Skip to introduction | Skip to technology listing | Screen reader friendly version

One Stop for Free Assistive Technology

TTY Symbol: A TTY is a device used with the telephone for communication with and between deaf, hard of hearing, speech impaired and/or hearing persons.

Amplified Telephone Symbol: This symbol indicates the location of telephones that have handsets with amplified sound and/or adjustable volume controls.

Sign Language Interpretation Symbol: This symbol indicates that Sign Language Interpretation is provided for a lecture, tour, film, performance, conference or other program.

Open Caption Symbol: This symbol indicates that captions, which translates dialogue and other sounds in print, are always displayed on the videotape, movie or television program.

Blind Access Symbol: This symbol is used to indicate access for people who are blind or have low vision, including: a guided tour, a path to a nature trail or a scent garden in a park; and a tactile tour or a museum exhibition that may be touched.

Braille Symbol: This symbol indicates that printed material is available in Braille, including exhibition labeling, publications and signage.

Large Print Symbol. Wheelchair Symbol: The wheelchair symbol is used to indicate access for individuals with limited mobility including wheelchair users. The Information Symbol: The most valuable commodity of today's society is information; to a person with a disability it is essential. For example, the symbol may be used on signage or on a floor plan to indicate the location of the information or security desk, where there is more specific information or materials concerning access accommodations and services such as "LARGE PRINT" materials, audio cassette recordings of materials, or sign interpreted tours. Audio Description: A service for persons who are blind or have low vision that makes the performing arts, visual arts, television, video, and film more accessible. Description of visual elements is provided by a trained Audio Describer through the Secondary Audio Program (SAP) of televisions and monitors equipped with stereo sound. An adapter for non-stereo TVs is available through the American Foundation for the Blind, (800) 829-0500. For live Audio Description, a trained Audio Describer offers live commentary or narration (via headphones and a small transmitter) consisting of concise, objective descriptions of visual elements: i.e., a theater performance or a visual arts exhibition. Closed Captioning (CC) Symbol: This symbol indicates a choice for whether or not to display captions for a television program or videotape. TV sets that have a built-in or a separate decoder are equipped to display dialogue for programs that are captioned when selected by the viewer. The Television Decoder Circuitry Act of 1990 requires TV sets (with screens 13" or larger) to have built-in decoders as of July, 1993. Also, videos that are part of exhibitions may be closed captioned using the symbol with instruction to press a button for captioning. Assistive Listening Systems Symbol: These systems transmit amplified sound via hearing aids, headsets or other devices. They include infrared, loop and FM systems. Portable systems may be available from the same audiovisual equipment suppliers that service conferences and meetings.

Last updated on May 1, 2007

 

If you know of an open source or otherwise free AT application that is not listed in our library,

please let me know about it via e-mail. We would like to add it to this resource. Many thanks! Steve Jacobs  

Introduction:

Commercial Assistive Technology contributes, significantly, to enhancing the quality-of-life, independence and employability of millions of people with disabilities.  Unfortunately, many individuals, social organizations, schools and government agencies can not afford to purchase it. Further more, there are many additional situations that preclude people with disabilities from accessing, using... or continuing to use commercial AT. For example, when K-12 schools purchase AT for use by their students... the schools own the AT.  Often this situation precludes students with disabilities from being able to take the school's AT home with them to complete homework assignments... or to their local libraries to help them study and surf the web with their friends.

When students graduate from high school they no longer have access to the AT that contributed to their success and independence as part of their K-12 education. The ability for high school students with disabilities to transition from high school to college, or into work environments, can also be negatively impacted. 

Free Assistive Technologies can help to mitigate these problems. It is this end that we dedicate and maintain this website. Questions and comments may be addressed to Steve Jacobs, President IDEAL Group, Inc. and CEO, Online Conferencing Systems, Inc.

 

Free Assistive Technology (AT)

Please note: If you are a screen reader user please click on the following link to access a screen reader friendly version of our library.

Screen reader friendly version

A | B | C | D | E | F | G | H | I | J | K | L | M | N | O | P | Q | R | S | T | U | V | W | X | Y | Z

  1. AAC Keys [top]
    http://www.aacinstitute.org/Resources/
    ProductsandServices/AACKeys/AACKeys.html
    AAC Keys is a keyboard and mouse emulation program for Microsoft Windows-based and Macintosh computers. AAC Keys receives commands through your computer's serial port and translates them into keystrokes and mouse moves, giving you full control of your computer from another device. AAC Keys implements the common GIDEI (General Input Device Emulating Interface) commands (see below). AAC Keys has been designed to work with Windows 95, Windows 98, Windows Me, Windows NT 4, and Windows 2000 operating systems. A Macintosh version was developed following the introduction of OS X . (Earlier Macintosh operating systems included SerialKeys.) The Macintosh version was developed by computer science students at Millersville University of Pennsylvania under the supervision of Dr. Blaise Liffick.

  2. Accessible BBC Listen Again
    http://www.webbie.org.uk/accessiblebbc/index.htm
    The British Broadcast Company (BBC) allows people to listen to vast quantities of their radio output up to a week after it is first broadcast on one of their dozens of radio stations. This service, called Listen Again, relies on a web browser interface that might be difficult for some users, especially people with screen readers. Accessible BBC Listen Again allows you to access the BBC's Listen Again content through a truly accessible interface designed to work with any screen reader. Select programmes and stations with the cursor keys and listen to them at your leisure. You get easy and simple access to hours of programming, including the ever-popular "The Archers" and "In Touch". The new version lets you access all of the Listen Again content among many other improvements (thanks to everyone for their suggestions!) It does still require that you have already installed something that can play Real Audio, which is the format the BBC uses for their radio on the Internet. The official program you can use, RealPlayer from Real, is very difficult to use and pops up lots of confusing messages. We suggest trying out Real Alternative from Edskes: this is free and is much easier to use. Just download, install and forget about it. The latest version of Accessible BBC works with it. The copyright of the BBC recordings is unchanged by this program: you are simply accessing them through a more accessible presentation of their own website. The new version should work better on more machines: several users contacted me with problems with 2.0. The programmes are also in alphabetical order now except for the first few "favourite picks" so you can find them quicker.

  3. AccessibleNews
    http://www.proaxsysreader.com/
    A revolutionary browser plug in that makes websites accessible to screen readers. It re arranges websites you visit and makes them screen reader friendly! 

  4. Accessible Podcatcher
    http://www.webbie.org.uk/accessiblepodcatcher/
    Accessible Podcatcher is a simple way for blind and screen reader users to use podcasts. Podcasting is a way to distribute audio files on the web. Accessible Podcatcher lets you access these podcasts. You can save them to disk, have your MP3 player transfer them for portable listening, and export and import lists of podcasts to send to other people.

  5. Accessible Radio
    http://www.webbie.org.uk/accessibleradio/index.htm
    Accessible Radio is a way to listen to radio stations on the internet that is easy and simple to use and is designed to work with any screen reader. It lets you listen to any of the BBC Radio stations.

  6. Accessible RSS News Feeds
    http://www.webbie.org.uk/accessiblerss/index.htm
    RSS is widely used by the weblog community to share the latest entries' headlines or their full text, and even attached multimedia files. In mid 2000, use of RSS spread to many major news organizations, including Reuters, CNN and the BBC, until under various usage agreements, providers allow other websites to incorporate their "syndicated" headline or headline-and-short-summary feeds. RSS is now used for many purposes, including marketing, bug-reports, or any other activity involving periodic updates or publications.

  7. ACollab
    http://www.atutor.ca/acollab/index.php
    ACollab is a fully accessible, open source, multi-group, Web-based collaborative work environment. ACollab is available as a work groups addon for ATutor 1.4+ , and as a standalone collaborative work environment that will run on its own. ACollab is ideal for groups working at a distance developing documentation, collaborating on research, or writing joint papers, and ideal for online educators who wish to add group learning activities to their ATutor courses.

  8. AComm
    http://www.atutor.ca/acomm/index.php
    ACOMM is an accessible Java-based Instant Messaging and Whiteboard tool. It has been designed to allow assistive technology users to participate in synchronous Internet-based communication activities that have traditionally been inaccessible to them. Features that set AComm apart from other similar systems are its full keyboard functionality, allowing users to draw without using a mouse; and peer descriptions, so a sighted user can type a text description of the whiteboard content that a blind person can listen to.

  9. Acta
    http://www.a-sharp.com/acta/acta.html
    Acta is an outline processor. It lets you organize just about anything -- reports, ideas, lists, projects, graphics -- in the form of an outline, where topics have subtopics.  Although giving a structure to your information is useful, where an outline processor shines is its ability to collapse the structure, showing only the most important information. 

