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AMIS:
a software program that you can use to read DAISY books. It is
self-voicing, meaning that no specialized screen-reading software is
needed in order for it to be used by visually impaired people. AMIS is
open source software and is provided free of charge.
http://daisy.org/projects/amis/
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Balabolka:
a Text-To-Speech (TTS) program. All computer voices installed on your
system are available to Balabolka. The on-screen text can be saved as a
WAV, MP3, OGG or WMA file. The program can read the clipboard content,
view the text from DOC, RTF, PDF, FB2 and HTML files, customize font and
background color, control reading from the system tray or by the global
hotkeys. Balabolka uses various versions of Microsoft Speech API (SAPI);
it allows to alter a voice's parameters, including rate and pitch. The
user can apply a special substitution list to improve the quality of the
voice's articulation. This feature is useful when you want to change the
spelling of words. The rules for the pronunciation correction use the
syntax of VBScript.
http://www.cross-plus-a.com/balabolka.htm
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Check Flash:
A flashdrive speed checker.
http://www.mikelab.kiev.ua/index_en.php?page=PROGRAMS/programs_en
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Clamwin AntiVirus:
ClamWin is a
Free Antivirus program for Microsoft Windows
98/Me/2000/XP/2003 and Vista.
http://www.clamwin.com/
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CLC STAR
Firefox
extension:
Allows users to easily setup preferences for how they want pages presented
to them in Firefox.
http://lab.clcworld.net/clc_star/clc_star.html
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CLiCk,
Speak Firefox extension:
an open source, freely available extension for the Firefox web browser. It
is part of the CLC-4-TTS Suite of products, it features a mouse driven
interface, and it reads web pages - hence its name. CLiCk, Speak is
designed for sighted users who want text-to-speech functionality. It
doesn't identify elements or announce events - two features that are very
important for visually impaired users but very annoying for sighted users.
It also has a simplified, mouse driven interface that is designed to be
easy for users familiar with point-and-click graphical user interfaces.
CLiCk, Speak works on Windows, Macintosh, and Linux.
http://clickspeak.clcworld.net/
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Dasher:
a very unique text entry program. You point where you want to go, and the
display zooms in wherever you point. The world into which you are zooming
is painted with letters, so that any point you zoom in on corresponds to a
piece of text. The more you zoom in, the longer the piece of text you have
written. You choose what you write by choosing where to zoom.
http://www.inference.phy.cam.ac.uk/dasher/
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Delayed Audio Feedback:
Delayed Auditory Feedback (DAF) and Frequency Altered
Feedback (FAF) program in support of people who stutter.
http://myweb.uiowa.edu/rarenas/
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Desktop Zoom:
a zoom/magnify program with lots of options.
http://users.telenet.be/littlegems/MySoft/DesktopZoom/Index.html
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DSpeech:
a TTS (Text To Speech) program with functionality of ASR (Automatic Speech
Recognition) integrated. It is able to to read aloud the written text and
choose the sentences to be pronounced based upon the vocal answers of the
user. It is specifically designed to quickly and directly provide the
functions and improved practical usefulness that are requested by this
kind of program. In the meantime, the invasiveness and resource
consumption is minimal.
http://dimio.altervista.org/eng/
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Dwell Clicker:
Use the mouse without pressing buttons. Dwelling is resting the mouse over
one area of the screen for a specified time. The dwell click software
allows you to left-click; right-click; double click; and drag things
around the screen...all without clicking a button!
http://www.sensorysoftware.com/dwellclicker.html
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Express Scribe:
free professional audio player software for PC, Mac or Linux designed to
assist the transcription of audio recordings. The program is installed on
the typist's computer and can be controlled using a transcription foot
pedal or keyboard (with 'hot' keys). This computer transcriber application
also offers valuable features for typists including variable speed
playback, multi-channel control, file management and more.
http://www.nch.com.au/scribe/
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Fatbits:
Fatbits is one of those mind bogglingly useful utility programs for
graphic artists or people designing user interfaces. It magnifies an area
of the screen centered around the mouse pointer and paints the giant
pixels into a small, tastefully decorated window. This can be
indispensable when you want to see something right down to the last
pixel. Fatbits is also useful as an accessibility tool. It can perform
text smoothing and can modify the colors it displays to help those with
color vision deficiency.
