Access to complete pages
Using the keyboard controls to move forwards and backwards between pages.
Using Internet Explorer (3 and above) you can go forward and backwards through pages using the ALT-arrows keys (you need to have downloaded the pages already so they're in the cache).
With any overlay board (concept, intellikeys, Discover) you can program the board to send Alt-left and Alt-right arrow.
so you can program two cells, one to be Alt right arrow, the other Alt left arrow and navigate using an overlay board.
With the Intellikeys board you can then you connect switches to the board and use those to navigate forwards and backwards and if you have play background sound on page opening set within the HTML script (an internet Explorer "improvement") you can get single switch access to a simple multimedia show (this works on the Caterpillar story on the Meldreth Web).
Opera (the browser) also allows keyboard access to the page forwards and backwards with similar Alt arrow keys.
To connect switches without using the Intellikeys board you would have to have a switch interface that could send Alt-left and Alt-right.
You can program areas on the overlay board with different web addresses so that when they are pressed the choosen web site is activated.
You would make the paper overaly with a suitable picture, words or symbol.
For example if you program an area of an overlayboard with http://www...... and had a picture on the overlay board, the pupils could access that site by pressing the pictures on the overlay boards.
Access to individual links
You can access the individual hypertext links in a web page by using the tab and return keys in Internet Explorer to move through the links, or by using the CTRL up and CTRL down in opera to move between the links, enter or space will then access then access the link.
The main difficulty in this is that the highlighting of the links when they are being accessed is very poor in I.E.
It also shares the access difficulties inherent in any switch scanning method (physical and cognitive).
Opera has full keyboard control of all functions and can allow the links to be emphasised either graphically or with additional sound feedback.
You could use the switches connected to the Intellikeys board to switch through the links and access the links with switches or use a concept keyboard or a Discovery board to get overlay board access (by sending the keyboard strokes from the board).
The DJ switch interface can send Space,and Enter but hasn't the other correct keyboard navigations to allow full independent switch access to Opera.
Direct switch activation of hotspots
Direct switch activation is often a more successful access method for people with severe physical and cognitive impairments.
The only way to get direct switch activation of hotspots from within a graphical windows screen is via Clickit (from Intellitools)or from the Discovery switch from Don Johnson.
You can use Clickit to get keyboard/switch access directly to the active hotspots on the screen and then you don't have had to previously downloaded the pages since they are fetched from the internet as normal.
You would need to go through the pages and set up a the hotspot links for every page unless (as in the Meldreth Eduweb) you have consistently positioned links on the web pages. So this method is limited as a switch activation for general web browsing. But then you would probably only need this method for people with severe cognitive and physical difficulties who would probably benefit most from selected or guided browsing of websites.