Apple Screen Reader?

[MacRumors]

Apple is hiring programmers for a new Mac OS X "Screen Reader" application.

The planned Screen Reader application "will convert all on-screen data (text, objects and controls) to speech or braille enabling a blind or partially signed user to use a Mac."

 

[whfsdude]

Braille porn?

Hopefully this would be cheap for people, allowing them to use normal hardware/software and not have to pay high prices for this kind of stuff.

 

[SilentPanda]

Does this mean a video iPod integrated with iSight and JBL Creature speakers using dual G5's is in the works?

 

[IlluminatedSage]

this is a great thing for blind people. Let macintosh become their preferred computer.

This will be a great public service and help to those in need.

 

[walkingmac]

Screen Reader?

I am not sure where this would be a huge leap in software. I am sure that it is a great idea, specially since I have not heard about anything like that. I would be great for apple. What i am saying is though that with the integration of text-to-speach in the OS, how complicated can this be? the real dilemma would only be recognizing the text in an image or explaining what an image is.

 

[gsdali]

there are several PC screen readers, they have to be bought as extras. I do hope this is bundled with OSX, or is a free download, making OS X the system of choice for Blind users.

(Don't forget web deisgners you ought to be designing sites that help screen readers. If your site is in the UK it will be against the law from 2004 to discriminate against disabled users, even passively. See the RNIB for details)

 

[john7jr]

Screen Reader

This is great, my fiance is mostly blind and has worked with a lot of peopel who use screen readers on PCs, it's been the only option until now.

Jaguar's ability to zoom the way it does, without 3rd party software, is lightyears ahead of PC's. She imidiatly switched from using (paid-for) ZoomText on the PC to the Mac because of this great feature.

I can't wait to see what Apple does with the Screen Reader.

=)

 

[macMaestro]

Originally posted by gsdali
I do hope this is bundled with OSX, or is a free download...

I bet it will be. Can you imagine: "Screen Reader, Apple's innovative contribution to the blind community, starting at only $99." This sounds to me like something that would definitly come bundled with OSX as part of Apples's universal access features.

 

[digidoodle]

great news

This is an excellent development, and has the potential to increase the utilization of macs among federal agencies, which are required by Section 508 of the Rehabilitation Act (http://www.section508.gov) to develop and procure accessible information technology. The lack of a screen reader for the mac has been a significant barrier.

There actually is screen reading software available for older macs called OutSPOKEN, but I think it only works through MacOS 8.6 or something.

This is great news, and I hope the development proceeds at a speedy rate. For an excellent site about macs and accessibility, check out http://www.maccessibility.com.

Nate

 

[Stella]

I'd love to know for what reasons people mark this story "negative".

Its anything but negative, it is very positive.


It can only be good that Apple makes its products accessible to everyone, including the blind.

 

[mac pac]

this is going to make Macs look more the good side, and Pcs more the dark side!!!

 

[zephc]

typo

I'm pretty sure "partially signed" should be "artially sighted"

Also, to the guy with the 'What if?' sig, the URL is quite misleading... ui-whatif.com? Sounded like a cool user interface design site, but it's just some weird Jesus site with lots of clip art of young models.

 

[tny]

Originally posted by Stella
I'd love to know for what reasons people mark this story "negative".

Its anything but negative, it is very positive.


It can only be good that Apple makes its products accessible to everyone, including the blind.

Only negative I can think of is that I'm surprised this isn't already in OS X, it seems an awfully obvious feature.

 

[plastree]

Is there anyone out there besides me that turns on screen zooming in the universal access panel just for kicks? I think it's so cool, and it magnifies to a ridiculous resolution.

 

[iGav]

Any work in this area is worth while.

I'm working with some guys at the moment in a similar direction... we've got the text-to-speech working dandy, as well as the ability to access text and speech based material from images.

We're also working on 2 forms of navigation, hand clapping... (sounds obvious, but works a treat) and doesn't require you to learn any new language.

But also Sign language recognition, where you sign in front of your computer, and communicate and navigate in that way.

 

[zephc]

Originally posted by plastree
Is there anyone out there besides me that turns on screen zooming in the universal access panel just for kicks? I think it's so cool, and it magnifies to a ridiculous resolution.

