Finland Adopts US Web Browser For Blind 
( Newsbytes News Network ) 
Finland Adopts US Web Browser For Blind 03/05/99



TRENTON, NEW JERSEY. 1999 MAR 5 (NB) -- By Sami Menefee, Newsbytes.
Productivity Works, an Internet-based company that specializes in providing
universal Internet access for people with disabilities, has completed a
Finnish-language version of its pwWebSpeak browser for the visually
impaired, the Trenton-based firm announced.



Finland will distribute the program through the Federation of the Visually
Impaired, or Näkövammaisten Keskusliitto (NKL) as it is called in the
country, free to visually impaired citizens.



The agreement includes the firm's pwTelephone software, which NKL will use
to build various services around Internet-based information and make them
accessible by telephone.



Juha Sylberg, development manager, IT systems and services for NKL, stated,
"The licensing and distribution agreement allows us for the first time to
provide all visually impaired persons and supporting organizations in
Finland with Internet accessibility. The scope of the agreement provides
the significant economies of scale that we needed to be able to achieve
this significant goal."



Ray Ingram, the firm's executive vice president, told Newsbytes the Finnish
language version was developed after the NKL "bought the product to give
all the visually impaired people in Finland."



"Our product is used by organizations like school districts and non- profit
organizations which have visually impaired people on the staff and need to
use the Web for research," he said. "We are translating the product into
other languages too."



Last year, the Japanese Society for Rehabilitation of Persons with
Disabilities (JSRPD) requested a customized Japanese version of pwWebSpeak
so it could provide the product to all visually impaired people in Japan
and to the non-profit organizations, and government organizations that
provide support for them.



Ingram told Newsbytes the talking browser will eventually be available in
English, Japanese, Finnish, French, German and, as an update, Spanish
versions.



An evaluation version of the product is available for download from the
firm's World Wide Web site at http://www.prodworks.com . Ingram said
registration of the demo by individuals costs about $50 while a commercial
license costs about $150.


Reported by Newsbytes News Network, http://www.newsbytes.com .


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