Google Accessible for People Who Have Vision and or Hearing Impairments

Google Accessible is a part of Google’s mission to make the world’s information universally accessible and useful, it committed to making accessibility a reality for all of its users, including those with disabilities. Especially for blind and deaf users to access google.

Information for blind and low-vision users

• Android phones: The Android platform includes a built in text-to-speech engine and a screen reader to enable phone manufacturers deliver accessible smartphones. Blind and Deaf users also benefit from the wide variety of Android hardware options available, giving users the flexibility to choose a phone with the features that best meets their needs.Android phones can also be highly customized by downloading third-party accessibility applications that make nearly every function possible without sight, including phone calls, text messaging, email, web browsing, and more.
• Chrome browser: The Chrome browser supports assistive technology including some screen readers and magnifiers. It offers people with low vision a number of tools, including full-page zoom and high-contrast color. In addition, Chrome Extensions are extra features and functionality that you can easily add to your Chrome browser to customize it with functionality you need. There are many extensions which improve accessibility or which help developers create accessible web applications
• Chrome OS: Chrome OS delivers built-in accessibility through the ChromeVox screen reader, designed to bring the speed, versatility, and security of Chrome OS to visually impaired users. ChromeVox has also been released as a developer beta extension for Google Chrome where it’s intended to help authors of web applications quickly come up to speed with web accessibility on Chrome OS.
• Gmail: The standard HTML view of Gmail has been enhanced to enable Blind and low-vision users to use Gmail on the web to send and receive email. Users who prefer a desktop client can also sync their email account with an existing desktop program such as Microsoft Outlook.
• [advt]Google Calendar: Google Calendar has been enhanced to enable Blind and low-vision users to view and edit the contents of their Google Calendar on the web with their existing screen reader. Users who prefer a desktop client can sync with an existing desktop program such as Microsoft Outlook.
• Google Docs and Sites: Blind and low-vision users can use the Google Docs suite of applications to edit, view, and collaborate on documents, spreadsheets and sites in the cloud with a screen reader.
• Google eBooks: Google offers nearly 3 million free eBooks on the web to any user. Low-vision users can also access many features on its Web Reader. Purchased eBooks aren’t currently compatible with screen readers. However, we do provide a platform for authors and publishers, many of whom offer accessible features, to sell their own books.
• Google Maps: Google Maps works with any screen reader for all sorts of tasks, including finding businesses, getting directions, or accessing public transit information.  It recommend using the mobile interface, which  does away with graphical maps and concentrates entirely on giving directions that can be cleanly read out by a screen reader.
• Google Search: Google Search remains extremely popular among blind users for searching and navigating the web, given its simplicity.  It built easy-to-navigate search results pages that work smoothly with adaptive technologies. Accessible View experiment allows you to navigate search results quickly and easily, with just your keyboard. As you navigate, items are magnified for easier viewing. If you use a screen reader or talking browser, the relevant information is spoken automatically as you navigate.
• Google Voice: Using a simple interface, Google Voice can transcribe your voicemail to text message and then link text transcripts to your computer or mobile device so that you can skim them quickly.

Information for deaf and hard of hearing users

• Android phones: The Android platform supports both hearing aid compatibility (HAC) and teletypewriter (TTY) modes for connecting a TTY device.  Your Android phone manufacturer needs to provide the hardware for these features and the information on using them. Droid phones, offered through Motorola and Verizon, support both of these functions.
• Google SMS Applications: There are a number of handy SMS-based apps that turn text messages to speech phone calls. For example, Taxi Magic lets you call a cab from your mobile phone or the web using a text message. Check these out in the Android Market.
• Google Translate Conversation Mode: Conversation Mode in Google Translate is a feature on the Android phone that allows easy communication with a nearby person in many languages. By setting both languages to English, users can turn speech into text and read it on their phones.
• Gmail Video Chat: Gmail two-way video chat is a great tool for sign language speakers. It’s available to anyone with a webcam and a Gmail account—and it’s free.
• Google Voice: Google Voice’s built-in transcript feature converts voicemail to text enabling deaf users to receive notification of and read their voice messages.
• YouTube: It wants YouTube videos to be accessible to everyone, whether or not they can hear or understand the language. Much YouTube content is already available with captions, and we’re improving the quantity and quality every day. Here’s some basic information on finding captioned videos, turning on and off the captions, and adjusting the captions to meet your needs.