Software lets blind browse the Web
http://cnn.com/TECH/9702/02/blind.online.ap/index.html
February 2, 1997
Web posted at: 10:20 p.m. EST
TRENTON, New Jersey (AP) --
While Amanda Massaro's college
classmates download information
instantly from distant libraries and
laboratories, she waits for taped
books to arrive by mail, or for someone to read
her textbooks aloud.
A music and literature student at the State
University of New York at Binghamton, the blind
21-year-old needs texts and research materials
converted into Braille or audio form.
So the World Wide Web, with its computer links to
research centers around the world, was "totally
off-limits," she says -- until December, when her
school began testing a Web browser designed for
blind and other disabled people.
'Now I know why they're all so excited!'
"I had so much freedom all of a sudden. ... To
think that you can just sit there and learn so
much," she said, recalling her first hours
exploring the Internet. "It was like, this is
what everybody else is doing, and now I know why
they're all so excited!"
The software -- pwWebSpeak, made by The
Productivity Works of Trenton -- improves on
existing programs that read computer screens
aloud. It enables blind and other disabled users
to browse through the headings and highlighted
hyperlinks on a Web page, finding what they want
and jumping from page to page like a sighted
person.
For those with limited vision it can display text
in large type. And its developers say it should
help people with dyslexia, learning disorders and
dexterity impairments such as multiple sclerosis.
Amy Parker, senior program analyst in
SUNY-Binghamton's department of computing
services, said pwWebSpeak likely will soon be
installed on several campus computers -- because
class materials, course registration and other
functions increasingly are posted on the Web and
by law must be accessible to the disabled.
In Wisconsin, blind job-seekers now can use the
software at all 21 district offices of the
Department of Workforce Development's Division of
Vocational Rehabilitation, thanks to client John
Gunn, who recommended pwWebSpeak to the agency.
'Blind people shouldn't be excluded'
"Since everybody's getting into computers, blind
people shouldn't be excluded," said Gunn, a
42-year-old Wisconsin Rapids piano tuner and
admitted hacker. "This is a very inexpensive way
to get on the Web and get up and running"
quickly.
Gunn said pwWebSpeak moves easily through text,
hyperlinks and fill-in-the-blank forms, is
compatible with most hardware and doesn't require
a costly speech synthesizer as screen-reader
programs do.
Introduced in mid-August, it works with most
existing hardware for speech synthesis, but can
be used with a much-cheaper software synthesizer
called SoftVoice.
Charges for pwWebSpeak vary from $250 for
commercial users to $125 for government,
education and nonprofit agencies. Individual
disabled people can get it free, but are asked to
pay $50 for software support.
A January upgrade integrates access to "Real
Audio 3.0," which allows people to catch
broadcasts of news programs, live concerts,
college football games and more through the
rapidly growing number of Real Audio sites,
according to Productivity Works Senior Vice
President Mark Hakinnen.
Two more upgrades, both with SoftVoice
integrated, are due in late March: pwReader,
designed for dyslexics and people with some
vision, integrates Microsoft's Internet Explorer
to display Web graphics; pwWebSpeak-PRO allows
voice commands to run the software.
The latter lets users give complex commands by
voice, such as telling the computer to display a
particular newspaper's front page, said
Productivity Works executive vice president Ray
Ingram.
Versions for foreign languages will be available
over the next couple of months, starting with
Finnish, French, German, Italian and Spanish.
Subject: Assistive Software
http://www.prodworks.com/
Welcome - Bienvenida - Bienvenue - Wilkommen
Welcome to The Productivity Works Home Page. We are an Internet
software company based in Trenton, New Jersey, USA, and our goal is to
deliver tools, services, and information to enhance people's lives. In
this process we concentrate on design and implementations that
incorporate universal access for people with and without disabilities.
News Flash!!!
See the CNN Interactive article on pwWebSpeak
Announcing SoftVoice/SSIL and a Special Offer
Special pwWebSpeak pricing for Lighthouses for the Blind and
Schools and Libraries for the Blind
Special pwWebSpeak Pricing for School Districts, Universities,
Colleges, and Library Systems
How about becoming a Reseller of our products
SoundLinks now active as a distributor of pwWebSpeak in the UK
- details
Visit our various pages to learn about us, our software and services,
the global efforts we are participating in, and many other things.
Always feel free to send us questions or provide general feedback.
What's New
General pwWebSpeak(tm) Information
Get a Free Evaluation Copy of pwWebSpeak
Join the "Hear The Web Speak" Program
Reciprocal Sites
The SoftVoice Speech Synthesizer (software only)
Conferences, Exhibitions, and Shows
In the Press
Reseller Program
Distributors and Resellers
Universal Accessibility
Articles, Papers, Presentations, Design Issues, Workshops and
Related Sites
Community Links
p w Colors, a Free Software Utility
---------------
-------------------------------
Excerpt from the CSS INTERNET NEWS
For subscription details e-mail
[log in to unmask]
-------------------------------
