How do blind people use the internet?

Blind people use screen readers – software that converts web content into speech or Braille output. They navigate exclusively via keyboard, without visual orientation. This requires all website content to be programmatically readable and semantically structured.

What is the difference between blindness and visual impairment?

Blind people have no or minimal functional vision and rely on screen readers and keyboard navigation. Visually impaired people can still see but with limitations – they use magnification, high contrast and large text, but not a screen reader as their primary assistive tool.

Which WCAG criteria are most important for blind people?

The most critical criteria are 1.1.1 (alternative texts for images), 1.3.1 (information and relationships programmatically determinable), 2.1.1 (full keyboard accessibility), 2.4.3 (logical focus order) and 4.1.2 (accessible names and roles for UI elements).

What are common barriers for blind people on websites?

Images without alternative text, missing form labels, non-focusable elements, missing heading structure, untagged PDF documents and purely visual information without text alternatives are the most common barriers for blind users.

Which screen readers do blind people use?

The most widely used screen readers are JAWS and NVDA for Windows, and VoiceOver for macOS and iOS. TalkBack is the default screen reader on Android devices. They read web content aloud and enable navigation via keyboard shortcuts.

Blindness & Digital Accessibility – How Blind People Use the Web

For blind people, the internet is only accessible when websites are consistently designed to be barrier-free. Unlike visually impaired users, blind people cannot perceive screen content visually – they rely entirely on screen readers, keyboard navigation and programmatically readable content. An image without an alternative text, a button without a label or a form without accessible descriptions makes content completely invisible to blind people.

According to the WHO, over 43 million blind people live worldwide – with a further 295 million being visually impaired. In digital life, poorly structured websites represent the greatest barrier for this group: incorrect semantics, missing text alternatives and purely visual navigation systematically exclude blind users.

Under the European Accessibility Act (EAA), businesses must comply with WCAG 2.1 Level AA – the requirements protecting blind people are a central component of this obligation.

Blindness & Digital Accessibility at a Glance

✓ Definition: No or minimal functional vision – screen content not visually perceivable
✓ Assistive tools: Screen readers (JAWS, NVDA, VoiceOver), Braille display, keyboard navigation
✓ Key WCAG criteria: 1.1.1 Alt texts, 1.3.1 Structure, 2.1.1 Keyboard, 4.1.2 Roles
✓ Common barriers: Missing alt texts, no labels, visual-only navigation, untagged PDFs
✓ Legal basis: EAA requires WCAG 2.1 AA compliance across the EU

How Blind People Use Websites

Blind people navigate websites exclusively via keyboard and have content read aloud by a screen reader. The screen reader processes the semantic structure of the page – headings, links, forms, lists – and outputs it as speech or Braille. What matters is therefore not the visual appearance of a website but its programmatic structure.

✓ Heading navigation: Blind users jump between H1–H6 via keyboard shortcuts – missing structure makes navigation impossible
✓ Link lists: Screen readers can list all links on a page – vague links like "click here" are useless
✓ Form navigation: Every input field needs a programmatically linked label – otherwise unreadable
✓ Landmark regions: Header, nav, main, footer as HTML landmarks aid orientation
✓ Alternative texts: Every informative image needs a text description – decorative images get empty alt=""

Common Digital Barriers for Blind People

Many websites are barely usable for blind people despite good intentions – because basic semantic requirements are not met. The most common barriers arise not from complex errors but from simple oversights in content creation and technical implementation.

✓ Images without alt text: Invisible to screen readers – WCAG 1.1.1 violated
✓ Forms without labels: Input fields not described – form cannot be completed
✓ Missing heading structure: No H1–H6 hierarchy – screen reader navigation not possible
✓ Visual-only information: Colour as the sole distinguishing feature – not perceivable by blind users
✓ Inaccessible PDFs: Image PDFs without tags or OCR are completely unreadable by screen readers

Blindness vs. Visual Impairment: Different Requirements

Blind and visually impaired people have different needs – and therefore different requirements for websites. While visually impaired people benefit from high contrast ratios, text magnification and readable fonts, these measures are irrelevant for fully blind users. For them, only programmatic accessibility counts.

Good accessible design addresses both groups simultaneously: semantic HTML, alternative texts and keyboard navigation help blind people – high contrast and scalable text help visually impaired people. Together they produce a website that is truly accessible to all.

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Frequently Asked Questions about Accessibility for Blind People

Can blind people use online shops independently?

Yes – if the shop is designed accessibly. This means: all product images have alternative texts, the shopping cart is keyboard-operable, forms have accessible labels and the checkout process is fully navigable with a screen reader. Many shops currently fail these basic requirements.

What is a Braille display?

A Braille display is a hardware device that outputs web content as tactile Braille dots. Blind people can feel texts rather than hearing them. The prerequisite is that the website is programmatically structured correctly – otherwise the Braille display outputs incorrect or missing information.

Is an empty alt attribute sufficient for decorative images?

Yes. Decorative images – those without informational value – should receive alt="". The screen reader then skips them entirely. If the alt attribute is omitted, the screen reader reads the file name instead – which is disruptive and confusing for blind users.

How do I test my website for accessibility for blind people?

The most effective test is manual testing with a real screen reader – NVDA (free, Windows) or VoiceOver (built into macOS and iOS). In addition, easyMonitoring automatically detects missing alternative texts, labels and structural errors across all pages of your website.

Check Your Website for Blind Accessibility

With easyMonitoring, you can automatically identify which pages of your website are inaccessible to blind people – and get actionable guidance to achieve WCAG compliance.

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Blindness