http://www.digitalmantra.com/fatbits/whatis.html
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FBReader:
an e-book reader for Unix/Windows computers.
http://www.fbreader.org/
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Fire Vox
Firefox
extension:
a screen reader that is designed especially for Firefox. In addition to
the basic features that are expected of screen readers, such as being able
to identify headings, links, images, etc. and providing navigational
assistance, Fire Vox provides support for MathML and CSS speech module
properties. It also works on Windows, Macintosh, and Linux.
http://www.firevox.clcworld.net/
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Google Chrome:
a browser that combines a minimal design with sophisticated technology to
make the web faster, safer, and easier.
http://www.google.com/chrome
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LetMeType:
helps you enter text, but regardless of the program you use. Running in
the background, it analyses what you type. After some time it has
collected enough information to guess a word after you have typed the
first two or three letters. A list of the most probable words is
displayed, and you can select one with a single keystroke or just continue
typing.
http://www.clasohm.com/lmt/en/
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Lightening Express:
a completely free full screen magnifier for PC's
running Windows XP and
Vista. It is designed to
offer an easily-accessible option for anyone needing screen magnification.
http://www.xpscreenreader.com/
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MathTrax:
a graphing tool for middle school and high school students to graph
equations, physics simulations or plot data files. The graphs have
descriptions and sound so you can hear and read about the graph. Blind and
low vision users can access visual math data and graph or experiment with
equations and datasets.
http://prime.jsc.nasa.gov/MathTrax/
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MyMorph:
The free MyMorph software allows users to convert
more than 50 types of files into PDF, TIFF, or text.
Since July 2004,
thousands of MyMorph users have converted files to PDF.
Now, MyMorph version 2 is available for free, and it adds two new formats:
TIFF and text. MyMorph is a
Windows-based software program that significantly increases the
functionality of the DocMorph Web site by enabling users to select
anywhere from a few to hundreds of files at one
time for conversion to PDF, TIFF or text.
MyMorph uploads files via the Internet to DocMorph, waits for results, and
downloads the newly created files to hard disk.
http://docmorph.nlm.nih.gov/docmorph/mymorph.htm
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NexTalk Video:
place video calls to other
NexTalk Users or to Video Relay Services. NexTalk video turns your PC into
a video phone removing the need for a stand-alone TV based video phone.
The advantages of NexTalk video over TV-based video phones are that it
uses a standard PC; takes up less desk space; supports simultaneous video,
text, and voice; uses sophisticated firewall traversal; all calls, even
video calls, are backed by the NexTalk mail services if the call is not
answered; and supports "One-Number" access to Video Relay Services.
http://www.nextalk.net/nextalk62/nextalk.pl?rm=learnaboutrelay
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NexTalk:
offers many state-of-the-art text-based communication features available at
your fingertips, including call or accept text calls from any other
NexTalk.net user; call a TTY; anyone on a browser can call you; receive
"Text Mail" messages that are forwarded to an email address; send or
receive Instant Messages with any NexTalk user; and transfer and
conference text calls between NexTalk.net users.
http://www.nextalk.net/nextalk62/nextalk.pl?rm=basics
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Non Visual Desktop
Access (NVDA): a screen reader is a program that speaks what is happening
on the computer to the user. People who have low vision or are totally
blind use screen readers. People who may have problems reading may also at
times use screen readers. There are many screen readers available; this
text is going to cover one screen reader called
NVDA. NVDA stands for “Non
visual desktop access”. Everything that you are going to do on the
computer will be told to you with synthesized speech. Synthesized speech
is an artificial computerized voice. You will be doing everything only by
using the computer keyboard.
www.nvda-project.org/
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Open Office:
OpenOffice.org is the leading open-source office software suite for word
processing, spreadsheets, presentations, graphics, databases and more. It
is available in many languages and works on all common computers. It
stores all your data in an international open standard format and can also
read and write files from other common office software packages. It can be
downloaded and used completely free of charge for any purpose.
