Hi, all, I asked my friend and collaborator Don Dalton to give us his opinion on this question. His answer follows. Please note that, while we are both the principles of for-profit businesses, we do not just sell hardware and software. We choose software based on how well it solves the proble, not affiliation with a manuafacturer. We sell solutions and try to make them as efficient and cost effective as possible. Our library solutions and suggestions focus on ease of use and functionality for the patron, but also take staff time and learning curves into consideration. With that said, here's Don's answer. Regards, Audrey Audrey J. Gorman Access for All http://www.accessall.net > I would suggest that you check out the website for the following. > www.closingthegap.com and www.freedomscientific.com. Freedom Scientific is > a vendor of adaptive software including speech. Closing The Gap is an > organization that provides information on all types of adaptive equipment. > Their website includes an online resouce catalog. > > > > -----Original Message----- > From: John Nissen [mailto:[log in to unmask]] > Sent: Sunday, February 16, 2003 2:55 PM > To: [log in to unmask] > Subject: Re: Screen Reader or Magnifier > > > Hello, > > If you have a limited budget, you could try WordAloud which combines > magnification with speech. It is not strictly a screen reader/ magnifier, > but instead reads directly from files on computer disc or pages on the web. > You can read any text stored in TXT or HTML form, and you can read from any > Windows applications, such as MS Word, by saving in TXT form or by using the > clipboard. > > The cost of a site licence, e.g. for a library, is US$179.80 (plus $10 cover > charge. You can download an evaluation copy, from the Cloudworld web site: > http://www.cloudworld.co.uk > > Cheers from Chiswick, > > John > -- > In message <[log in to unmask] > >, Digital Librarian <[log in to unmask]> writes > > I am very new to this list, so I apologize in advance if this > > question has been previously discussed. I did briefly check out the > > archive but had some troubles navigating through it. > > > > I had a call from a librarian who is seeking advice about adaptive > > technology. She has budget for only item, either a screen reader or > > a screen magnifier. She was wondering if it was best to go with a > > magnifier since some of the newer versions include a speech reader. > > Would this be the best solution to stretch her budget or are the > > screen readers that come with magnifiers of less value than a > > dedicated screen reader? > > > > Thanks in advance, > > > > Elizabeth > > Elizabeth O'Brien > > Coordinator of Digital Collections and Services > > Canadian National Institute for the Blind (CNIB) > > > > 1929 Bayview Avenue, Toronto, Ontario, Canada M4G 3E8 > > Tel: (416) 480-7433 Fax: (416) 480-7700 > > E-Mail: [log in to unmask] www.cnib.ca > > Try our WordAloud software! Visit http://www.wordaloud.co.uk > > John Nissen, Cloudworld Ltd > Tel: +44 20 8987 8326 (or 0845 458 3944 in the UK) > Fax: +44 20 8742 8715 > Email: [log in to unmask] > Site: http://www.cloudworld.co.uk > Audrey J. Gorman Access for All -- CoreComm Webmail. http://home.core.com