  10. ADA Game
    http://www.adagame.org The ADA Game simulates how advocacy can promote positive changes in communities.  Join in the discussions and work together to improve compliance with the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) in your community of choice in the areas of: Program Access, Public Accommodations, Transportation, Employment, and Communication.

  11. Adobe Rewader V7.0
    http://www.adobe.com/products/acrobat/
    acrrwhatsnew.html
    Improves the way you get work done. Adobe Reader 7.0 gives you improved speed, enhanced security, rich media capabilities, and other new features to help you share information using Adobe PDF documents.

  12. AForm
     http://www.atutor.ca/aform/index.php
    AForm is a utility used to create accessible online forms, tests, or surveys. Using this utility to create forms ensures that people with disabilities accessing the Web with assistive technologies will be able to read and use the forms as would any fully able individual. Use the demo to create your own accessible forms. Download AForm from the SourceForge Web site.

  13. AGRIP
    http://www.agrip.org.uk/FrontPage
    This site was created so that the community can learn about how to install, use and develop the software they produce. Their aim is to provide access to the mainstream gaming community not by producing specialist "accessible games" but by making mainstream games - and their associated extension and development tools - accessible. We want blind people to not only play the games that sighted people do, but to be involved in the online communities that surround them and to extend them, creating new games and applications with them; something that sighted people have enjoyed a great deal over the years.

  14. Amaya
     http://www.w3.org/Amaya/Amaya.html
    Amaya is a complete web browsing and authoring environment and comes equipped with a WYSIWYG style of interface, similar to that of the most popular commercial browsers. With such an interface, users do not need to know the HTML or CSS languages.

  15. AMIS
    http://amis.sourceforge.net/
    AMIS is a software program that you can use to read DAISY books. AMIS is a multilingual player for reading books complying with DAISY standards. AMIS is free of charge, open source DAISY book playback software.

  16. Another Lens 
    http://www.b-zone.de/software/lens.htm
    Another Lens displays a magnified view of the area of the mouse cursor. Quite handy, for example, for drawing software. The window contents can be locked, and saved to a file or copied to the clipboard for taking screenshots. Several additional options, like crosshairs, resizing the window and hiding the caption bar and/or main menu. Stays on top of other windows optionally. Note for fellow programmers: Full source code included (Delphi     4).

  17. A-Prompt - Web Accessibility Verifier
     http://www.aprompt.ca
    Web authors can use A-Prompt to make their Web pages accessible to people with disabilities. The A-Prompt software tool examines Web pages for barriers to accessibility, performs automatic repairs when possible, and assists the author in manual repairs when necessary. These enhanced Web pages are available to a larger Internet audience.

  18. Arcess Accessibile Computer Games
    http://www.arcess.com/demo2.cfm
    These simple switch games are easy to play and are designed to be widely accessible for players who have Muscular Dystrophy, Cerebral Palsy, Spinal Injury, Head Injury or other physical disabilities. They can be played as single switch games, speech recognition games, expanded keyboard games (Intellikeys, Unicorn Keyboard, Concept Keyboard, Mini Keyboards), assistive technology researchers and vendors

  19. ATalker
     http://www.atutor.ca/atalker/index.php
    ATalker is a Web-based text-to-speech utility, based on the Festival Text-to-Speech system. With synthesized speech ATalker can read text out loud over the Web. With the ATalker Theme installed, the ATutor interface and feedback messages can be read out loud.

  20. assistivetech.net
    http://www.assistivetech.net/ A National Public Web Site on Assistive Technology which offers extensive up-to-date assistive technology (AT) and disability-related resources, including in-depth AT reports, as well as four easy-to-use search features to find assistive technology to meet your needs.

  21. ATutor
     http://www.atutor.ca/
    Atutor is an Open Source Web-based Learning Content Management System (LCMS) designed with accessibility and adaptability in mind. Administrators can install or update ATutor in minutes, and develop custom templates to give ATutor a new look. Educators can quickly assemble, package, and redistribute Web-based instructional content, easily retrieve and import prepackaged content, and conduct their courses online. Students learn in an adaptive learning environment.

  22. Audibill
    pmk@umn.edu
    Audibill is a simple Windows program designed to recognize the denominations of paper currency from the United States, Canada, Great Britain, and     Europe. It will run under any version of Microsoft Windows, and should support any flatbed scanner that has a compliant Twain or WIA interface. Note that currencies other than that of the United States are scanned in color. As a consequence, they cannot be recognized with a scanner that supports only black and white scanning. Unlike most programs from Kurzweil Educational Systems, Audibill is not self-voicing. We expect it to be used with a screen reader. Once you have run AudibillSetup.exe, you will find additional documentation in the ReadMe.txt file, which will be located under the folder "Program Files\Kurzweil Educational Systems\Audibill". The currency recognition program itself is titled Audibill.exe, and will be found in that same folder.

  23. Audio Enriched Links
    http://www.cs.unc.edu/~parente/ael/index.shtml
    Audio Enriched Links provide previews of linked web pages to users with visual impairments. Before a user follows a hyperlink, the Audio Enriched Links software presents a spoken summary of the next page including its title, its relation to the current page, statistics about its content, and some highlights from its content. We believe that such a summary may be a useful surrogate for a full web page, and help users with visual impairments decide whether or not to spend time visiting a linked page.

  24. Audio Radio
    http://www.audiobookradio.net/index.php
    LISTEN TO SPOKEN WORD INTERNET RADIO STATION
    Listen to spoken word Internet radio station broadcasting 24/7. 
    We are a free radio station dedicated to broadcasting stories, drama, poetry and interviews. We broadcast popular audio books by best-selling authors, as well as promoting new and unsigned writers from around the world.
    Easily listen to radio online from work or home
    Free non-music entertainment for the more discerning listener
    Listen to popular audio books narrated by professional actors
    View our week's programme schedule to see the great variety of choice on offer

  25. AutoHotkey
    http://www.autohotkey.com/
    AutoHotkey  is a free, open-source utility for Windows. With it, you can:
    Automate almost anything by sending keystrokes and mouse clicks. You can write a mouse or keyboard macro by hand or use the macro recorder. 
    Create hotkeys for keyboard, joystick, and mouse. Virtually any key, button, or combination can become a hotkey. 
    Expand abbreviations as you type them. For example, typing "btw" can automatically produce "by the way". 
    Create custom data entry forms, user interfaces, and menu bars. See GUI for details. 
    Remap keys and buttons on your keyboard, joystick, and mouse. 
    Respond to signals from hand-held remote controls via the WinLIRC client script.
    Run existing AutoIt v2 scripts and enhance them with new capabilities.
    Convert any script into an EXE file that can be run on computers that don't have AutoHotkey installed. 

  26. AutoIT
    http://www.autoitscript.com/autoit3/
    AutoIt v3 is a freeware BASIC-like scripting language designed for automating the Windows GUI and general scripting. It uses a combination of simulated keystrokes, mouse movement and window/control manipulation in order to automate tasks in a way not possible or reliable with other languages (e.g. VBScript and SendKeys). AutoIt is also very small, self-contained and will run on 95, 98, ME, NT4, 2000, XP, 2003 out of the box with no annoying "runtimes" required! You can even make compiled executable scripts that can run without AutoIt being installed!

  27. AutoMouse
    http://www.yuasa.kuis.kyoto-u.ac.jp/
    ylab/yamakaku/AutoMouse/
    AutoMouse is a software which controls the mouse and key-inputs in your place.  You can make a program by combining Mouse-operating-commands, such as `Click this picture', `Double-click this picture', etc. When you execute the program, the mouse moves automatically. Key inputs are also available. 

  28. BATS [top]
    http://www.cs.unc.edu/Research/
    assist/bats/index.shtml
    Spatial information is often presented in the form of maps that viewers actively explore to learn about an area. People who cannot see cannot share the benefits of such a visual representation, and have traditionally relied on audio descriptions, tactile maps, guidance from others, and even trial and error when learning the layout of a region. On-going assistive technology research has yielded a number of promising techniques to help people who have visual impairments plan daily walks and get directions, but little has been done to promote the same kind of spatial awareness provided by visual maps. The Blind Audio Tactile Mapping System (BATS) project focuses on the latter area of research by helping people without sight access and explore spatial information.

  29. Big Calculator
    http://www.sensorysoftware.com/
    software/bigcalculator/index.html
    A large calculator for Windows. You can either on the buttons with the mouse or use the numeric keypad to perform calculations. The size of the calculator buttons is determined by the WIDTH of the calculator window.

  30. Big.com
     http://www.big.com/
    An accessible search engine

  31. BlockCAD
    http://web.telia.com/~u16122508/proglego.htm
    This program lets you build virtual models with lego-like bricks.It works in 3D with blocks that work the same as lego. There are different shape blocks and accessories like windows. You can use 3D movements to see all the angles of the drawing. Great for developing spatial relations.

