The search engine, which may be initiated from the second link on the front page, is now working again. It was down for a few months until I resolved problems that arose when a search produced either no matches or a large number of matches. It still searches all text files on the site, but only lists up to 100 matches.
A compilation of past articles comparing Windows screen readers may be found at the address http://www.empowermentzone.com/duel_win.txt
A number of additional computer tutorials are available as compressed, plain text equivalents of ones that may be read from Que's Personal Bookshelf (http://www.mcp.com/personal). They are intended only for the personal use of people with print disabilities who cannot readily use the editions of these and other such tutorials widely available in bookstores, and who find complete plain text files examined with adaptive features of document reading software to be more accessible than linked web pages rendered with the viewing controls of a web browser. This collection is motivated by my belief that computers and the Internet carry considerable potential for empowering people with disabilities due to alternative means of input and output which may be generally achieved when developers in the field pay reasonable attention to universal design. In this accelerated information age, skills in information technology increase our personal independence, educational horizons, and employment opportunities.
The front page of Empowerment Zone has grown to such an extent that a noticeable delay occurs when first entering the site. I may subdivide it into smaller pages at a later time, but prefer this approach for now because of the benefits of extensive content with modest administration and quick searches with little navigation. After the initial loading delay, it is easy to rapidly search all file descriptions on the site with the search feature of your web browser, without having to guess which pages to subsequently load and search for what you want. You can also retrieve a file directly using its specific URL, which is the basic site address followed by a forward slash and then the name of the file, e.g., http://www.empowermentzone.com/int24hr.zip
Here are the names and descriptions of the new tutorials available:
Happy computing!
Jamal