From: "Phillip Reed" <[log in to unmask]>
Sent: Monday, April 01, 2002 11:11 AM
Greetings Fellow Listers,I need some advice / guidance on screen readers.
I have a dear friend of
many years who has become totally blind due to RP. I am a low vision
computer user who uses various tools to get through the day, including
different screen readers. But if I get into trouble, I can cheat and use
magnification to get by a problem. Dave does not have this option
obviously. He asked me what the best screen reader is for a totally
blind
user. Does anyone know of a definitive comparison of screen readers is
on
the net? (Optimally, it would be written by totally blind, experienced
computer users.) That I can point him to? I'd prefer the comparison to
be
non - biased, i. e. written by a company that will help select the best
tool for him to live with.
** the closest thing that comes to this is a Main menu broadcast from
last year. It is not from a commercial company, however. This is why it
is balanced and unbiased. It is from the main menu program on ACB radio,
which was originally broadcast on April 11, 2001. yes, this is about a
year old and there have been upgrades, but this still provides a very
good idea about the differences between the two screen readers and their
approach to computer access. All of the people commenting on the screen
readers are blind computer users themselves and end users of the products
in question. They are all well regarded for their training, knowledge,
and expertise. It is a two to three hour program, so your friend will
likely need to sit back and listen to this informative audio program. An
MP3 player is needed, such as Winamp. Real Player or the Windows Media
Player (depending on version) may also work. Here is the description:
11 April 2001
This week marks the first anniversary of the Main Menu show. Over the
last year, we've produced 92 hours of technology-related breaking news,
reviews, tutorials
and interviews. And it's all delivered to you free each week.
To mark our first anniversary, we're accepting the challenge so many of
our listeners have set before us. This is by far the most requested story
we've
been asked to produce, and I must confess, the most difficult. In an
extended Main Menu,
JAWS for Windows
and
Windoweyes
go head to head in a comparison put together by a group of blind
technology users.
The show features a panel discussion on the pros and cons of each screen
reader which is wide ranging. After that, you'll hear comprehensive
comparisons
of Windoweyes and JAWS for Windows with Microsoft Word, Internet
Explorer, and Microsoft Outlook Express.
***********
the url for the program is:
http://www.acbradio.org/archives/mainmenu/mm47.m3u
You can also visit the archives of Main menu at:
http://www.acbradio.org/mainmenu.html
I hope this is helpful. I'm sure we will all be curious as to what he
decides and why. Keep us informed. enjoy.
Kelly
VICUG-L is the Visually Impaired Computer User Group List.
To join or leave the list, send a message to
[log in to unmask] In the body of the message, simply type
"subscribe vicug-l" or "unsubscribe vicug-l" without the quotations.
VICUG-L is archived on the World Wide Web at
http://maelstrom.stjohns.edu/archives/vicug-l.html
|
