A screen reader is a software application that enables
people with severe visual impairments to use a computer.
Screen readers work closely with the computer's Operating
System (OS) to provide information about icons, menus,
dialogue boxes,
A screen reader uses a Text-To-Speech (TTS) engine to translate on-screen information into speech, which can be heard through earphones or speakers. An external hardware device, known as a refreshable Braille display is needed for this. A refreshable Braille display contains one or more rows of cells. Each cell can be formed into the shape of a Braille character, a series of dots that are similar to domino dots in their layout. As the information on the computer screen changes, so does the Braille characters on the display change, providing refreshable information directly from the computer. Whilst it is possible to use either format independently, Braille output is commonly used in conjunction with speech output.
Screen Reader | Website | Free / Commercial |
---|---|---|
Non Visual Desktop Access | https://www.nvda-project.org/ | Free |
System Access To Go | https://www.satogo.com/ | Free |
Thunder | https://www.webbie.org.uk/thunder/ | Free |
Hal | https://yourdolphin.com/product?id=3 | Commercial |
JAWS | https://www.freedomscientific.com/Downloads/JAWS | Commercial |
Supernova | https://yourdolphin.com/product?id=4 | Commercial |