Screen+reader

__** 1. Who needs this assistive technology? **__ Screen reader is a program mainly used by blind, partially-sighted or dyslexic individuals to enable them to access computers. A screen-reader lets a blind user select and read those sections of the screen he or she wants to hear. For example, normal sighted users stop reading a menu when they come to the item they want, or stop reading a webpage when they reach the link they are after; users of screen-readers use them to silence the synthesizer’s output when they've heard it. The ability to filter out irrelevant information is often as important as the ability to hear relevant information. Screen readers are not only useful for people who are visually impaired but are increasingly used in situations where people are unable to look at a computer screen, such as in the dark, or even for in-car computer systems. [|http://www.bbc.co.uk/dna/h2g2/A11132696 

__**2. What is the history of the assistive technology?**__ Video displays were first used with computers in the early 1960s but did not become common until the early 1970s. Early terminals used a printer rather than a video screen for output; text was a one-dimensional stream of 'scrolling' text which could be fed into a speech synthesizer connected between the computer and terminal. The only problem was that the user had no way to re-read text that had already been spoken. The real development in screen-readers, however, began in 1982 with the release of IBM computers; these provided a standard interface for connecting external devices, combined with a standard operating system and the possibility of installing much more memory with which to run more powerful software, including screen-readers. By the late 1980s several screen-reader programs were commercially available, including Enable Reader, Soft Vert and the Enhanced PC Talking Program. [|http://www.bbc.co.uk/dna/h2g2/A11132696

__**3. What benefits does the assistive technology provide?**__ A screen reader allows a blind, visually impaired, or learning disabled person to read text on the screen and identify some graphics like buttons on a toolbar or icons on the desktop. A person hears the information from a speech synthesizer or the computer's sound card. A screen reader also allows a person to control the computer using the keyboard rather than the mouse. Many of the keyboard commands that a blind person uses are the same keyboard commands a sighted person can use on their PC. For example, open your File menu by pressing Alt-F. To close the File menu, press the Alt key again. http://www.blind.state.ia.us/access/how.htm

**__4. How does this assistive technology work?__** A short video on how screen readers assist people: http://www.doit.wisc.edu/accessibility/video/intro.asp

Since the majority of screen reader users don’t use a mouse, all screen readers use a wide variety of keyboard commands to carry out different tasks. Tasks include reading part or whole of a document, navigating web pages, opening and closing files, editing and listening to music. A visually impaired computer user will use a combination of screen reader commands and operating system commands to accomplish the many tasks a computer is capable of performing. All current operating systems have their own keyboard shortcuts, which are available to everyone not just screen reader users. An example of a Microsoft Windows keyboard shortcut is using the alt + A key combination to open the Favorites menu in Internet Explorer. Each screen reader uses a different series of commands, so most people will tend to choose a screen reader and stick with it, as the task of learning a large number of new keyboard commands is considerable.  There are two ways that a screen reader can provide feedback to the user:  ·  Speech;  ·  Braille. 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. A TTS may be a software application that comes bundled with the screen reader, or it may be a hardware device that plugs into the computer. Originally, before computers had soundcards, screen readers always used hardware TTS devices, but now that soundcards come as standard on all computers many find that a software TTS is preferable. In addition to speech feedback, screen readers are also capable of providing information in Braille. 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. http://www.nomensa.com/resources/articles/accessibility-articles/what-is-a-screen-reader.html

**__5. Examples of how the assistive technology would be integrated into a classroom.__** Screen readers can be used by students that read English as a second language. ESL students would be able to follow along on their screen readers with whatever the class is assigned to read at that time. Being able to see and hear the words at the simultaneously would help ESL students to become more familiar with the English language in a closer way and from a technological aspect. Screen readers could work the same way for visually impaired students in an English classroom. They could use their screen readers to listen to a reading, respond to a reading, and create their own writings and drafts as well. Screen readers could also be used when students are working on vocabulary assignments. If they are independently working on a vocabulary lesson and not quite sure how to pronounce a specific word, screen readers could read the text and definition. As a result, students could work on their assignments at their own pace and use the screen reader when they question the pronunciation and to make use of a term.

http://www.evotech.net/blog/2007/06/making-the-web-accessible-2/ [|www.teachingenglish.org.uk/talk/questions/blind_students.shtml] http://www.jfciii.com/blog/category/jaws/

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