VISUALLY impaired students at a specialist college have entered the world of new media thanks to web designers.

Knaresborough web development group 9xb.com spent a morning with young people at Henshaws College, in Harrogate, demonstrating how to set up online diaries, known as blogs.

Now they each have their own blog, where they can post their thoughts and interact with others online.

Students, including Kai Santa-Maria, also discussed online accessibility with the company and talked about what problems they experience when using computers.

Paul Carpenter, from 9xb.com, said: "We often talk about the problems that visually impaired people have when using websites -like small fonts and low-contrast colour schemes.

"It is something else to actually see how they cope doing things we take for granted, and we are certainly taking some lessons back with us that hopefully we can pass on to our clients."

Henshaws IT lecturer Christine Hallas said: "The students are always keen to learn new things, and keeping up with their blogs is something they can do on a regular basis. Writing about their hobbies, likes, dislikes, and lives in general is also a great way for them to express themselves."

Henshaws College is one of the UK's leading providers of life skills training for visually impaired young people with additional disabilities.

It helps students aged 16 to 23 realise their potential for independence during their three years at the college, which places great emphasis on communication skills and gaining confidence to achieve independence.

The college's website is at www.hsbp.co.uk