How they work
Screen readers convert digital text into synthesized speech. They empower users to hear content and navigate with the keyboard. The technology helps people who are blind or who have low vision to use information technology with the same level of independence and privacy as anyone else.
What all they let you do
The most popular free screen reader for Windows is NVDA and can be found here. Alternative Text. By default, when a screen reader encounters an image, if it can't find alt text it will read aloud the file's name. This gets especially tricky for user generated images which often get hashed file names. You can follow the instructions below to capture your screen using this best free screen recorder for Mac. To begin with, you have to launch Quicktime Player at the first hand. Once you see the interface, click “File” and select “New Screen Recording”, then a screen recording window will pop up. NVDA (NonVisual Desktop Access) is a free “screen reader” which enables blind and vision impaired people to independently use the Windows Operating system. It reads the text on the screen in a computerised voice. You can control what is read to you by moving the cursor to the relevant area of text with a mouse or the arrows on your keyboard. Top 7 Screen Readers For The Blind. Job Access with Speech - Best for Windows. NVDA - Open-source. Dolphin Screen Reader - Natural-sounding voices. Serotek System Access - Budget tool. Apple VoiceOver - Best for Mac. Orca - Best for Linux. Chrome Vox - Chrome screen reader. The market offers a great variety of screen readers that are compatible. ITop Screen Recorder is an easy-to-use and free screen recorder for Windows (PC). You can record the PC screen with the intimate countdown guide. No restrictions on video length, no watermarks, bundled software, and ad-free. Besides, this free recording software provides dozens of export options and format conversion.
- Read all content
- Display a list of links
- Display a list of headings
List of popular screen readers
Voiceover for Mac
How to enable VoiceOver for Mac
- System Preferences
- Accessibility
- VoiceOver
- Enable VoiceOver
- cmd + f5
Chrome screen reader
Google offers a free screen reader built into the browser which you can download as an extension here.
NVDA for Windows
The most popular free screen reader for Windows is NVDA and can be found here.
Download Free Screen Reader
Alternative Text
By default, when a screen reader encounters an image, if it can't find alt text it will read aloud the file's name.
This gets especially tricky for user generated images which often get hashed file names.
Adding an alt attribute will override that behavior. Screenreaders will read the alternative text instead of the file name.
Skipping over images
Sometimes your website will have images that are strictly for decorative purposes. In that case, an empty alt attribute will force the screen reader to skip over the image.
A note on SEO
Search engines also make use of alternative text. For years SEO shops have suggested stuffing the keywords you want to rank for into alt text wherever possible. This provides a very bad accessibility experience.
Captions for audio
Remember not all content on the web is visual! If your application has video content, be sure to use a captioning service to add closed captioning.
For our first exercise, we'll be installing a screen reader and getting comfortable navigating around a page using only the audio.
Click here to begin!
About 95% of the web is inaccessible for persons with visual impairment. But, this does not necessarily mean that persons with visual impairment cannot walk hand in hand with the ever-growing digital world. Assistive software, called screen readers, can be installed on any computer. These software pieces make it easier for persons with visual impairment to use the computer and browse the Internet on their own. Thus, screen readers are very important for enhancing information accessibility for people with visual impairment.
Screen readers are the software that either read the texts displayed on the computer or display them on an attached braille display.
Here we are giving you the list of most popular screen readers. But, before installing any one of them, make sure the software is compatible with your OS and braille screen (if you use one). It would also be good if you check command structure and keystrokes of the software beforehand to make sure you can easily learn them. Some of the given screen readers are paid software, while the others are free. If you feel the need to upgrade to a paid version of a screen reader, do it happily because this will be the best investment — an investment for self-dependency.
Most Popular Screen Reader Software (Both Free and Paid)
1. Job Access With Speech (JAWS)
This is one of the most popular screen readers all over the world. It is compatible with all versions of Windows OS since Windows Vista. JAWS helps you surf the internet, read out any text on the computer screen including e-books, word-processor. To run JAWS on your computer you need 1.5GHz processor speed and 4 GB RAM. It is a pretty common computer configuration these days. So no worries!
2. Non Visual Desktop Access (NVDA)
This software is the most popular among the free screen readers. For the first time users, this can be the best option to get familiarized with the screen readers. To run this software smoothly, you need 1.0 GHz processor speed, 256 MB RAM, and 90 MB storage space. This free software supports 32-bit and 64-bit Windows versions since Windows XP.
3. Apple VoiceOver
This is the best screen readers for Mac users due to its deep, OS-level integration that has been specifically designed for Mac OS X. If you are a Mac or iPhone user, this is the ultimate screen reader for you. In addition to the normal functions of screen readers, VoiceOver has been mapped to the touchpad and gestures — making it a smart screen reader.
4. Orca
Linux has recently gained a good popularity. If you use Linux as your OS, Orca is the best screen reader for you. Obviously, there are a few more screen readers for Linux but Orca is the most popular one. Orca has also been included in the Ubuntu installation CD to allow the blind and persons with visual impairments to get audible interaction during the installation process just after a few keystrokes.
5. Dolphin Screen Reader
This paid screen reader is popular among individuals as well as organizations due to its high-quality features. Before buying this software, make sure you have a processor equal to or faster than 1.5 GHz, 2 GB RAM and a storage space of 5 GB. Unlike most of the other screen readers, Dolphin Screen Reader provides you with a natural-sounding text-to-speech voice. And, the software is packed with all the features one can expect from a top-quality screen reader.
This is WeCapable’s handpicked list of best screen readers. If you have used a screen reader that, according to you, deserves to be on the list of best screen readers — please communicate to us through your comments. We love to hear from our readers!
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'Best Screen Readers for Persons with Visual Impairment.'Wecapable.com. Web. October 2, 2021. <https://wecapable.com/best-screen-readers-free-paid/>
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Free Screen Reader For Mac Os
'Best Screen Readers for Persons with Visual Impairment.' (n.d.). Wecapable.com. Retrieved October 2, 2021 from https://wecapable.com/best-screen-readers-free-paid/
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