The recent decision to allow a lawsuit against Target Corporation on the grounds that their website isn’t accessible enough to the blind, has caused me to mull over the current solutions for the visually impaired. While I don’t want to comment on my thoughts about the lawsuit, I do believe that current solutions are out of sync with the present state of the web.

I’m sure this isn’t a completely original idea, but what if we served a separate style sheet to screen readers just like we would any other alternate means of browsing. This way we could optimize the content for screen readers.

But I also think there is a bigger opportunity here. I think there is a opportunity to create an opensource screen reader. There are numerous benefits to an open source screen reader. First being technology, as an open project the program can keep up with the most current web technologies. Secondly worldwide input can help to create the most usable screen reader (hopefully with a lot of input by people who actually rely on them) current solutions are generally thought of as pretty inadequate. Lastly the major benefit is cost, current screen reading software is prohibitively expensive. An open solution would make the Internet accessible to people who cant afford basic access to the net.

With the combination of an open screen reader and an new style sheet class a community of could open the Internet up to millions of people. The development could spur competition between software, and truly help to push the web towards true accessibility.

This is it, our first post. We’re going live before the site is even finished. It’s 99.9% functional we just have some style sheet changes to make so look forward to the site to get even cooler over the next couple of weeks.

So what do we do?, who or what are we?, what is our reason for being? Simply put, ProjectKNOW is an organization interested in the dispersal of information. We want to discover new ways to spread good information. Yes, the phrase “good information” is a heavily loaded phrase, what we mean by that is information that presents a holistic view of an issue. Unlike most purveyors of information we don’t want to present answers, we want to present good information so people can find their own answers.

Currently we are embracing the internet for it’s democracy. Of course there are numerous areas and groups with no access to the internet for numerous reasons, but for large parts of the world the internet is an uncontrolled and inexpensive medium for free exchange of ideas with seemingly limitless possibilities. This doesn’t mean we are opposed to solutions based in the real world, just that currently we are like a kid with a new toy. Perhaps we can find a solution to the real world problem of access to the internet.

The web also allows for open source development that is crucial to what we do. This opens the discussion to anybody who wants to have a say, and even experts on what ever the discussion may revolve around. This creates an environment next to impossible to recreate physically.

So we have the tools, hopefully this project and it’s subsequent projects will become the means to develop ideas.