Dunellen Public Library

Software for the Visually Impaired

The Disabilities Resource Center Computer is loaded with the below listed software. 
The Kurzweil and Dragon NaturallySpeaking software products are sophisticated tools to help visually and physically impaired persons, and students with learning difficulties, use computers more productively.  They have the ability to remember an individual's user characteristics. 

The IBM Home Page Reader lets you "hear" the Internet.  Jaws for Windows is a screen reading product for the visually impaired. 

Zoom Text is screen magnifying software pre-installed in the computer.

 Kurzweil 1000

Kurzweil 1000 is a PC-based reading tool that makes printed material accessible to people who are blind or have limited vision.  Kurzweil 1000 converts the printed word into speech.  You can scan in books, articles, bills, and advertisements—almost anything that fits on a scanner.  The system uses optical character recognition (OCR) to create a version of the page that it then reads aloud.

 Kurzweil 3000

Kurzweil 3000 is a PC-based reading system developed specifically for ease of use by students and teachers.  In particular, it is an ideal compensatory aid for individuals with reading difficulties.  This application allows the user to view a scanned page on the computer screen while listening to the text being read aloud.  In addition, the Kurzweil 3000 provides study skills, editing, and file management tools.  The program scans and reads pages from any book or document, and reads World Wide Web pages.  It speaks and highlights text simultaneously, providing auditory and visual representation.  It offers clear, natural-sounding synthetic speech in a choice of reading voice personalities. 

IBM Home Page Reader 

The Home Page Reader is a spoken on-ramp to the Information Highway for computer users who are blind or visually impaired.  This innovative product provides Web access by quickly, easily, and efficiently speaking Web page information.  HPR provides a simple, easy-to-use interface for navigating and manipulating Web page elements and utilizes the capabilities of IBM’s ViaVoice Outloud text-to-speech synthesizer for speaking.  Using the keyboard to navigate, a person who is blind or who has a visual impairment can hear the full range of Web page content provided in a logical, clear, and understandable manner.

      Dragon Naturally Speaking
Preferred Voice Recognition Software

This program enables users to talk to their PC continuously and naturally, directly into virtually any Windows application.  It is a perfect tool for those who are unable to use a keyboard.  It permits users to dictate text without pauses between words.  Users simply talk in a natural manner and pace.  The spoken words immediately appear on the screen with every word spelled correctly.  The powerful text editing and formatting capabilities allow users to bold, italicize, change the font, and more, by voice command.  It takes about 30 minutes to program for a new user (and a little while longer to learn all the commands).

JAWS for Windows 3.7

JAWS (Job Access with Speech) provides speech technology that works with your Windows operating system to provide access to today’s popular software applications and the Internet.  JAWS uses an integrated voice synthesizer and the computer’s sound card to output the content of the computer screen to speakers.  You can work with JAWS to hear e-mail programs, word processors, spreadsheets, and Web browsers.

Zoom Text seamlessly integrates magnification and screen reading, providing easy access to all Windows programs.  Zoom Text delivers clear images, concise speech, and the highest level of compatibility.  It has 2x to 16x magnification with advanced edge-smoothing, 8 different zoom windows for full or partial screen enlargement, color filtering for improved contrast and readability, screen reading that’s powerful yet easy-to-use that speaks all on-screen text, including menus, dialog boxes, and controls, and has speech settings for adjusting voice, rate, and pitch.

Single-Switch Software