Blind people use computers and mobile technology. There is software that will read aloud all the words on the screen. This is known as screen reading. You can choose to listen with a variety of voices at the speed most comfortable. You choose how much you want read, such as punctuation and how numbers are read. The blind tech user relies on keyboard commands to hear the text and perform actions.
What kinds of screen reader tools are there?
Built-In Tools
Modern computers and mobile devices come with screen reader software. You just need to turn it on in your device settings.
- Windows products have a built-in tool called Narrator. Find it under Settings/Ease of Access/Narrator.
- Chromebooks have a built-in tool called ChromeVox. Find it under System Tray/Settings/Accessibility/ Chromevox.
- Apple products have a built-in tool called VoiceOver. On a Mac computer, go to Apple/System/Preferences/VoiceOver. Find it on your iPhone or iPad under Settings/Accessibility/Vision/Voice Over.
- Android devices have a built-in tool called TalkBack. Find it under Settings/Accessibility/TalkBack.
External Software
You can also purchase screen reader software to install on your computer. This might be necessary to access the features you need for work or school.
- JAWS, from Freedom Scientific
- Supernova, from Dolphin Computer Access