Assistive Technology November 14, 2007

Screen Reader Who uses screen readers? –People with little to no vision What is it? –A form of “Assistive Technology” –Interprets what is on the screen –Uses text or Braille to communicate

Screen Reader Cont. JAWS –Job Access With Speech Screen Reader Program Helps people who are visually impaired or blind to use Microsoft Windows

Screen Magnification Who uses screen magnification? –Anyone who is visually impaired but has some functional vision What is it? –It is hardware on the computer –Magnifies certain parts of the screen –Usually, the magnification follows the mouse around the screen

Screen Magnifiers Cont. Windows XP comes equipped with a low-functional screen magnifier Many come with a Screen Reader for extra help

Braille Input/Output Input –Braille Keyboard –Has six keys (one for each dot in the six-dot matrix) –One space bar –A speaker Allows people who use Braille to be able to type on the computer. There are also keyboards like the one we use that is equipped with Braille letters on each key

Braille Input/Output Cont. Output –Braille Embosser –Prints in Braille (with the raised bumps, not just the dots on the page) This can be difficult as the words have to be translated into Braille before it can be printed. Braille Translators –Allows people who do not use Braille to be able to edit and translate regular text into Braille

Alternative Input/Output Devices Mouse –Some only have one button, or have a touch screen for those who cannot move their hands/fingers Keyboard –Braille Keyboard, keyboards with bigger keys so that people who are visually impaired have an easier time seeing them

Alternative Input/Output Devices Cont Touch Screens –People who do not have the ability to use a mouse, or who prefer not to, can touch the screen to activate controls instead of using the mouse Remote Controls –A remote control that includes both the mouse and the keyboard that can be used with one hand for people who have paralysis or are unable to move their arms

Software Speech (Speech Software) Who uses it? –People who are visually impaired, or anyone else What does it do? –Also known as “text-to-speech” –Reads what is on the screen –Mostly reads what is on documents or WebPages, depending on the software –You can type, and it will read to you what has been typed

Voice Recognition Who uses it? –Anyone who has a physical disability and is unable to input information via keyboard –Anyone who does not have a physical disability What is it? –Allows users to use their voice as an input device

Voice Recognition Cont. You can use it to input text or to input commands Older versions require spaces between words Better programs can pick up speech as fast as you can type One version of Voice Recognition comes with Microsoft XP