2. A pronunciation tool:


3. An image (if applicable):


The benefit of this format would be its ability to reach out to auditory and visual learners through the text-to-speech and image fetching abilities respectively. As well, to emphasize a sense of learning and progress, there will be a “history” option to view the recently searched words.