Comparison of screen readers

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Screen readers are a form of assistive technology.

Contents

[edit] Contemporary screen readers

Screen reader Creator Supported platforms Licence Notes
95Reader SSCT Windows Commercial Japanese screen reader.
Blindows Audiodata Windows Commercial Supports Microsoft Active Accessibility (MSAA) and the Java Access Bridge.
BRLTTY The BRLTTY Team *nix and Windows console Free and open source (GPL2) Available to download; part of most Linux distributions
Edbrowse Karl Dahlke *nix console Free and open source Makes a complete audio desktop, including web access with JavaScript support.
Emacspeak T. V. Raman Emacs (on *nix) Free and open source Turns Emacs into a "complete audio desktop".
Fire Vox Charles L. Chen Unix, Linux, Windows, OS X Free and open source For browsing with firefox only, firefox plugin
Gnopernicus BAUM Retec AG GNOME Free and open source Used to be bundled with GNOME, but now replaced by Orca. Includes a screen magnifier. Supports AT-SPI and the Java Access Bridge.
HAL Dolphin Computer Access Windows Commercial Supports MSAA, the Java Access Bridge, and PDF. 30 day Free Trial available for download.
HT Reader HT Visual Windows Commercial Includes support for MSAA and PDF.
iZoom Issist Windows Commercial Screen magnifier with low-vision speech capabilities. Includes support for Mozilla Firefox.
JAWS Freedom Scientific Windows and DOS Commercial for Windows; freeware for DOS Includes support for MSAA, the Java Access Bridge, and PDF.
Linux Screen Reader (LSR) GNOME GNOME Free and open source Supports AT-SPI.
LookOUT Choice Technology Windows Commercial Also available integrated with a screen magnifier.
Magic Freedom Scientific Windows Commercial Speech magnifier with low-vision speech capabilities. It can be used together with JAWS.
Microsoft Narrator Microsoft Windows Commercial Bundled with recent versions of Windows, this basic screen reader makes use of MSAA.
Mobile Speak Code Factory Symbian OS, Windows Mobile Commercial Full-fledged screen readers and Braille interfaces that let you access your mobile phone. Trial version, time-limited to one month, available.
Model T Reader Dolphin Computer Access DOS Freeware
NonVisual Desktop Access (NVDA) NonVisual Desktop Access project Windows Free and open source (GPL2) Programmed and scriptable in Python. Supports Mozilla Firefox, Microsoft Internet Explorer, Word, Excel and Outlook Express, and Mozilla Thunderbird to a more limited degree. Supports web content using JavaScript. No Java Access Bridge support yet. IAccessible2 support is being implemented.
Orca GNOME *nix Free and open source Bundled with GNOME. Supports AT-SPI and the Java Access Bridge.
PC-Talker Kochi System Development Windows Commercial Japanese screen reader. Supports MSAA and Flash[1]
PCVoz EzHermatic Windows Commercial Available to buy or download trial. Supports MSAA.
Pocket Hal Dolphin Computer Access Windows Mobile PDA and PDA Phones Commercial 30 day Free Trial available for download.
Proloquo AssistiveWare Mac OS X Commercial Includes a license for Infovox iVox. 15 days trial.
Simply Talker EcoNet International Windows Commercial Trial download available.
Smart Hal Dolphin Computer Access Windows Mobile and WM Smartphone Commercial 30 day Free Trial available for download.
SUSE-Blinux Novell Linux Free and open source
Supernova Dolphin Computer Access Windows Commercial Includes a screen magnifier and output to Braille devices. 30 day Free Trial available for download. Supports MSAA, the Java Access Bridge, and PDF.
System Access Serotek Windows Commercial Trial download available. Supports Microsoft Internet Explorer (including DHTML/Ajax and Flash), Outlook Express, Outlook, Word, Excel, PowerPoint, Skype, and Adobe Reader. No support for Java yet.
Talks Nuance Communications Symbian OS Series 60 or 80 Commercial Presentation and free Trial Version to be found on the site.
Thunder ScreenReader Sensory Software Windows Free for all organisations and all individuals Supports MSAA.
Virgo BAUM Retec AG Windows Commercial Trial download available. Supports MSAA and the Java Access Bridge.
Virtual Vision MicroPower Windows Commercial Brazilian screen reader. Supports MSAA.
VoiceOver Apple Mac OS X Commercial Bundled with Mac OS X, uses the Apple Accessibility API.
Window-Eyes GW Micro Windows Commercial Available to buy or download 30-minutes per Windows session demo. Supports MSAA.
ZoomText Ai Squared Windows Commercial Includes a screen magnifier. Trial download available.
Screen reader Creator Supported platforms Licence Notes

[edit] Unfinished Screenreader Projects

Screen reader Creator Supported platforms Licence Notes
Screen Access for All National Association For The Blind, New Delhi Windows Open source The project has some examples of a UI interacting with the MSAA from Windows. There has not been any news about this project for a long time.
Screenful Screenful Team Windows Open source Concept is done. Due to problems finding skilled developers, the project is idling
The Longhorn Screen Reader Project OSSRP Team Windows Vista Open source Concept ideas have been made. Latest news told that the project hadn't succeeded. If they will continue or let it die is not told by now.

[edit] Historical interest

Screen reader Creator Supported platforms Licence Notes
ASAW (Automatic Screen Access for Windows)[2] MicroTalk Windows Commercial
DRACULA family[3] Eurobraille Windows Commercial
Enable Reader Professional Speech System Enable Talking Software DOS Uncertain Download from Trace Center
Enhanced PC Talking Program[4] Computer Conversations DOS Uncertain
PROVOX Kansys, Inc. DOS Uncertain
Screen Reader Research Centre for the Education of the Visually Handicapped (RCEVH) BBC Micro and NEC portable
Screen Reader Research Centre for the Education of the Visually Handicapped (RCEVH) BBC Micro and NEC portable
Screen Reader/2 IBM OS/2 Commercial
Soft Vert[5] TeleSensory Systems DOS Commercial
Tinytalk OMS Development DOS and perhaps Windows Shareware
Window Bridge Syntha-voice Computers (now out of business) Windows Commercial
WinVision Artic Technologies Windows Commercial Not officially discontinued, but there has been no further release since 1997.

[edit] Software aids for people with reading difficulties

  • Penfriend from Penfriend Ltd
  • ClaroRead for PC and Mac from Claro Software
  • EasyTutor from Dolphin Computer Access
  • EnVision: basic multi-featured Windows accessibility tool
  • Read & Write, Screenreader from TextHelp Systems
  • yRead from SpaceJock Software
  • ReadPlease from ReadPlease Corporation
  • TextAloud for PC from NextUp.com
  • Alvin Kurzweil 1000 (for the visually impaired) and Kurzweil 3000 (for those with reading difficulty) from Kurzweil Educational Systems

[edit] References

  1. ^ Bob Regan, Best Practices for Accessible Flash Design (PDF)
  2. ^ Kenneth Frasse, GUI Access: A Comparison of Screen-Readers (Part I), Access Review (Summer 1997)
  3. ^ Microsoft Corporation, Accessibility Products for Microsoft Windows, Windows NT, and Windows 95 (March 1998).
  4. ^ Olga Espinola, [Introducing the Enhanced PC Talking Program http://personalpages.tds.net/~ti51/new25-26.htm], Raised Dot Computing Newsletter (12 January 1985). Accessed 2007-02-02.
  5. ^ High Tech Center Training Unit of the California Community Colleges, Product Guide to Adaptive Computer Hardware and Software (PDF). Accessed 2007-02-02.