  32. Bookshare.org
    http://www.bookshare.org/web/Welcome.html
    A collection of digital books designed for use by people with disabilities. Many books can be downloaded for free and used with Kurzweil.

  33. BRLTTY
    http://dave.mielke.cc/brltty/
    BRLTTY is a background process (daemon) which provides access to the Linux/Unix console (when in text mode) for a blind person using a refreshable braille display. It drives the braille display, and provides complete screen review functionality. Some speech capability has also been incorporated. 

  34. browsealoud
    http://www.browsealoud.com/
    features.asp?ref:dyslexia.com
    Simply by scrolling your mouse over the text that you want read to you, browsealoud will read and speak what you require, helping you navigate enabled websites more easily. Browsealoud features include:

  35. Build your own Medieval Castle
    http://www.yourchildlearns.com/owlmouse.htm
    Build your own castle while learning about the history and parts of a castle.

  36. Calculator Software [top]
    http://www.calculator.org/download.html/
    This is a set of easy to read calculators that help develop math and science skills. It can be used with windows 95/98/ME/NT/2000/XP and PDA with Windowsce.

  37. CCT Solitaire
    http://www.afb.org/prodProfile.asp?
    ProdID=718&SourceID=70
    A fully-accessible traditional solitaire game. Keyboard commands perform all functions. Sound effects are included.

  38. CHIP Speaking
    http://members.aol.com/chipspeaking/index.html
    CHIPSPEAKING is a desktop augmentative communication device that supports up to 99 messages. Users can record in their own voice (or care-givers can record the voice of someone else of the same gender and age) or take advantage of computerized voices.

  39. Click-Catch
    http://lang.tivi.pl/software.htm
    Click-Catch(C) available options:
    You may choose which button to simulate between left/right/middle mouse buttons.
    You can also set single or double click.
    There are two "hot keys" available. You must enable them in settings. "hot keys" are disabled by default.
    Combination of "control"+"x" pressed together at once starts clicking, "control"+"s" stops.
    In cases, when you cannot use "hot keys" to start/stop clicking, there are two buttons implemented.
    To start simulation press "START" button or press "STOP" to stop it.
    You may also need to change time interval between clicks.
    You can set its value from 10 hours to 100 miliseconds.
    Minimal step is 50 miliseconds.
    There is a possiblity to save your settings. Settings are stored in Windows Registry File.
    Click-Catch(c) has no instalation procedure (it's only one file after all!)
    so it can not delete its entry after deinstalation (delete).
    It has however an option called "clear WinRegFile entry".
    Use it freely, it is harmless.

  40. Click-N-Type Speech Package v. 1.0 by Lake Software
     http://www.free2u.org/freeware/
    system_utilities/tools_for_disabled/
    click-n-type_speech_package.html
    More than just fun, Typing Sounds provide audible feedback, you may select one of the "Spoken Keys" options, as well as normal typewriter sounds. The feature "speaks" the keys back to you, letting you know you've hit the correct key and documentation on how to create "Spoken Keys" is included with the Click-N-Type help file, so people can create their own.

  41. Click-N-Type virtual keyboard
     http://www.lakefolks.org/cnt/
    v. 3.0 by Lake Software Windows® 95/98/ME/NT/2000/XP
    Click-N-Type is an on-screen virtual keyboard designed for anyone who needs help using a physical keyboard with special consideration for the severely handicapped. Full featured virtual keyboard, Word prediction and completion, Fully configurable including macros, AutoClick and Scanning Modes. Many language/keyboard packs available. Keyboard Designer and many user designed layouts included, Audible and visible feedback options, including Spoken Keys. Works with all pointing devices including head mouse and virtual mouse programs like Point-N-Click. Types into all programs including IE address boxes. Programs to administer user access available.

  42. CNTDesigner v. 2.0.8 by Polital Enterprises
     http://www.polital.com/cntd/
    CNTDesigner is a keyboard layout designer designed to work in conjunction with Click-N-Type V3+ by     Lake Software. The combination of CNTDesigner and Click-N-Type will give the user complete freedom to design their own keyboards, controlling size and placement of all keys as well as the overall size of the keyboard. If none of the standard keyboards provided by Click-N-Type suit your fancy, and the Custom Alphabet just doesn't have enough flexibility to meet your creative needs, then the keyboard designer CNTDesigner is the add-on you use to design your own keyboard layout.

  43. Compendium
    http://www.compendiuminstitute.org/
    download/download.htm
    Compendium provides a methodological framework, plus an evolving suite of tools, for collective sense-making and group memory. Validated in both small and large scale business projects, it is the result of over a decade's research and development at the intersection of collaborative modeling, organizational memory, computer-supported argumentation and meeting facilitation.  Compendium offers innovative strategies for tackling several of the key challenges in managing knowledge: 1. Improving communication between disparate communities tackling ill-structured problems; 2. real time capture and integration of hybrid material (both predictable/ formal, and 3. unexpected/informal) into a reusable group memory transforming the resulting resource into the right representational formats for different stakeholders.

  44. CoolSpeak
    http://www.coolspeak.com
    CoolSpeak is a new Internet messaging system which lets you and your friends, family and fellow workers send and receive voice messages anytime, anywhere via the Internet. CoolSpeak messages can include voice, text and file attachments. All you have to do is register on the CoolSpeak web site for a FREE CoolSpeak VoiceBox. There are no hidden charges! You can then exchange voice messages with any other registered CoolSpeak user anytime, anywhere in the world! CoolSpeak users can send and receive messages at no charge, via the CoolSpeak desktop application or the CoolSpeak browser plug-in.

  45. Crazy Darts
    http://www.afb.org/prodProfile.asp?
    ProdID=688&SourceID=70
    This online, audio-based game allows you to throw a dart at a moving target. When the game starts, sound comes out of either the right or left speaker and moves to the opposite speaker. When you believe the sound is directly in front of you, you press the spacebar to throw the dart. A recorded voice announces the scoring region on the dartboard that the dart hit. To keep things interesting, the target moves across the speakers at a variety of different speeds. When the game is over, your total score is announced.

  46. Cursor Animator Version 2.0.1
    http://www.tucows.com/preview/204209/
    This software has animated and brightly colored cursors. It is for mac computers only.

  47. Cursor Enlarger
    http://rbx.de/big-cursors/
    This software allows you to enlarge your cursor. Each of the enlarged cursors are the maximum of 32 by 32 pixels. It is windows based software.

  48. Cursors Large and Bright
    http://joescursors.tripod.com/HVCurPg.htm
    Collection of large and brightly animated cursors. This software is intended for non-profit use only. It is windows based software.

  49. Cursors Unlimited
    http://www.anicursor.com/
    There are many cursors types available at this site. Some of the cursors are freeware and some are shareware. Also there are instructions on how to create your own cursors. this is windows based software.

  50. DanZ Memory [top]
    http://www.danzgames.com/memory.htm
    In this game, you choose how many sounds you would like to be a part of a pattern that you will remember. Then, you listen to a single sound, and try to remember it. If you're successful, a new sound is added and you must remember both sounds. This continues, and continues, until you cannot remember anymore and make a mistake. But don't think things are easy. The game has some advanced options, such as letting you specify how many sounds to add to the sequence after you successfully remember a pattern, and even randomly adding sounds to the pattern. You can also specify how many different sounds you would like in the pattern.  This game does not require directX--only a screen reader. It will work on all Windows platforms including Windows 95. It is just 1.5 MB in size, and freeware, so why not give it a go.

  51. Dasher (Speech) Documentation
    http://www.inference.phy.cam.ac.uk/
    dasher/download/papers/Manual.pdf

  52. Dasher (Speech)
    http://www.inference.phy.cam.ac.uk/kv227/
    speechdasher/SpeechDasher.zip
    A very unique speech recognition system bundled with Dasher

  53. Dasher (Standard)
     http://www.splasm.com/products/productdasher.html
    Dasher is an information-efficient text-entry interface, driven by natural continuous pointing gestures. Dasher is a competitive text-entry system wherever a full-size keyboard cannot be used. Streaming video demonstration (1.5 mins asf). The eye-tracking version of Dasher allows an experienced user to write text as fast as normal handwriting - 25 words per minute; using a mouse, experienced users can write at 39 words per minute.  A $128.95 Headtracker for an eye gaze system. Voice Buddy Interactive Voice Control Version 3.0  $39.95.

  54. Dependency Win95/98/Me/Win2K/XP
    http://camtech2000.net/Programs/depncy10.zip
    Most programs require the support of additional files sometimes not included in order to run properly.  Dependency will show you the dll's and ocx's as well as their size and location that the exe of the program is dependent upon. 

