The internet contains a wealth of information, but it is often created assuming that users can depend on their sight to navigate it. Unfortunately, this is not always possible for the over 285 million visually impaired people worldwide, resulting in online browsing being difficult for them. In an effort to help, Braigo Labs is introducing a beta service specifically designed to assist blind and visually impaired individuals in comprehending text within images. This beta release marks the beginning of a broader initiative to offer extensive assistance to those who are unable to see.
Braigo Platform is a free web application designed to offer accessibility solutions for the visually impaired. It supports over 50 languages and can extract text from images sourced from the web or mobile phones.
Image macros or memes pose a significant challenge, according to the Braigo team. “This is our step in the right direction,” says Shubham Banerjee, founder of Braigo Labs. “We envision Braigo as a holistic product that fosters an ecosystem for the visually impaired, rather than just a standalone software or hardware tool.”
While screen readers have been available for some time, they typically only read text that is already displayed as text, not text overlaid on images or screenshots. However, new APIs and services are emerging to help computers interpret images, which will benefit visually impaired users.
Although some similar technologies have existed for a while, Braigo enters a market with several established competitors, including the KNFB reader app, LookTel’s Money Reader, the open-source TapTapSee app, and the Be My Eyes initiative, which connects blind individuals with sighted volunteers.
For those who haven’t used a screen reader, navigating the web with severe visual impairments can be a frustrating experience. Despite numerous guidelines on making websites more accessible, many web developers overlook these considerations. Even popular websites often fail to adequately describe images. For example, the IRS website displays a crucial “File Your Tax Return” button as part of an image without an appropriate alt attribute, making it inaccessible to screen readers. A simple alt text like “Button to file your tax return” would solve this issue, but instead, they used a title tag, which is not helpful for screen reader users.