http://www.openoffice.org/
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Power Talk:
a free
program that automatically speaks any presentation or slide show running
in Microsoft PowerPoint for Windows. You simply start PowerTalk and open
and run your presentation as usual. PowerTalk then speaks the text on
your slides. The advantage over other generic 'Text To Speech' programs is
that PowerTalk is able to speak text as it appears and can also speak
hidden text attached to images. Speech is provided by the standard
synthesised computer voices that are provided with Windows.
http://fullmeasure.co.uk/powertalk/
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Quick Input:
Quick Input software is used to speed up the typing of frequently repeated
words and word combinations in all applications where developers have not
implemented this feature. Using predictive technology, there is now no
need to learn how to touch type on the keyboard! Quick Input software can
be installed on your computer in order to considerably reduce the time
required to type text!
http://www.qinput.com/
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SimpleOCR:
SimpleOCR is the popular freeware OCR software with hundreds of thousands
of users worldwide.
http://www.simpleocr.com/
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Skype:
Free calls, video
calls and instant messaging over the internet. Plus great value calls to
phones anywhere in the world.
http://www.skype.com/
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Sonar:
provides an expanded ring around the mouse pointer for users who have
difficulty locating the pointer. Unlike the Windows XP version, this
package places a permanent ring around the pointer. This version
introduces the option to vary the colour of the Sonar ring.
http://www.fxc.btinternet.co.uk/assistive.htm
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Speech Profile Manager:
designed to be a small speech recognition profile manager tool that can be
used to back up and restore speech profiles on the same machine or between
different machines.
http://www.microsoft.com/downloads/details.aspx?displaylang=en&FamilyID=cd72250f-2e02-430e-8f99-e1acae760564
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System Access To Go:
a web-resident version of Serotek’s screen reader completely free of
charge. Simply visit www.satogo.com and create your free SA ToGo account.
Once you are logged in, use the Install System Access option under My
Account in the System Access menu.
http://www.satogo.com/
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System Info:
everything you want to know about your computer.
http://www.gtopala.com/
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T-Bar:
software-based color overlays for a PC screen. Useful with dyslexia.
No longer available from developer
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TeamViewer:
free remote access and remote desktop sharing via the Internet.
http://www.teamviewer.com/index.aspx
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Thunderbird:
an e-mail client that includes many new features to help you manage your
inbox. With Thunderbird 2, it’s easier to prioritize and find your
important email with tags and the new find bar helps you find content
within your email faster.
http://www.mozillamessaging.com/en-US/thunderbird/
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Top OCR: Incredible OCR accuracy, No
page limits, and no extra downloads or components needed; Handles images
with mixed text and graphics (Manual or Auto Zoning); Tolerates skew and
uneven lighting; Multiple text output formats, including searchable PDF
and HTML; Built-in Text-To-Speech software. How about OCR to MP3?
http://www.topocr.com/
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Trillian:
a fully featured, stand-alone, skinnable chat client that supports AIM,
ICQ, MSN, Yahoo Messenger, and IRC. It provides capabilities not possible
with original network clients, while supporting standard features such as
audio chat, file transfers, group chats, chat rooms, buddy icons, multiple
simultaneous connections to the same network, server-side contact
importing, typing notification, direct connection (AIM), proxy support,
encrypted messaging (AIM/ICQ), SMS support, and privacy settings.
http://www.ceruleanstudios.com/
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Viacam:
a mouse replacement
software that moves the pointer as you move your head. It works on
standard PCs equipped with a web camera. No additional hardware is
required. Based on the award winning Facial Mouse software.
http://eviacam.sourceforge.net/eviacam.html
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Vu-Bar:
A unique piece of software, provides an on-screen, slotted ruler. Useful
with dyslexia, when the user skips lines or drops from one line to the
next. This version allows the user to select the bar width, 25%, 50%, 75%
or 100% of screen width and set the slot height to the required font size.
http://www.fxc.btinternet.co.uk/assistive.htm
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Webpage Communicator:
Use the Web Page Communicator package to turn
any device that can run Internet Explorer, Firefox, Opera, or Safari
(direct select only) browsers into a communications device for free!
http://sites.google.com/site/jamjolu/Home/web-page-communicator
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WordFlashReader: a Rapid Serial
Visual Presentation (RSVP) program that makes on-screen reading easy. Its
free, open-source, and works on both Windows and Linux.
http://wordflashreader.sourceforge.net/