  55. Drawing for Children
    http://www.cs.uu.nl/~markov/kids/draw.html
    This is an easy to use drawing program with many activities to explore.

  56. Dwell Click
    http://www.sensorysoftware.com/software/dwellclick/index.html
    Dwelling is resting the mouse over one area of the screen for a specified time. The dwell click software allows you to perform left-click, right-click and double clicks, and even drag things around the screen. This is ideal for those who can operate the mouse pointer, but not the buttons. For example, users of a head mouse such as the Smart NAV can use this software to control mouse operated Windows programs.

  57. EdgeWrite  [top]
    http://www.cs.cmu.edu/~edgewrite/
    Accurate Text Entry for Handheld Devices
    Designed for Compactness, High Tactility, and Physical StabilityEdgeWrite is a new unistroke text entry method for handheld devices designed to provide high accuracy and physical stability for people with motor impairments or people "on the go."
    EdgeWrite uses a unistroke alphabet designed to leverage physical edges for greater stability in text entry. An EdgeWrite user enters text by trasversing the edges and diagonals of a square hole in patterns that feel like writing regular letters. 
    EdgeWrite is also available for Windows on a variety of common input devices.

  58. Educational web sites:
    Site that explains how things work
    http://www.howstuffworks.com/
    Site that works with a wide range of cognitive skills and subject matters
    http://www.factmonster.com/

  59. EdWord and EdWeb
    http://www.deafblindonline.org.uk/software.html#ee
    EdWord is a talking word processor that allows you to combine text with symbols. EdWeb is a talking web browser that can display web pages as a combination of text and symbols.

  60. EmacSpeak
    http://www.cs.cornell.edu/home/raman/emacspeak/
    Emacspeak is a speech interface that allows visually impaired users to interact independently and efficiently with the computer. Audio formatting --a technique pioneered by AsTeR-- and full support for W3C's Aural CSS (ACSS) allows Emacspeak to produce rich aural presentations of electronic information. By seamlessly blending all aspects of the Internet such as Web-surfing and messaging, Emacspeak speech-enables local and remote information via a consistent and well-integrated user interface. Available free of cost on the Internet, Emacspeak has dramatically changed how the author and hundreds of blind and visually impaired users around the world interact with the personal computer and the Internet. A rich suite of task-oriented tools provides efficient speech-enabled access to the audio desktop and evolving semantic WWW. When combined with Linux running on low-cost PC hardware, Emacspeak/Linux provides a reliable, stable speech-friendly solution that opens up the Internet to visually impaired users around the world.

  61. E-Speaking
    e-Speaking is free for you to download and use. e-Speaking includes over 100 pre-defined commands. If you wish to add, edit, or delete commands from e-Speaking, you will need to purchase a license to activate that part of the code. 
    http://www.e-speaking.com/download.htm

  62. Eventcorder
     http://www.eventcorder.com/ec_downloads.htm
    Eventcorder records and plays back Windows events. With Eventcorder, a sequence of keystrokes and mouse-clicks can be implemented at the touch of a single button.

  63. Everyday Skills
    http://www.oatsoft.org/Software/everyday-skills
    Switch-activated software that supports teachers in teaching the young people who are deafblind in learning everyday skills.

  64. EzMagnifier v. 1.2 by Ancient Software
     http://www.ancientsoft.com/ezmagnifier.htm
    EzMagnifier is a small utility to magnify a portion of the screen where you can choose the zooming factor and you can resize the magnified portion itself to suite your needs. You can capture the image of the magnified area and the program saves it in the same folder of the program and you can save multiple captures as the program save them sequentially.

  65. Fab Four [top]
     http://www.brillsoft.com/Index_files/Page603.htm
    Consists of 4 single switch games for users with special needs. These are cause and effect games for users with special needs. Download it to try! After all it is completely free, however if you are able, a donation to keep the website running would be appreciated.

  66. FatBits
     http://www.digitalmantra.com/fatbits/
    Fatbits magnifies an area of the screen and paints the giant pixels into a new window, which may be useful if you have a visual impairment. To make the screen even more accessible, you can modify the colours it displays.

  67. Festival Speech Synthesis System
    http://www.cstr.ed.ac.uk/projects/festival/
    Festival offers a general framework for building speech synthesis systems as well as including examples of various modules. As a whole it offers full text to speech through a number APIs: from shell level, though a Scheme command interpreter, as a C++ library, from Java, and an Emacs interface. Festival is multi-lingual (currently English (British and American), and Spanish) though English is the most advanced. Other groups release new languages for the system. And full tools and documentation for build new voices are available through Carnegie Mellon's FestVox project (http://festvox.org)

  68. Fire Vox
    http://www.firevox.clcworld.net/about.html
    Fire Vox is an open source, freely available talking browser extension for the Firefox web browser. Think of it as a screen reader that is designed especially for Firefox.

  69. Flite
    http://www.speech.cs.cmu.edu/flite/
    Flite (festival-lite) is a small, fast run-time synthesis engine developed at CMU and primarily designed for small embedded machines and/or large servers. Flite is designed as an alternative synthesis engine to Festival for voices built using the FestVox suite of voice building tools. 

  70. Galileo [top]
    http://www.baum.ro/eng/products/galileo/galileo.html
    Galileo 4 is the screen magnification software for Windows NT/2000/XP developed by BAUM. Though Galileo 4 is an independent and autonomous program that offers every comfort of a modern screen magnification software, it has especially been developed for use with the screen reader Virgo 4. By combining these two solutions all former compatibility problems between screen readers and screen magnification software now belong to the past.

  71. Game Accessibility SIG
    http://www.igda.org/accessibility/
    Games play an important part in our culture and help add to our quality of life. The Game Accessibility SIG was formed to help the game community strive towards creating mainstream games that are universally accessible to all, regardless of disability. Through our work we hope to help bridge the knowledge gap about how to increase the accessibility of mainstream games that exists between disability groups and game developers and publishers.

  72. GC (graphing calculator)
    http://www.compilerabuse.com/projects/gc/gc_help.htm
    You can use this program for building two-dimensional graphs of functions. In order to draw a graph of a function, enter the function into the upper box of the window and press Apply/Draw or Enter. Use letter ‘x’ as an argument. All the functions you enter will be added to the list box that is on top of the window. You can then scroll through the list and select a function. After you select a function, press Apply/Draw     or Enter. The function you have selected will become current and will be drawn in blue. All other functions in the list will be drawn in green. Also, the function that is current will be calculated at the value that is shown in the x= box. The result will be displayed in the f(…)= box. You can add the values of x into the x= list the same way you add functions to the f(x)= list. Just press Apply/Draw or Enter every time you change or add values into those boxes. Pressing the Remove button will delete the current function from the list and its graph from the display window. The last function in the list will become current. Pressing Clear Argument List will remove all the values from the x= list except for ‘0’. Clear All clears both function and argument lists, and the display window. All the buttons on the window have corresponding items in the menu.

  73. Get
    http://camtech2000.net/Programs/getpth10.zip
    Have you ever needed to get the full path to an exe or any other file?  Or maybe you have so many you've forgotten what they are and don't want to open them one at a time to find out.  'Get Paths' automatically copies the path to the clipboard and lets you quickly view both text based and image files.  Files types supported are txt, bat, log, diz, reg, frm, vbp, vbw, ctl, bas, bmp, gif, jpg, jpeg, ico, tif, tiff, wmf, emf, png, mix and exe.  

  74. Gnopernicus
    http://www.baum.ro/gnopernicus.html
    Gnopernicus is part of the GNOME Accessibility Project. It is a screen reader and magnifier and it enables users with limited vision, or no vision, to use the Gnome 2 desktop and Gnome/GTK+2 applications effectively. By providing automated focus tracking and full-screen magnification, Gnopernicus aids low-vision Gnome users. Its screen reader features allow low-vision and blind users to access the standard GTK+2 and Java-based GUI applications via speech and Braille output. By leveraging Gnome 2's built-in accessibility framework, Gnopernicus will make interacting with applications more efficient for these users and enable use of the Gnome 2 desktop for some users who otherwise would have no access to Gnome.

  75. GOCR
    http://jocr.sourceforge.net/
    GOCR is an OCR (Optical Character Recognition) program, developed under the GNU Public License. It converts scanned images of text back to text files. Joerg Schulenburg started the program, and now leads a team of developers. GOCR can be used with different front-ends, which makes it very easy to port to different OSes and architectures. It can open many different image formats, and its quality have been improving in a daily basis.

