ACT for Visually Impaired

This Assistive Computer Technology (ACT) is especially for students with visual impairments.

For students who are blind or have low vision, "seeing the screen" with ACT means:

  • Software tools which verbalize the text content of the screen.
  • Software tools which magnify the content of the screen.
photo of priscilla learning JAWS Priscilla, a visually impaired student, learns JAWS, a Windows screen-reader program.

The visually impaired person utilizes special note taking devices, desktop scanners and enlarged font programs. What are also helpful
are the larger monitors and the Optelec for magnification. Braille printers with optical character recognition and speech
synthesizers, which translate computer keystrokes into speech, are available for people who are blind. The links below will give you
information regarding these programs and applications.

  • Optelec offers products that assist people with low vision to read and write again independently.
  • JAWS, developed by Henter-Joyce, Inc., is a Windows® screen-reader program.
  • ZoomText Xtra is a screen magnification software program (see the photograph below).
  • Kurzweil 1000, a PC-based advanced reading tool, converts printed words into speech for the blind or visually impaired.

photo of julie with kathy as they work with the ZoomText software
Julie is very happy to see what ZoomText Xtra has to offer. Kathy, a HTC Aide, is showing her the many tools that Zoom renders.

 

Last Updated 12/9/07
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