[Ham-Computers] Screen reading software

Wed Jun 1 12:12:07 EDT 2005

When one uses a software synthesizer, that is, the internal sound card and
software to create synthetic speech, as opposed to a hardware based internal
card or external unit, you will encounter all sorts of conflicts. This is due to
various TSR in the HMA fighting for the same memory location. Such as losing
some, and sometimes all, sounds Windows generates for various boot up, shutdwon,
error and so forth. Additionally, almost all .wav files will not play due to
conflicts.	

The hardware synthesizer costs more, but eliminates 'ALL' of the memory
conflicts because it has onboard all that it needs.	

I have been here since before we had Text To Speech, helped in its development,
(I still have the original TTS code in Assembly language on a 5.25 inch 90K
diskette!), and have written many programs, including a talking word processing
program, numerous financial income/expense, music libraries, address/phone, mail
list and label, etc. programs over the past twenty years. All of which I gave
away, with two exceptions.			

All of which took on the average of 11K! The word processing program took 28K
with 32K of data storage for the files.	

I still use the majority of these programs daily.	

I have worked from the most crude, monotone, robotic voice, such as the ECHO PC
by Street Electronics to the DECTALK PC, the best of the lot. I prefer the DEC
hardware, even though it is far from inexpensive. The speech capability is
unlimited, the pronunciation accuracy is well over 96%, the flexibility is great
and the quality of speech is actually enjoyable. Whichis very important when
must listen to a computer talk for eight hours every day of the year!	

I got by with lesser hardware synthesizers, such as the G.W. Micro Sounding
Board for $400, but it was very robotic and anything but pleasant to listen to.
Their Windows reading program called Windows-Eyes sold for $595 the last I knew,
and worked quite well. However, it was inferior to JFW in many areas. One thing
I did not like, nor do I like, is that they did not allow their hardware
synthesizer to use the power of any other companies software. Thus if you owned
a DECTALK PC card or DEC Express external unit, you lost ALL the power of this
equipment! A real negative for G.W. Micro, who did it intentionally to promote
their Sounding Board product. 	

The Artic Vision product was never very good. It worked, but was way too high
priced for what it was, sounded awful. I can understand almost anyone's
synthetic speech easily, as i am accustomed to hearing it for a quarter of a
century! But I had problems with Artic as many letters were not distinguishable
from another. Such as "B" and "G" and "D" and "V". There is a option to have a
character spoken phonetically, but this was very awkward to use with Artic, not
so for anyone else, however. Artic only survived because some people convinced
state rehab agencies to supply it to blind students on loan. Nobody got to keep
them! When the child got out of high school, the electronic aids were taken back
and good luck! 		

The DOS software I paid $495 for, is now free. The one thing I love about it is,
total control for the user! It blows any, and all, Windows screen reading
software away. However, the way in which alphabetic characters were created has
changed from numeric values of ASCII to graphic characters that comprise a
letter today. Windows is graphics based and it is only going to get worse for
the blind. unfortunately.	

I spent many years helping the blind configure their computers, for free. I
never charged them a cent, as I knew they did not have it to begin with. i put
their systems together, programmed them, configured them and taught them how to
use them. All on my own time and at my own expense.	

A number of companies asked me to represent them, i refused them all. Why?
Because if I represented henter-Joyce Inc., now Freedom Scientific Inc., I had
to sell 'only' their products. I refused to do that because each blidn person
had different needs, levels of skill and so forth. I always tried to put
together the system that would best serve his/her needs, with no thought as to
who's products I used. I did not want, and refused to be, bound to any one
manufacturer. That was about money, i was about helping my fellow blind
compatriots.	

There are good products out there, but all of them cost money. A lot of it. The
handicapped live at, generally below, the national poverty level. They can not
afford these wonderful aids and/or appliances that would make their lives more
productive, give them an image of self-worth from the independence gained, give
them job skills and allow them to do the simple things that those who are not
handicapped do and never give a moments thought to. But the states do not give
this stuff away to the handicapped, nor does the federal government. it is
almost always through service clubs such as a Lions Club, family, friends etc.	

A computer with speech for the blind person who has average abilities, as
opposed to severe mental or other further disabling physical issues, is in my
opinion, the best thing since Braill was first introduced. Windows may take this
away from the blind, sadly. But after all, it is a sighted world and all of
these products are about one thing, profit for the manufacturer I was foolish
enough to think that when the cost of the technology came down, as it has
drastically, that these products would be easier for the blind, and other
handicapped persons, to obtain. i could not have been more wrong.		

Duane Fischer, w8DBF	

----------
From: Kim <jamiemck at aloha.net>
To: ham-computers at mailman.qth.net
Subject: [Ham-Computers] Screen reading software
Date: Wednesday, June 01, 2005 8:08 AM

Aloha, I was sent some archived mail from this site.  It is important to know
that screen reading software for the blind is a very complicated program.  One
individual said it was $795, now it seems, it is $895 but you can use the built
in speech synthesizer.  The program does not work with all applications but new
scripts are being developed for several popular applications.  Microsoft has
added the MSAA service which interacts with "JAWS" to offer information to the
blind user.  A demo can be downloaded from "HJ.com"/"downloads"/"JAWS screen
reading software".  I have missed some of the mailings and hope I am not
imposing on anyone.  Artic Vision also has a screenreader for DOS and they have
a website as well.  
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