Educational Technology Innovation and Impact/Assistive Technology/Screen Readers

A screen reader is a software application that attempts to identify and interpret what is being displayed on the screen. This is then presented to a blind user as speech (by text-to-speech) or by driving a Braille display. Screen readers are used by people with little or no functional vision: people with some vision often use screen magnifiers” Besides people with low-vision, people with limited-vision, learning disabilities, mobility impairments, English as a second language, the elderly, and people with reading delays can use text-to-speech technology as an assistive technology.

Screen readers (or speech output systems) are designed to aid blind people give them access to standard computers and software such as word processors, spreadsheets, email, icons, windows and internet browsers. Screen reader have gave people with low vision a very great opportunity to access wide range of information, neuro-processing and the communication ideas that was behind their reach. “However, using a screen reader is, according to some users, considerably more difficult than using Graphical User Interface and many applications have specific problems resulting from the nature of the application (e.g. animations in Macromedia Flash) or failure to comply with accessibility standards for the platform (e.g. Microsoft word and Active Accessibility”

A standard computer whether is laptop or desktop can be personalized by tallying a screen reader, which enable the computer to speak. The screen reader let navigation around the computer screen and presents what is happening on the screen to the user in a significant way using speech output. The computer is used by mingling a standard keyboard and keyboard shortcuts rather than a mouse use the computer.

There are various types of screen readers available and some are more popular in different environments. Some more sophisticated products are designed to work best in an education or employment situation as they can be configured to work with different programs. Others are more for home use as they may offer restricted features in comparison with more expensive screen readers, focusing on word processing, Internet and email.