  76. GOK
    http://www.gok.ca/gok.shtml
    The gok project aims to enable users to control their computer without having to rely on a standard keyboard or mouse. Many individuals must control the computer using alternative input methods. Using innovative dynamic keyboard strategies, and leveraging gnome 2's built-in accessibility framework, the gok will make control more efficient and enable use of the gnome 2 desktop. With the right hardware support and the gok individuals will have full access to applications that support the AT SPI, and therefore, full access to the functionality these applications provide.

  77. Google Accessible Search
     http://labs.google.com/accessible/
     Accessible Search is an early Google Labs product designed to identify and prioritize search results that are more easily usable by blind and visually impaired users. Regular Google search helps you find a set of documents that is most relevant to your tasks. Accessible Search goes one step further by helping you find the most accessible pages in that result set.
    In its current version, Google Accessible Search looks at a number of signals by examining the HTML markup found on a web page. It tends to favor pages that degrade gracefully --- pages with few visual distractions and pages that are likely to render well with images turned off. Google Accessible Search is built on Google Co-op's technology, which improves search results based on specialized interests.
    Accessible Search is a natural and important extension of Google's overall mission to better organize the world's information and make it universally accessible. Google Accessible Search is designed to help the visually challenged find the most relevant, useful and comprehensive information, as quickly as possible.
    In the past, visually impaired Google users have often waded through a lot of inaccessible websites and pages to find the required information. Our goal is to provide a more useful and accessible web search experience for the blind and visually impaired.

  78. Google Desktop
     http://desktop.google.com/index.html
     Google Desktop gives you easy access to information on your computer and from the web. It's a desktop search application that provides full text search over your email, computer files, music, photos, chats and web pages that you've viewed. By making your computer searchable, Google Desktop puts your information easily within your reach and frees you from having to manually organize your files, emails and bookmarks. It makes searching your computer as easy as searching the web with Google.

  79. Grid Maker
    http://www.deafblindonline.org.uk/software.html#gm
    An accessory for producing grids for use in EdWord and EdWeb. This can provide a list of words or symbols for the user to choose from when writing, as well as pictures, effects and web addresses.

  80. G-TalkSearch
    http://desktop.google.com/plugins/i/
    gtalksearch.html
    G-TalkSearch is a plug-in for Google desktop search. It is an innovative piece of binary (.Net CLR Binary) written to enable people with disabilities to use Google desktop search. Well not only people with disabilities, but a lot of ohter fun loving people who want to talk with Google desktop search can use this. Use Google desktop search with your voice. Command it and it takes you to webpages, cache files etc...  To use it you MUST download all of the following, additional, files or else Program does not work. Net Framework 1.1; Speech SDK 5.1; from http://www.microsoft.com/speech/download/sdk51/; Google Desktop Search; MS Agent Components and Tools including:
    -MSAgent.exe
    -Microsoft Agent character files : Genie.acs
    -Text-to-speech engines: http://activex.microsoft.com/activex/
    controls/agent2/tv_enua.exe
    -SAPI 4.0 runtime support: Spchapi.exe
    -Speech recognition engines: actcnc.exe
    -Speech control panel: Spchcpl.exe
    All of the above are available in the Microsoft page
    - http://www.microsoft.com/MSAGENT/downloads/user.asp

  81. GTKeyboard
    http://www.gnu.org/software/
    gtkeyboard/gtkeyboard.html
    GTKeyboard is an application written in C with the aid of the Gimp Toolkit. It is intended to help users with physical disabilities to enter text into a simple editor, as well as to help them use other X11 applications that require keyboard input. GTKeyboard allows the user to press keys on an onscreen keyboard that will either be entered into a simple text editor that GTKeyboard provides, or into the application of choice that the user specifies by clicking on the window. It has also been used by people who have strange keyboard layouts, and by people who for one reason or another cannot use a keyboard with the machine in question. 

  82. Hark The Sound  [top]
    http://www.cs.unc.edu/Research/assist/Hark/index.html
    Hark The Sound is a really simple sound game intended for young kids who are visually impaired. It was inspired by my friend and colleague Diane Brauner and was written by Gary Bishop. It is free for educational and fun use.

  83. Head-Tracking Pointer
    http://www.alphaworks.ibm.com/tech/headpointer/download
    The Head-Tracking Pointer provides an inexpensive and easily-used mouse replacement for those unable to use traditional pointing devices. Using only software and any Web-cam, this application allows users to point and click with character-level accuracy by simply aiming their face. Unlike other head-tracking solutions, the Head-Tracking Pointer does not require special-purpose hardware, head gear, or tracking aids, such as retro-reflective dots. Users train the system by tipping their head left and right. Custom-tracking algorithms provide reliable operation in a wide range of environmental conditions. Head motion is translated into pointer motion by custom filters that provide both high speed for long movements and high accuracy for fine control, without switching modes. All clicking variations are supported, including right clicking, double clicking, and click-and-drag.

  84. HELP Read
    http://helpread.net/
    This software will highlight sentences or words as it reads them out loud. You can control the voices volume, pitch and speed.

  85. HELP Read™: the Freeware Reader Project
    http://www.helpread.net/
    HELP Read™ is FREE software that reads along with you while you do the reading.  Whether you’re younger or older, new to reading or have your own library, HELP Read™ should be able to help you read more and understand more of what you read.

  86. HiCaption
    http://www.hisoftware.com
    A new captioning tool (Windows only).

  87. Hotkeycontrol XP 5.3
    http://www.inchwest.com/hkcontrol.html
    Hotkeycontrol is the award winning solution to create keyboard shortcuts for routine tasks. These tasks include, but are not limited to opening files, ejecting cdrom drives, restarting the computer, typing frequently used text, controlling active windows, changing volume and recording macros. The list of configured hotkeys can be shown transparently using on screen display (OSD) which eliminates the need to remember the hotkeys contrary to conventional hotkey managers. Besides that, volume status and other information can also be shown directly on screen using OSD. And, more features can be added to the program by creating plugins - which essentially makes the possibilities limitless. In addition to normal combination hotkeys, you can use single keys such as function or number pad keys. The additional keys on your Multimedia/Internet keyboard can also be used with Hotkeycontrol and all the hotkeys are functional even in games and in other full-screen DirectX applications.  HotKicks

  88. IDAIR  [top]
    http://idair.sourceforge.net/
    An opensource platform independant daisy reader

  89. Inclusive CD Player
    http://www.inclusive.co.uk/downloads/downloads.shtml#cdplayer
    A free, switch accessible CD player for Windows 95 onwards.
    Features:
    two different graphic styles
    one or two switch access
    mouse and keyboard access
    automatically remembers settings
    suitable for controlling from an IntelliKeys or Concept Keyboard 

  90. Inclusive Serial Switch Driver
    http://www.inclusive.co.uk/downloads/
    downloads.shtml#serialdriver
    A stand-alone serial switch driver for Windows, programmed to send the standard keys of Space and Return. For single or two switch access. Option to send a continuous stream of keypresses or a single keypress. Send a selection of other commonly used keypresses such as function keys and number keys.

  91. iRotate
    http://www.entechtaiwan.com/util/irotate.shtm
    Fast     screen rotation without the fuss
    iRotate provides convenient access to the native rotation capabilities present in contemporary display drivers, via a popup menu accessible from the system tray and optional system-wide hotkeys. It's no longer necessary to resort to bloated Windows hacks, additional software layers or phantom drivers to achieve content rotation. In most instances, support is now available directly from the graphics chip manufacturers, who continuously improve and apply quality assurance to their drivers. By leveraging the native rotation capabilities now provided by ATI, nVidia, Intel, Matrox, S3, XGI and others, iRotate offers exceptional speed and efficiency, with minimal impact on scarce system resources - the entire iRotate package, including installation, documentation, and native language support in all the major European and Asian languages, weighs in at only 100kb. And like all EnTech graphics utilities, iRotate supports multiple graphics cards from various vendors, simultaneously, under every multi-monitor enabled operating system from Windows 98 to XP.

  92. iZoom Screen Magnifier
     http://www.ohsht.org/izoom_index.htm
    Redefine your computing experience with iZoom, a Professional Grade Screen Magnifier and Reader built into a single application. Magnify your screen anywhere from 1.5 to 16 times while having it read out to you, all ready with color/cursor enhancements and image smoothing.

  93. Jetstream Trader [top]
    http://www.brillsoft.com/Index_files/Page552.htm
    You control a hot air balloon on the planet Gull. Direction is controlled by entering different ‘jetstreams.’ Jetstream trader is a very complex single switch game for people with gross motor skills only. The objective is given at the start of each level, you have to deliver cargo to earn credit. You can then use the credit  for more gas. No gas, no flame, no go!

