I was just forwarded to an article from the University of Washington on the latest screen reader for the blind which allows surfing from any computer. By simply visiting a WebAnywhere’s website and using a pair of headphones, blind users can navigate the web with ease.
There’s a video on the University site which shows a blind Internet user functioning WebAnywhere’s Screen Reader with great success. He reads his email, sends a reply and checks a bus timetable before leaving in just a few minutes.
Here’s a breakdown of the process:
- • Plug headphones into computer.
- • Visit the WebAnywhere URL. This is done by bringing up the run command box by pressing Windows Key + R and entering the address.
- • The website loads with a frame at the top which acts as the address bar.
- • Sites the user wants to visit appear below the frame with text and instructions being read out to them.
It’s all pretty simple and looks like it’s easy enough to use. I think it’s really great that this service means that you don’t need to spend loads of money on additional software any more. Especially since even current screen readers that are free still need installing on computers before you can use them.
WebAnywhere uses an electronically generated voice and as such is only currently available in English, but according to their press release, the source code has been made available to Chinese web developers. This surely means it won’t be too long before we see the software appearing in many other languages.
For blind travellers, this is a great step forward to making information more easily accessible on the go. It opens up the use of any computer connected to the Internet, which means that everything from hotel lobby computers and Internet cafés to your friend’s laptop can now all be used by blind people.
With the Internet being an integral part of travelling these days, it’s good to see that it’s much more easy to access.
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