Assistive Technology: Screen Reader
Sam Willard asked:
Technology, particularly assistive technology, has helped lots of people with disability get over their limitations and even keep track of the changing times. A screen reader is a good demonstration of software that encourages independence, enhances productivity and changes lives of blind, visually impaired, illiterate or learning disabled people. Imagine a blind person using the Web or get work done by using a PC. These are a few of the activities made possible by assistive technology.
Screen reading software attempts to identify and interpret what is being displayed on a screen. The screen described here can be a computer screen, a projection screen, etc. The interpreted answers are resented to the user via audio (text-to-speech), sound icons or perhaps a Braille output device. For instance, with this software installed in your personal computer, blind users can press a key and have a currently open document, email or web page read to them.
Creators of operating systems and programs for the web, desktop and mobile devices have become progressively aware of the need to contain assistance for persons with disability within their products. For instance, all major operating systems nowadays ships with some type of display reading ability or another. Including Microsoft Windows (Windows 2000 version or later), Apple (Mac OS X), Linux and GNOME. Open source versions are also available.
One of the most widely used screen readers are individual commercial items. The cost ranges from a couple of hundred to a few thousand dollars, depending on quantity of features it offers and the amount of languages it supports. Screen reading software also differs within the operating system and web browser that they are compatible with. A few products include magnifiers, perfect for people with partial or minor sight impairments.
There are many and varied uses for monitor readers. Take the case from the online shopper with color blindness, a reporter with repeated stress injury, a blind accountant, a retiree with aging-related conditions, a teenager with deaf-blindness or perhaps a classroom student with dyslexia. These and much more are the types of customers who take advantage of screen reading items.
As late as a few decades back, it might be difficult to imagine a blind individual working as an accountant. Nowadays, there are items that can interpret what’s shown on the screen and produce a combination of speech output and refreshable Braille output. The speech output enables blind users to rapidly hear a document, while the refreshable Braille component allows them to check the precise wording of text.
There are many elements to think about when selecting a screen reader, such as platform, cost and private preferences. It is important to get a product that works with the operating system and web browser that the user has, unless the consumer would like to get new ones. Cost is obvious, using the additional consideration that even upgrading may cost hundreds of dollars.
Individual choices, needs, or priorities are keys in ones selection of display reading product. For example, not all has a magnifier or the voice quality is better in some although not so good in others. In the long run, what matters might not be the supported platform or even the cost, however the ability of the software to meet the users needs.