  94. Joomla!
    http://www.joomla.org/
    Joomla! is a powerful Open Source Content Management System. It is used all over the world for everything from simple websites to complex corporate applications. Joomla! is easy to install, simple to manage, and reliable.

  95. Joystick 2 Mouse 3
     http://www.freewareweb.com/cgi-bin/
    archive.cgi?ID=1625
    Joystick 2 Mouse lets you control your mouse and keyboard using your joystick or gamepad.

  96. Joystick 2 Mouse
    http://www.tucows.com/preview/292788
    Turns a joystick into a mouse. It works on Windows 98/NT/2K/ME/XP. 

  97. Jupiter
    http://www.eklhad.net/linux/jupiter/
    This software makes Linux accessible to the blind user.

  98. Kavlon 10-key  [top]
    http://kavlon.org/index.php/10key
    Kavlon 10-key keyboarding wordlist database is a utility to re-map a small set of keys to a larger set of keys and to use that mapping to allowing fast entry of words.

  99. KMagnifier?
    http://kmag.sourceforge.net/
    KMagnifier (or kmag, its unix name) is a small utility for Linux to magnify a part of the screen. It was initially written for KDE 1, before becoming dormant. The development was then picked up by me and KMagnifier got its new life. It is currently being maintained/developed actively.
    KMagnifier is very useful for people with visual disabilities and for those working in the fields of image analysis, web development etc. If you are using kmag, and would like to share the reason why you use kmag, please drop me an email. This website and related stuff (CVS etc.) is hosted on sourceforge. I would like to take this opportunity to thank the kind people at sourceforge and VALinux for their great contribution towards the development of open source software. 

  100. KM-RW
    http://www.compilerabuse.com/projects/
    kmrw/kmrw_help.htm
    This program allows the user to record and later play back sequences of keyboard and mouse input.

  101. Large Pointers 1.0 [top]
    http://onlineconferencingsystems.com/
    large_pointers_1.htm
    Over 80 additional pointers and cursors for those with visual or perceptual difficulties. Icon styles include animated, colored, large, I-beams and circles.

  102. Learn Letters
    http://www.yourchildlearns.com/owlmouse.htm
    This software teaches children to know and make the twenty-six letters of the alphabet.

  103. Letter Sounds
    http://www.yourchildlearns.com/owlmouse.htm
    Learn letter and sound relationships.

  104. MacroMaker [top]
    http://members.ij.net/anthonymathews/MacroMaker.htm
     MacroMaker is truly a free piece of software for personal home use, but the author would not refuse a donation if the software proved useful to you. You DO NOT have to donate money to use MacroMaker for personal home use, only if you want to. There may be a way for you to make a donation without even spending any money out of your own pocket. Click the "Making a donation" hyperlink in the left column for details on how to make a donation.

  105. MAGpie 1.0
    http://ncam.wgbh.org/webaccess/magpie
    The original Web-based media captioning tool (Windows only).

  106. MAGpie 2.0
    http://ncam.wgbh.org/webaccess/magpie
    Create captions or audio descriptions for Web media with this free tool from NCAM (Windows or Mac OSX).

  107. Make a Farm
    http://www.yourchildlearns.com/owlmouse.htm
    Create your own model farm with silo, barn and chicken coop. Kids will choose crops and animals and what to grow to feed themselves and their animals.

  108. Make a Town and Make a Village
    http://www.yourchildlearns.com/owlmouse.htm
    Kids set up their own streets, decide where to put different buildings, parks and shopping districts.

  109. Maps That Teach
    http://www.yourchildlearns.com/owlmouse.htm
    Helps students learn about the United States and World geography. Following is a list of the interactive maps that teach about continents, countries, states, capitals, boarders, physical features and cultural movements: 

  110. Math Description Engine Software Development Kit
    http://prime.jsc.nasa.gov
    MDE SDK is a reusable software library that generates text, sound and visual representations of graphs found in both math and science applications. Visually-impaired computer users access these alternative text and sound descriptions through the use of a screen reader and standard computer speakers. The MDE (Math Description Engine) distinguishes itself from other accessibility software by determining the key characteristics of a graph "on the fly." Using this determination, it builds natural-language text descriptions that enable visually-impaired users to view spatial relationships through sound alone.  Designed with both flexibility and ease-of-use in mind, the SDK (Software Development Kit) allows web and software developers to adapt the MDE's graph descriptions to a variety of applications. Some key audiences who might benefit from the MDE SDK include, but are not limited to:

  111. Mathflash
    http://fly.hiwaay.net/~palmer/mathflash.html
    This software teaches addition, subtraction, multiplication and division with drills and practices. It keeps score and has math skills from kindergarten to adult. It also has a digital voice feedback.  

  112. MathPlayer
     http://www.dessci.com/en/products/mathplayer/
    MathPlayer converts mathematical expressions embedded in web pages into speech. Text-to-speech generators (which are useful if you want to use the computer but cannot read) may not always recognise mathematical expressions, but MathPlayer will speak them in a meaningful way.

  113. Maze Craze
    http://www.danzgames.com/maze.htm
    Maze Craze is a nice piece of freeware that enthusiasts of maze and puzzle games will enjoy. The game currently comes with eleven mazes for you to try to escape. Once you're finished with those, you can use the included, accessible, maze editor to create your own fully-featured mazes. Your mazes can include walls, doors, keys, and up to a 100x100 grid. I would appreciate that any mazes you create be emailed to us. My plan is to offer user-created mazes for download from this page for everyone to try to complete.  Maze Craze will work on any version of Windows, starting from Windows 95. It requires at least directX version 8.0 to play. The download includes Maze Craze, eleven playable mazes, and the maze editor, and is just 3.5 mb in size.

  114. MBROLA Project
    http://tcts.fpms.ac.be/synthesis/mbrola.html
    The aim of the MBROLA project, initiated by the TCTS Lab of the Faculté Polytechnique de Mons (Belgium), is to obtain a set of speech synthesizers for as many languages as possible, and provide them free for non-commercial applications. The ultimate goal is to boost academic research on speech synthesis, and particularly on prosody generation, known as one of the biggest challenges taken up by Text-To-Speech synthesizers for the years to come. Central to the MBROLA project is MBROLA, a speech synthesizer based on the concatenation of diphones. It takes a list of phonemes as input, together with prosodic information (duration of phonemes and a piecewise linear description of pitch), and produces speech samples on 16 bits (linear), at the sampling frequency of the diphone database used (it is therefore NOT a Text-To-Speech (TTS)synthesizer, since it does not accept raw text as input). This synthesizer is provided for free, for non commercial, non military applications only.

  115. Mega Map
    http://www.yourchildlearns.com/owlmouse.htm
    Walk an individual through the continents. It prints U.S. and World maps from a single page to eight pages (nearly seven feet across).

  116. Microsoft Producer for Microsoft Office PowerPoint 2003
     http://www.microsoft.com/downloads/
    details.aspx?familyid=1B3C76D5-
    FC75-4F99-94BC-784919468E73&displaylang=en
    Microsoft Producer 2003 for PowerPoint 2003 is the next release of this very popular add-in for PowerPoint 2003 and PowerPoint 2002. Producer 2003 provides users with many powerful new features that make it easier to synchronize audio, video, slides, and images to create engaging and effective rich-media presentations. Producer 2003 gives content and media professionals, as well as everyday PowerPoint users a host of new content authoring features.

  117. Microsoft Reader
    http://www.microsoft.com/reader/default.asp
    Microsoft Reader is used to view certain eBooks on your computer. An additional piece of software, 'Microsoft Reader Text-to-Speech Package' can be downloaded in order to speak your eBooks to you, giving you access to all manner of novels and non-fiction eBooks without the need to read them from the screen.

  118. Microsoft Reader and Microsoft Text-To-Speech
    http://www.microsoft.com/reader/default.asp
    This software will allow you to have e-books read to you. The e-books will be formatted in Microsoft reader format, they are not straight text formatted e-books.

  119. Morseall
    http://morseall.org/
    Morseall allows people with limited mobility to use a computer. 
    Morseall is free software, distrubuted under a licese that guarantees future availability. 
    Morseall allows you to control your Linux computer by tapping morse code on the mouse buttons.
    The left button is for dots. Hold it longer for dashes. 
    The right button is for dashes. It is faster than holding down the Left. 
    The middle button is for "finishing" and repeating characters. 
    If you can control one, two, or three switches, you can use morseall at at your own pace.
    Morseall can use your existing accessibility switches!
    Ask a rehabilitation professional to solder a jack onto a "sacrificial" three-button mouse. 
    It should be easy to hook up your current switch set for long-term morse-code computer use.

