The information has been shared by The Kim Komando Show ®.
For the blind, sight-based technology can sometimes be a stumbling block. Most computers, phones and gadgets are built around a visual interface.
These visual interfaces are becoming more and more integrated into everyday life, which can make things harder for blind people and folks with severely diminished eyesight.
But these selfsame technologies can also be huge assets to blind people as well. Computers have millions of potential uses for complementing and enhancing day-to-day life. You just need the right software.
Screen reading technology has been around for decades now, but many screen readers can be prohibitively expensive, or else they aren't designed to meet a blind person's specific needs.
NVDA, which stands for NonVisual Desktop Access, is a free, open-source screen reader that converts text and visual cues on your computer into a synthetic voice. It was created by two blind software programmers to help them use their own computers.
To download NVDA, click on the link labeled "NVDA 2012.3.1 main package." It's located underneath the header "Stable Release."
You'll then be asked to make a donation, which isn't necessary to use the full product. Simply click the corresponding link near the bottom of the page, though you may decide you wish to voluntarily support this free product at any time.
As you're installing NVDA, it will begin reading the text and visual cues where your mouse is hovering. You can even choose to install it as a portable version to a USB flash drive. That's a good choice if you want to use NVDA on any computer you plug the drive into.
Once you've installed NVDA, you can control settings, inflection, voice, hotkeys and much more by opening up the NVDA menu. The default way of doing this is by pressing "Insert + N" although before you launch for the first time, you'll be asked if you'd rather use Caps Lock than Insert.
Cost: Free
Link: nvda-project.org
System: Windows
For The Kim Komando Show ® homepage: http://www.komando.com/
THE NEXT INFORMATION IS FROM THE 'NVDA' WEBPAGE:
Download NVDA
Information about extra voices that can be downloaded and used with NVDA can be found in the Extra Voices article.
A Note about SourceForge and Internet Explorer
NVDA downloads are hosted on SourceForge. Unfortunately, Microsoft Internet Explorer often blocks downloads from SourceForge.
If you are using Internet Explorer and your download does not begin within 30 seconds after activating a download link, the download has probably been blocked. If this happens, the Information Bar will appear and you may hear an accompanying sound, but this may not be announced by screen readers. Please do the following to begin the download:
1)Press alt+n to move to the Information Bar, which will inform you that the download has been blocked.
2)Press space to activate the button to show options. A menu will appear.
3)Select and activate the Download item. You can do this quickly by pressing d.
4)The normal download options will now appear. Begin the download as normal.
Stable Release: 2012.3.1 (recommended for most users)
This release is suitable for production use.
NVDA 2012.3.1 main package
What's new in 2012.3.1
Beta Release: 2013.1beta1 (recommended for testers only)
This release is intended for those who are interested in testing and evaluating the upcoming stable release, but is not recommended for production use. Testers are encouraged to report any bugs found while using this beta.
NVDA 2013.1beta1 main package
What's new in 2013.1beta1
Old Releases
Old releases can be downloaded from SourceForge.
Development Code
Please see the Development section for information about accessing development code, including both source code and binary snapshots.
Keep Up To Date
Keep up to date with the latest NVDA news including announcement of new releases and subscribe to NVDA.
For download click: NVDA or visit: http://www.nvda-project.org/wiki/Download
For the blind, sight-based technology can sometimes be a stumbling block. Most computers, phones and gadgets are built around a visual interface.
These visual interfaces are becoming more and more integrated into everyday life, which can make things harder for blind people and folks with severely diminished eyesight.
But these selfsame technologies can also be huge assets to blind people as well. Computers have millions of potential uses for complementing and enhancing day-to-day life. You just need the right software.
Screen reading technology has been around for decades now, but many screen readers can be prohibitively expensive, or else they aren't designed to meet a blind person's specific needs.
NVDA, which stands for NonVisual Desktop Access, is a free, open-source screen reader that converts text and visual cues on your computer into a synthetic voice. It was created by two blind software programmers to help them use their own computers.
To download NVDA, click on the link labeled "NVDA 2012.3.1 main package." It's located underneath the header "Stable Release."
You'll then be asked to make a donation, which isn't necessary to use the full product. Simply click the corresponding link near the bottom of the page, though you may decide you wish to voluntarily support this free product at any time.
As you're installing NVDA, it will begin reading the text and visual cues where your mouse is hovering. You can even choose to install it as a portable version to a USB flash drive. That's a good choice if you want to use NVDA on any computer you plug the drive into.
Once you've installed NVDA, you can control settings, inflection, voice, hotkeys and much more by opening up the NVDA menu. The default way of doing this is by pressing "Insert + N" although before you launch for the first time, you'll be asked if you'd rather use Caps Lock than Insert.
Cost: Free
Link: nvda-project.org
System: Windows
For The Kim Komando Show ® homepage: http://www.komando.com/
THE NEXT INFORMATION IS FROM THE 'NVDA' WEBPAGE:
Download NVDA
Information about extra voices that can be downloaded and used with NVDA can be found in the Extra Voices article.
A Note about SourceForge and Internet Explorer
NVDA downloads are hosted on SourceForge. Unfortunately, Microsoft Internet Explorer often blocks downloads from SourceForge.
If you are using Internet Explorer and your download does not begin within 30 seconds after activating a download link, the download has probably been blocked. If this happens, the Information Bar will appear and you may hear an accompanying sound, but this may not be announced by screen readers. Please do the following to begin the download:
1)Press alt+n to move to the Information Bar, which will inform you that the download has been blocked.
2)Press space to activate the button to show options. A menu will appear.
3)Select and activate the Download item. You can do this quickly by pressing d.
4)The normal download options will now appear. Begin the download as normal.
Stable Release: 2012.3.1 (recommended for most users)
This release is suitable for production use.
NVDA 2012.3.1 main package
What's new in 2012.3.1
Beta Release: 2013.1beta1 (recommended for testers only)
This release is intended for those who are interested in testing and evaluating the upcoming stable release, but is not recommended for production use. Testers are encouraged to report any bugs found while using this beta.
NVDA 2013.1beta1 main package
What's new in 2013.1beta1
Old Releases
Old releases can be downloaded from SourceForge.
Development Code
Please see the Development section for information about accessing development code, including both source code and binary snapshots.
Keep Up To Date
Keep up to date with the latest NVDA news including announcement of new releases and subscribe to NVDA.
For download click: NVDA or visit: http://www.nvda-project.org/wiki/Download
.jpg)
0 comments:
Post a Comment