Greasemonkey Hacks

Hack #76. Make Google More Accessible for Low-Vision Users

Change Google's layout to make it easier for low-vision users to read.

As a class of disabilities, low-vision users are often ignored by accessibility experts. However, accessibility expert Joe Clark has recently published his research into the needs of web users with limited vision. He pioneered a technique known as the zoom layout: a special alternate style applied to a web page that specifically caters to low-vision users.

As I was learning about zoom layouts, it occurred to me that this would be a perfect application of Greasemonkey. (Actually, that thought occurs to me a lot these days.) This hack is my first attempt at transforming a site into a zoom layout.

Tip

You can read more about zoom layouts at http://www.alistapart.com/articles/lowvision/ and http://joeclark.org/atmedia/atmedia-NOTES-2.html.

The Code

This user script runs on several specific Google pages:

• Google's home page at http://www.google.com.

• International versions of Google's home page, such as http://www.google.ca.

• Other variations of Google's home page, such as http://www.google.com/webhp and http://www.google.com/imghp. You can reach these by clicking one of the navigation links at the top of http://www.google.com.

• Web search results.

• Image search results.

Tip

This hack is written to be cross-browser compatible. It works in Firefox with Greasemonkey, in Internet Explorer 6 for Windows with Turnabout, and in Opera 8 with its built-in support for User JavaScript. ...