  120. Mouse Smoothing Software
     http://www.alphaworks.ibm.com/tech/mousesmoothing
    Mouse Smoothing Software is assistive software for people with hand tremor. It is intended primarily for individuals with Essential (non-specific) Hand Tremor who have difficulty using a computer mouse. Significant improvement has been found for people who can basically control their hand, apart from a moderate degree of tremor.

  121. Mouse Wrap
     http://www.ex-d.net/products/utils/mousewrap/default.asp
    This software makes the mouse pointer circulate around the screen instead of stopping at the edges, therefore moving the pointer requires less movement by you. 'Movement pattern recognition' also gives you access to custom actions e.g. cut and paste.

  122. MouseCam v. 1.0 by Camtech Software
     http://camtech2000.net/Programs/mouscm10.zip
    Have you ever been to a web site or tried to read documents where they used a font so small you had to really strain your eyes to read it?  Or have you ever wanted to get greater detail of a graphic?  MouseCam is a free small utility that magnifies anything your cursor is over up to 20x normal size.  Win95/98/Me/Win2K/XP

  123. MQA Spell Checker
     http://www.quinion.com/mqa/spell.htm
    Spell Checker checks the spelling of any edit control in almost any application under Windows 3.1/95/98. The program was designed to run under Windows 3.1. Though it will operate under Windows 95/98, it is not compatible with later versions (2000, ME, XP).

  124. MultiMail
    http://www.deakin.edu.au/buslaw/infosys/
    multiweb/mmindex.htm
    MultiMail is an electronic mail (email) program that includes word prediction and gives you a range of interface and user options. MultiMail should improve email communication opportunities for Internet users with a disability. MultiMail was originally designed for Windows 3.x/95 so that consumers with older computer equipment could use this free product. A 32- bit version for Windows 95/98/2000 has now been implemented.

  125. MyFTC
    http://www.oatsoft.org/Software/myftc
    My Freedom To Communicate (MyFTC) is Assistive Technology (AT) software that uses text-to-speech technology to enable nonverbal individuals to communicate easily in real life situations.

  126. NaturalReader [top]
     http://www.naturalreaders.com/
    NaturalReader is software that converts any text into incredibly clear, high-quality, natural sounding voices. Integrated with the latest One-Click technology, NaturalReader reads text directly from other applications, without copying or pasting. Unique powerful output function can easily convert very large text files into MP3 or WAV files for use on portable devices like iPod, CD players and PocketPCs.     

  127. Neosmt
    http://www.neosmt.com/eng/index.php
    neosmt is a free, advanced, instant messaging client with the following features:

  128. New Folder Here Win95/98/Me/Win2K/XP
    http://camtech2000.net/Programs/nwfldr10.zip
    Create new folders anywhere on your PC with a simple right click.  New Folder Here will add the command 'New Folder Here' to the menu that pops up when you right-click on a File, Folder, Drive, Start button, Programs menu or Favorites menu.  Windows does have the command 'New/Folder' although very limited on where you can create a folder and it usually takes a while for the 'New' menu to expand.   Create them anywhere instantly with this little utility.

  129. NexTalk
    http://www.nextalk.net/
    As a member of "NexTalk.net", you have many state-of-the-art text-based communication features available at your fingertips, and best of all--its FREE!

  130. NFBTRANS
    http://www.nfb.org/nfbtrans.htm
    The most recent version of  Grade II Braille translation software program is NFBTRANS 7.70.  It is a self-extracting executable file and should be downloaded to a directory such as TEMP or NFBTRANS in your computer. Then click on it and all the files will be there.

  131. Number Navigator
    http://numnavigator.sourceforge.net/
    Number Navigator is a Windows Program that allows arithmetic via rows and columns. Currently it works with Windows 95 and 98 work is now under way to provide support for ALL Windows Versions.
    Number Navigator enables children to record their structured arithmetic via the button bar, keyboard or switches without having to resort to the complexities of a spreadsheet. Numbers are entered from the keyboard (or switches, via SAW) into grid locations on the screen. The pupil then navigates through the grid by means of the arrow keys or the mouse.

  132. OCR Easy [top]
    http://lem.eui.upm.es/ocre.html
    Free Optical Character Recognition application

  133. Open Eyes
    http://hcvl.hci.iastate.edu/cgi-bin/openEyes.cgi
    Open Eyes is an open-source open-hardware toolkit for low-cost real-time eye tracking.  The purpose of openEyes is to provide a hardware design and a set of software tools useful for the analysis of eye movement data. The development of openEyes stems from the recognition in the eye tracking and human computer interaction communities that while the cost of hardware for eye tracking has precipitously dropped in the recent past that the there is lack of freely available software to implement even long-established eye-tracking methods. The tools available for this platform include algorithms to measure eye movements from digital videos, techniques to calibrate the eye tracking system, and example software to facilitate real-time eye-tracking application development. 

  134. Open Mind Speech
    http://freespeech.sourceforge.net/
    The Open Mind Speech project is part of the Open Mind Initiative and aims to develop free (GPL) speech recognition tools and applications, as well as collect speech data from "e-citizens" using the Internet. The main target will still be Linux (and other UNIX flavors). The software will be designed so that it can be easily integrated into any application, window manager or desktop environments (KDE and gnome). Open Mind Speech is using the Overflow environment. 

  135. Opera Browser
    http://www.opera.com/products/desktop/
    The most full-featured Internet power tool on the market, Opera includes pop-up blocking, tabbed browsing, integrated searches, and advanced functions like Opera's groundbreaking E-mail program, RSS Newsfeeds and IRC chat. And because we know that our users have different needs, you can customize the look and content of your Opera browser with a few clicks of the mouse.

  136. PC Alarm [top]
    http://www.compilerabuse.com/projects
    /pcalarm/pcalarm_help.htm
    PCAlarm 3.1 is the alarm clock simulator for Windows. It displays the current (system) time and allows a user to sound an alarm at a specified time.

  137. PictureSlideShow
    http://www.kaptech.pwp.blueyonder.co.uk
    /PictureSlideShow.htm
    Picture Slide Show lets you continuously displays all the pictures in a folder. You can tell it which folder to look at and how long to display a picture for. 
    Picture Slide Show can display ICO, BMP, EMF, GIF, JPG, PNG, and WMF files. 
    Picture Slide Show is easy to use. Features include:
    Maximum time to show slide show (after which it is stopped). This allows PCs to go into standby mode.
    Sort pictures before displaying, including real randomness (all images are randomly displayed before they're shown again)
    Command line start-up: if you provide a folder when starting Picture Slide Show, the slide show begins immediately. This is useful for creating autostart CDs. Other command-line switches let you set various options.
    Include subfolders
    Shortcut keys for complete keyboard control
    Picture cache results in pictures being displayed more quickly.
    Pictures are displayed continuously or the show stops after all pictures have been displayed.
    Option of exiting when the picture slide show is stopped.
    Smoother image transition using the Clear image after each display option.
    Disable screen saver during show.
    Manual mode lets you control the slide show using the keyboard. The next picture is not automatically displayed until you decide.
    The picture list can be rescanned when the show is being wrapped around. This lets you add pictures to a running show knowing they’ll be picked up when the show wraps around.
    Help file

  138. Please Read
    http://www.readplease.com/
    ReadPlease 2003 (Free Edition) offers full support for all Microsoft voices, reads text via Windows clipboard from any program, Adjustable voice speed (rate) and more.

  139. Plone
    http://plone.org/
    Plone is ideal as an intranet and extranet server, as a document publishing system, a portal server and as a groupware tool for collaboration between separately located entities. Plone carefully follows standards for usability and accessibility. Plone pages are compliant with US Section 508, and the W3C's AA rating for accessibility, in addition to using best-practice web standards like XHTML and CSS.

  140. PodioBooks
    http://www.podiobooks.com
    1189 episodes available for download in 61 titles
    4,940 Active Members
    Over 623,249 episodes downloaded since 10/1/2005

  141. Point-N-Click v. 2.4.18 by Polital Enterprises Windows® 95/98/NT4.x/Me/2000/XP
    http://www.polital.com/pnc/
    Point-N-Click is a FREE stand-alone on-screen virtual mouse designed for anyone with a disability that makes it difficult or impossible to click a physical computer mouse. As long as they can move a mouse, trackball or other pointing device, they can send mouse clicks to virtually any Windows application or DOS application that can run within a window and even many that are full screen.

  142. Point-N-Click
    http://www.polital.com/pnc/
    This software is a virtual mouse. It has right click, left click, double left click, click and drag, scroll, double right click, alt key, shift key, ctrl key and scroll key. It is a very good virtual mouse.

