Screen Reading

JAWS is a screen reader for Windows that works with your PC to provide access to software applications and the Internet. With its internal software speech synthesizer and the computer’s sound card, information from the screen is read aloud. Supports refreshable Braille displays.

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Key2Speak is a writing aid. It works with most Windows applications, including word processors, e-mail clients and instant messengers. Users can adjust the program’s verbosity to have keyboard stokes read-aloud as they type.

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MathPlayer is a mathematics display engine for Microsoft Internet Explorer. MathPlayer enables IE to display and speak mathematical notation embedded in HTML and XHTML web pages using MathML. Its features include math-to-speech technology and enlarged view of equations. MathPlayer 4 implements Microsoft’s Active Accessibility (MSAA) interface so that assistive software, such as screen readers, can seamlessly take advantage of MathPlayer’s math-to-speech technology. Screen readers known to work with MathPlayer include Window-Eyes (v4.21 and later), HAL, and JAWS (v5.00.844 and later). For those with learning disabilities, MathPlayer also works with Read &, Write version 6 and Browsealoud, both from TextHELP.

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Narrator is a text-to-speech utility that is packaged with all versions of Windows starting with Windows 98. Narrator reads what is displayed on the screen — the contents of the active window, menu options, or text that has been typed. Available in Programs > Accessories > Accessibility > Narrator.

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NaturalReader is text-to-speech software that converts any text into natural sounding voices. NaturalReader reads text directly from other applications, without copying or pasting. The output functions can also easily convert very large text files into MP3 or WAV files for use on portable devices like iPod, CD players and PocketPCs.

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NaturalReader 14 is text-to-speech software. It can work from its own window, but also integrates with Internet Explorer, Microsoft Word, PowerPoint, and Outlook. NaturalReader 14 can also save text in audio format (MP3 or WAV).

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NextUp Talker is Text-to-Speech software specifically for people with voice impairments, be it temporarily or permanently. NextUp Talker allows the user to save the sentences and expressions he most often uses so that the conversation does not have to be slowed down by extensive typing.

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NVDA was developped to help people who are blind or have visual impairments access and use Windows OS. To do this, NVDA can use a speech synthesizer or a refreshable Braille display. This software works is several languages, but it is up to the user to find the appropriate voice to make it work.

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Orato reads text out loud from the clipboard. Users can configure Orato to start reading as soon as text is copied into the clipboard or by pressing the play button. Orato can hide or show the text and highlight the word or sentence that is being read. The user can change the text font, size, color, and the background color.

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Power Reader is text-to-speech software that reads from plain text files (TXT). Reading speed and focus are customizable. The user can also choose to zoom in on a word as it is being read. Users can also change the background and font colors of the software. However, the user cannot choose which voice is used to read the text.

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