Typing Aloud

A "mini-corporation" that uses technologies to increase general workplace productivity and to enable people who are blind and visually impaired to run all significant aspects of a business will be featured at Adaptive Solutions ‘97, to be held later this month in New York City. Several prominent speech companies are participating.

The event, sponsored by the Associated Blind, Inc., will be held Tuesday, June 17, 5:30-8:30 PM at the group’s headquarters, 135 West 23rd St., (between 6th and 7th Avenues). The second annual event will show how entrepreneurial ventures and corporate functions benefit from voice and other emerging technologies.

New York Mayor Rudolph W. Giuliani will proclaim June 17th "The Associated Blind Day." Exhibitors are billing this as a unique approach to exhibiting technology, wih attendees getting a chance to explore practical workplace applications.

Among the speech and speech related companies taking part are NYNEX, IBM, Kurzweil, Dragon and Blazie Engineering.

The Associated Blind is a privately funded non profit organization founded in 1938, is dedicated to advancing the independence of adults who are blind, visually impaired or have related disabilities.

For more information, contact Barbara Shrager at The Associated Blind, 135 West 23rd Street, New York, NY, 10011-2431, (212) 255-1122.

IBM Screen Reader/2

IBM recently announced the Screen Reader/2, the only tool that makes OS/2 Warp, IBM’s graphical user interface, available to users who are visually impaired or blind.

Supporting a library of OS/2, DOS and Windows applications, this software, complete with Internet support, converts screen information to speech or Braille. Breaking new ground as a computer access program, the advanced Screen Reader is designed to read today’s highly graphical Windows applications.

For more information about the product, contact IBM Special Needs Systems, 1000 NW 51st Street, Boca Raton, FL 33432.

Alva Access Group Announces outSPOKEN

Alva Access Group recently released outSPOKEN, which has the ability to speak menus, dialogues, text areas and even graphical controls to any software on Macintosh or Windows PC.

With outSPOKEN, visually impaired workers can read by character, word or sentence while working with word processors. The software can also announce which cell is highlighted in a spreadsheet, new screen information while browsing CD references, or allow the user to hear what they are typing or speed read through web pages on the Internet.

For more information, contact Angelika Angermann, ALVA Access Group, Inc., 5801 Christie Ave., Suite 475, Emeryville, CA 94608, or (510) 923-6280.

Talking Word Processor, IntelliTalk

IntelliTools recently announced the release of IntelliTalk, a talking word processor that works as well for early learners as it does for kids and adults with disabilities.

IntelliTalk is an accessible word processor that can speak or read back letters, words or sentences. Users can slow down or speed up speech and modify pronunciation with a built-in pronunciation editor.

For more information, contact Paula Weinberger, IntelliTools, Inc., 55 Leveroni Court, Suite 9, Novato, CA 94949, (800) 899-6687 or email:info@intellitools.com .

Talking Keys Pro from Graham

Graham Software Co. recently released TalkingKeys Pro which uses digitized sounds to speak every key on the keyboard. It will also speak words that you type or paste into it. TalkingKeys will speak whole words and read text to the user.

TalkingKeys can be used by people who are learning disabled or blind, and non-English speaking people can also use TalkingKeys Pro to learn English.

For more information, contact Graham Software Co., 8609 Ingalls Circle, Arvada, CO 80003, or call 303 422-0757.

Talking Word Processor, Write-OutLoud

Write OutLoud is an talking word processor with a talking spell checker. The easy to use design means minimal keystrokes save time and conserve effort for users with physical disabilities.

Users are able to perform common commands by simply clicking on the appropriate button.

For more information, contact Don Johnston, Inc., 1000 N. Rand Road, Building 115; PO Box 639, Wauconda, Ill 60084, or call 800 999 4660.

WebCite from Compusult

WebCite provides web accessibility for visually and reading impaired persons. WebCite is low cost and easily upgradeable, with user-definable preferences. The modular system is compatible with most browswers, file formats and text-to-speech devices.

WebCite allows users to navigate the Web, send e-mail and download information within a fully functional text-to-speech environment.

For more information, contact Compusult Limited, 40 Bannister Street, PO Box 1000, Mount Pearl, NF, Canada, A1N3C9, or call 709 745 7914.

Open Book from Arkenstone

For people who are blind, have low vision or simply find reading more challenging, Arkenstone offers a full range of reading components that can turn a personal computer into a full-featured reading tool.

With Open Book Unbound featuring reading software, users can, with a PC and a scanner, read a page in less than a minute in more than a dozen languages. With a flatbed scanner, an Open Book Unbound can scan books magazines and business mail. Open Book Unbound supports a variety of synthesizers, Braille displays and scanners.

For more information, contact Arkenstone, 555 Oakmead Parkway, Sunnyvale, CA 94086-4023, of call 800 444-4443.