The World Wide Web, more commonly referred to as the Internet, has all but taken over the lives of so many people. Available on the Internet is every imaginable resource, piece of information, and way of communicating with almost anyone in the world, and it can all be found in one place, which can be reached by the comfort of one’s own home. Because of the instant availability of everything found on the Internet, it becomes hard, for many, to separate the difference between what people experience and learn online, versus what they may come into contact with or who they might meet face-to-face in the world around them. Though there are many negatives that are often associated with the Internet, the positives show what a truly remarkable and important place the Internet is, as are the people who are using it. The Internet provides a breadth of available knowledge and information, and users must be aware of three things: a basic understanding of the Internet and what is has to offer, the resources available to those with disabilities and how it aids them, and an understanding of the harm that can be found on the Internet.
The Internet is a community where a limitless amount of information is available to people worldwide. The Internet was originally envisioned, as early as 1968, as a community that would comprise “geographically separated users, often grouped together, other times individually, who would not share a common location, but instead a common interest” (Durrance, Fisher, Unruh, 2003, pg. 298). Through not being bound by geographical and physical limits, people are able to access information and be informed about things that, otherwise, would be have been impossible for them. People all over the world are able to instantly find information, which in previous years, would have taken much longer or be inconceivable to attain altogether. Not only are people able to access any type of information at a rapid rate, the Internet is also useful when a user is...