BLIND and handicapped people in Preston can now surf the Internet - in one of Europe's first Cyber Centres developed specifically for them.

The world's fastest-growing medium is predominantly a visual tool, but Action for Blind People has the technology to allow the blind and visually-impaired to hear what everyone else gets to see.

The centre features a number of computers on which visitors can reach sites on the Internet and have the computer read out information to them.

Aldrich Brooks, manager of the centre, said: "The software we have allows our customers to hear, rather than see, the sites.

"The only problem we have is that most web designers like to make their sites look good with moving images and pictures - if they are activated, then the software can't read them.

"But if we can download them without the animations, the computer will read out all of the text to the user.

"We open officially on Friday, November 19, to disabled groups, but not the general public - there is plenty of provision to get on the Internet for the able-bodied."

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