Are there ANY accessible browsers for photosensitive users?
I have sensory processing issues, and all the flashing menus in Firefox hurt and cause nasty headaches.
I need a browser which works, which doesn't flash, which blocks animation, including Javascript-based animation, which blocks zooming images [such as Google Maps], etc.]
All Replies (11)
This is probably a good site to be aware of http://www.accessfirefox.org/Firefox_Accessibility_Extensions.php It is a semi official mozilla community run site. IIRC the site and many of its addons were caught out by Australis. That is probably one site we should reach out to in advance if for instance making anything less distinct smaller, or lower contrast.
Unfortunately, the site has flashing menus in Firefox, so it isn't very accessible for users sensitive to flashing lights/images/pain.
ImageTweak sounds useful, but doesn't include options to disable animation and zooming.
Web Developer sounds useful, but I'm not sure how it will work. Disabling animation might only disable certain types, might not disable Javascrupt-based slideshows, etc.
The only way to block JavaScript animations and JavaScript menu pop-ups would to to block such a script or possibly use rules in Stylish or userChrome.css to block specific elements. The latter can also be used to hide CSS mouse over (hover) types of showing data. Setting up Stylish rules for a web page to hide specific content takes time and is only worth the effort for web pages that you visit very often (daily/weekly). You can hardly block all content the first time you visit a web page unless it can be blocked with a content blocking extension that is based upon generic filter rules like Adblock Plus and uBlock Origin.
An extension like uBlock Origin can block specific content via the right-click context menu, but it might not be easy to reverse/undo such an element block.
I just want to be able to use the web without being hammered by flashing lights...
Why are there so many ridiculous misfeatures like having flashing menus, or enabling animated gifs [though I've been able to block those], when there isn't basic functionality like accessibility and enabling users to use the web?
Are there any readable text-only or text-and-still-images browsers?
Maybe give Lynx a try:
For Firefox, there are Fangs and Textise.
Fangs turns out to be a screen reader emulator so includes lots of text describing formatting.
Textise turns out to be a text-only tool, but it opens in the same tab. I can't figure out how to make it open in another tab. I don't think I can actually use it if it breaks tabs.
Outside Firefox, there's Lynx. I don't know how much control it would give me over fots, font sizes, background and text colors, etc. Screenshots don't look easy-to-read.
Links might have a batter balance of features than Lynx. Unfortunately, either one would require me to learn what libraries to download, how to compile things, etc.
Lynx is a command line based browser, so you do not get a browser window, but merely type a command in a terminal window and you see the website as a text only response in this terminal window. It is very basic and being text-only you will never see images and Flash objects (a terminal window can only display text), so this is nothing like you see in a web browser like Firefox that works graphical. I've never used Lynx, so I don't know how much learning it requires to work with this application. Websites that retrieve its content via JavaScript (AJAX) may not work as well.
I tried to check if one of my add-ons was causing it. No. I managed to restore Firefox using FEBE, but I still don't have a fix, and my whole system has started going haywire.
It seems that if I ask more specific accessibility questions, such as how to prevent flashing on mouse-over in the new tab tab, it gets locked as a duplicate of this question.
Though I do need a new accessible browser without migraine-inducing misfeatures!