Yhea I use it all the time. I run my res at 1920x1080 on a 17 inch monitor. "How are you not BLIND yet?" you may be asking. I just bumped most fonts up to the 12-point range (rather than my usual 9-10), but the higher res makes for smaller UI widgets, which frees up more room for windows and text. When something is kind of small to read, I just option-command-+ to read it, (usually a long document or long discussion thread, etc)

 

[Belgium]

Way to go Apple!

News like this makes my day!

Being a person with a visual handicap myself, it was love at first sight ) when I first saw a Mac. This was still in the 80's when the only thing the PC world could offer was some sort of virtual magnifying glass that could move accross your MS-DOS screen. Then I entered a Mac store and we explained them what I wanted. (= Big screen and big letters, so I can read it but still keep the overview). They put me behind a super-expensive (in that time) 21' color display and asked me just how big I wanted the font to be. My eyes popped wide open (something they normally don't do! )) and I was just speechless. From that moment on I knew it, this was my computer!
Ok, my parents had to spent a fortune to be able to buy me one, but I'm still in love!

 

[icrew]

Originally posted by gsdali
(Don't forget web deisgners you ought to be designing sites that help screen readers. If your site is in the UK it will be against the law from 2004 to discriminate against disabled users, even passively. See the RNIB for details)

It already is in the US--by making your site inaccessible to screen readers, you are potentially opening yourself up to an ADA (Americans with Disabilities Act)-based lawsuit.....

 

[dxp4acu]

Re: typo

Originally posted by zephc
Also, to the guy with the 'What if?' sig, the URL is quite misleading... ui-whatif.com? Sounded like a cool user interface design site, but it's just some weird Jesus site with lots of clip art of young models.

I don't see why this is misleading. It's a devotional every thusday night called 24-7. That's what it appears to be advertising. That was some pretty catchy graphics, by the way. It looked good.

Can't "weird Jesus sites" have cool user interfaces, too??

Please don't be so biggoted.

 

[edenwaith]

Dang! Beaten to the punch. I just read that job description a few minutes ago.

 

[penguin]

Tactile Touchscreen Integration

I remember hearing about this and a quick google search yields
http://www.computing.co.uk/Analysis/1141858

Basically it is a touchscreen lcd you can feel.
So you could feel the buttons and all of the text could be converted to braille so you can feel it on your screen. Or as you drag your finger around the screen it would speak whatever was under your finger.

Of course this could be cool for everyone because touch screens would become options.

 

[lolajl]

Now this is wonderful, as a deaf woman who loves the Mac. Now, if someone could come up with software that could be used with a camcorder, for instance, iSight, and could translate what I sign into speech, that would be excellent.

 

[m,tz206]

Originally posted by Stella
I'd love to know for what reasons people mark this story "negative".

Its anything but negative, it is very positive.


It can only be good that Apple makes its products accessible to everyone, including the blind.

While this is an interesting concept, it does nothing to solve the overall visual-bias of GUI operating systems. With text-based systems, like DOS, visually-challenged users could still function with little burden. Now, since all computer interfaces require the visual & spatial use of a mouse, graphical icons, etc, the blind are greatly disadvantaged.

 

[Sonofhaig]

Re: typo

Originally posted by zephc
I'm pretty sure "partially signed" should be "artially sighted"

Also, to the guy with the 'What if?' sig, the URL is quite misleading... ui-whatif.com? Sounded like a cool user interface design site, but it's just some weird Jesus site with lots of clip art of young models.

I'm pretty sure "artially sighted" should be "partially sighted"

 

[zephc]

Re: Re: typo

Originally posted by dxp4acu
I don't see why this is misleading. It's a devotional every thusday night called 24-7. That's what it appears to be advertising. That was some pretty catchy graphics, by the way. It looked good.

Can't "weird Jesus sites" have cool user interfaces, too??

Please don't be so biggoted.

Just that it had the 'ui' in there, and linked off a Mac site, one would automatically assume "oh, it means user interface". And cmon, Christians are the last ones to be bigoted against, what with a huge following in the US and elsewhere. They are definitely not the victims (even though I've seen some try to make themselves seem like their being persecuted). Anyway, we've spent enough bandwidth on this.