Google Labs has just released an experimental application of its search technology known as Google Accessible Search to provide the blind and visually impaired with a way to find the most accessible content. Like Google’s standard search engine, Accessible Search provides the most relevant results for the words typed in to its edit box. Unlike the standard search, however, Accessible Search further prioritizes the results by placing those from the most accessible web sites at the top. My initial impression of this new project is quite positive. I urge everyone to try Google Accessible Search and comment on its effectiveness for you.
Advocating full participation through equal accessibility.
The concern I have about this search engine is that it will skew the search results so that pages that it deems to be more accessible will be ranked higher than pages that actually have a higher page relevancy. If I’m trying to quickly locate information that is the most relevant to my search criteria, I would think that the standard search engine would yield the most accurate results.