Medical volunteer Anthony Loeff is writing about software applications for visually impaired people
The rest have some vision, from light perception alone to relatively good acuity. Recent versions of Microsoft Windows come with the rather basic Narrator. A screen reader is a software application that attempts to identify and interpret what is being displayed on the screen. The Macintosh OS also comes with a built-in screen reader, called VoiceOver. Web browsers, word processors, icons and windows and email programs are just some of the applications used successfully by screen reader users. This interpretation is then represented to the user with text-to-speech, sound icons, or a braille output. Only a small fraction of this population, when compared to the sighted community, have Internet access.
The movement towards greater web accessibility is opening a far wider number of websites to adaptive technology, making the web a more inviting place for visually impaired surfers. While Apple Mac OS X includes VoiceOver, a more feature-rich screen reader. The primary audience for such applications is those who have difficulty reading because of learning disabilities or language barriers. Next season medical volunteer Anthony Loeff is testing software for people who are blind The open source GNOME desktop environment long included Gnopernicus and now includes Orca. Linux distributions for the blind include Oralux and Adriane Knoppix. There are also open source screen readers, such as the Linux Screen Reader for GNOME and NonVisual Desktop Access for Windows.
The console-based Oralux Linux distribution ships with three screen-reading environments: Emacspeak, Yasr and Speakup. Therefore functionality remains limited compared to equivalent desktop applications, the major benefit is to increase the accessibility of said websites. The latter developed in part by Knopper who has a visual impairment. Almost 4 percent of those deemed legally blind, by any measure, have no vision.
Screen readers are a form of assistive technology potentially useful to people who are blind, visually impaired, or learning disabled, often in combination with other AT such as screen magnifiers. Further, using a screen reader is, according to some users, considerably more difficult than using a GUI and many applications have specific problems resulting from the nature of the application. Access technology such as screen readers and Screen magnifiers enable the blind to use mainstream computer applications. Most legally blind people 64 percent do not use computers. Screen reader choice is contentious: differing priorities and strong preferences are common. More and more, screen readers are being bundled with operating system distributions. Screen readers can be assumed to be able to access all display content that is not intrinsically inaccessible.
Later versions of Microsoft Windows include an Accessibility Wizard and Magnifier for those with partial vision, and Microsoft Narrator, a simple screen reader.
A persons choice of screen reader is dictated by many factors, including platform and the role of organizations like charities, schools, and employers.
Experimental approaches in sensory substitution are beginning to provide access to arbitrary live views from a camera.