  143. Power Talk
     http://fullmeasure.co.uk/powertalk/
    PowerTalk automatically speaks any presentation or slide show running in Microsoft PowerPoint for Windows. You just download and install PowerTalk and while you open and run the presentation as usual it speaks the text on your slides. The advantage over other generic 'Text To Speech' programs is that PowerTalk is able to speak text as it appears and can also speak hidden text attached to images. Speech is provided by the standard synthesised computer voices that are provided with Windows.

  144. pVoice 2.1
     http://www.pvoice.org/showpage/en/pvoice
    pVoice is an application for Augmentative and Alternative Communication (AAC).Disabled people who cannot speak and have very little possibilities to operate a computer can use pVoice by selecting photo's or symbols to generate speech output. Common symbol languages like PCS, Bliss or 'Vijfhoek' can be used with pVoice. You need to purchase these symbol-libraries from the respective manufacturers though. If you want a cheap solution, you can download symbols from the Picto-archive (dutch) For your convenience I created a zipfile of the pictos from this site, which you can also download from the download page.  pVoice 2.1 is available in English, Dutch, French, German, Spanish, Italian, Croatian, Turkish, Brazilian Portuguese, Swedish, Danish, Norwegian, Russian, Traditional Chinese and Simplified Chinese (the free Text To Speech 'engine' is not available for all of these languages, see the link to the Microsoft Agent page at the Support page) and is distributed with an emtpy database. You'll have to define your own Themes (categories) and symbols representing words within these themes. This however is an easy task. It's also possible to import data from previous pVoice versions into pVoice 2.1.

  145. PW Cache Win95/98/Me
    http://camtech2000.net/Programs/pwche10.zip
    This is a password protected program that retrieves all the passwords that Windows stores for you.  Shows what it's for, type, user name and password.  Ability to save and print the list.  Will not decrypt passwords that are encrypted by Windows. 

  146. Rapidkeys v. 2003 by Lucian Velea [top]
     http://rapidkeys.netfirms.com/en/index.htm
    RapidKeys intelligent virtual keyboard is an application intended to replace the keyboard by using a pointing device (mouse, trackball or similar device). Virtual keyboards are ideal for people with physical disabilities or for systems without a keyboard. RapidKeys is a virtual keyboard with some special features - it learns from what the user types and contextually suggests words that can be typed with a single click to obtain a greater speed of typing. It has user-defined autoexpandable abbreviations & a similar mechanism is used for names. An optional AutoCaps mechanism detects the end of sentences and temporarily switches for one capital letter.

  147. Reader's Pal 3.1
     http://www.magnifiers.org/cgi-bin/links
    /jump.cgi?ID=307
    Intended to ease reading on a computer monitor by displaying text in large fonts in foreground an background colors of the user's choosing. Works with Microsoft's Text-to-Speech, reads web pages from the Internet and let you browse text-only.

  148. ReadPlease 2003
    http://www.readplease.com/
    Reads any text you see on your screen - all purpose text-to-speech software.

  149. ReadPlease 2003
    http://www.readplease.com/
    This program will read any document you open. You can customize the font and background color, adjust the voice speed, and set a generic low vision color option. It is a great text-to-speech program for free. ReadPlease 2003 Plus is not free. The Plus version has great low vision font enlarging and color options. You can fast-forward and reverse though the text. It highlights text while reading. Finally, it has the Natural Voices. The Plus version cost $59.99.

  150. RefreshEm Win95/98/Me/Win2K/XP
    http://camtech2000.net/Programs/refrsh10.zip
    You may have noticed that sometimes the Desktop and Windows Explorer start to display the wrong Icons for some file types. Running RefreshEm when they do repairs the Windows Icon Cache so that the proper ones are immediately displayed. It does not stay in memory, immediately terminates after using it and has no visible Window. Just click or double click the Icon each time you want to refresh the icons. 

  151. Reloader
    http://downloads-zdnet.com.com/
    AutoRefresher-for-IE/3000-2366_
    2-10293579.html?tag=lst-0-1
    Reloader lets you automatically reload predefined sets of programs. There are three main ways to use it. You can start Windows with the same programs that were running when you last shut down. You can start Windows with the same set of programs every time. Or you can load predefined sets of programs on demand rather than at startup. To the extent possible, Reloader will restore programs to their original state, positioning windows as they were when you saved the layout. This would be great for people who need to have assistive technology programs such as an on-screen keyboard or screen reader accessible as soon as the computer starts up. FREE

  152. Remote Commander
    http://www.pebbles.hcii.cmu.edu/assistive/index.php
    This allows one or more PDAs to be used as if they were the PC's cursor and keyboard.

  153. RemoteKeys
     http://www.freewarehits.de/RemoteKeys.htm
    RemoteKeys can automate complex control systems, but also simple jobs like inserting text passages into Word and Emails. Automation allows complex sequences of keystrokes and mouse clicks to be carried out at the touch of a button.

  154. Rockets!
     http://www.brillsoft.com/Index_files/Page654.htm
    Rockets! Is a single switch game which introduces the concept of scanning. That is you press the switch when the pointer is aligned with one of the buttons. You load rockets into a container, then press fire and watch the fireworks! Rockets is an intermediate level switch game for users with special needs. It can also be used with a mouse, this is configured on the opening screen.

  155. SABLE: A Synthesis Markup Language (version 1.0) [top]
    http://www.bell-labs.com/project/tts/sable.html
    The draft SABLE specification is an initiative to establish a standard system for marking up text input to speech synthesizers. The current draft (version 1.0) is being circulated for comment by users, developers and researchers of speech synthesis.

  156. Sayz Me
    http://sourceforge.net/projects/sayzme/
    Sayz Me is a text-to-speech application for Windows. Text can be typed in or read from clipboard. Words are highlighted when spoken. Select voice, adjust reading speed, voice pitch, font and color. Simple and easy to use. 

  157. Sclera's Pictos
    http://www.sclera.be/English/index.htm
    A resource of 1041 free symbols (pictograms).

  158. Sense Factory
    http://www.deafblindonline.org.uk/software.html#sf
    Switch-activated software that lets you make slideshows and sequences of pictures, videos and sounds for use with one or two switches.

  159. Sensory Switch Driver
    http://www.sensorysoftware.com/
    software/switchdriver/index.html
    To ensure that your switches can be used with all applications we supply our switch software. The software is available for both USB and serial switches.

  160. SENSwitcher
    http://www.northerngrid.org/sen/Menu-L.htm
    "SENSwitcher is a suite of programs designed to help teach early ICT skills to people with profound and multiple learning difficulties, those who need to develop skills with assistive input devices and very young children new to computers. It is, we believe the first time anyone anywhere has developed an online switch enabled application which targets ICT skills from purely experiential through cause and effect, switch building, timed activation, targeting and row scanning."

  161. Shields, Knights and Heraldry
    http://www.yourchildlearns.com/owlmouse.htm
    This software prints out elements of heraldry to create your own coat of arms. Learn the terminology and history of coats of arms.

  162. Shoot 1.6.4
    http://clans.gameclubcentral.com/shoot/
    Perfect for commanding your AI buddies in your favorite flight simulator or FPS! Forget about having to memorize all those keyboard shortcuts, now you can just say what you want to happen.

  163. ShortKeys Lite
     http://www.shortkeys.com/lite.htm
    Shortkeys Lite allows you to set up replacement text or paragraphs for any given number of user defined keystrokes. If you type a few characters, ShortKeys Lite will replace them with up to 3000 characters. If you find typing difficult then Shortkeys will make it more automatic.

  164. Simply Web 2000
    http://www.econointl.com/sw/
    This is a simple to use speaking web browser that is free and allows easy navigation of complex pages by blind users.

  165. Single Switch Performance Test
    http://www.aacinstitute.org/Resources/ProductsandServices/SSPT/intro.html
    Single Switch Performance Test (SSPT) measures how fast a person can activate or release a single switch or activate it multiple times.  SSPT monitors the mouse buttons.  SSPT reports can be helpful in choosing the most effective switch, identifying the best position, and monitoring the training process.  (A switch adapter or modified mouse is needed to connect a switch to the PC.  Instructions for modifying a mouse are available as well.  AAC Institute also sells a modified mouse.)

  166. SIPcon1
    http://sourceforge.net/projects/tipcon1/
    SIPcon1 is a standards-compliant soft phone using text and voice with accessibility features.

  167. Skype
    http://www.skype.com/
    Skype is a little program for making free calls over the internet to anyone else who also has Skype. It’s free and easy to download and use, and works with most computers.

  168. SpeakOn
     http://www.a-technic.net/speakon.htm
    SpeakOn is a free program that runs on your PC and is a speech enabled environment containing applications for listening to various media. SpeakOn has been developed for people who are comfortable using computers. It does not require a screenreader or magnifier; it does not have a visual interface and in fact does not require a screen at all. You communicate with SpeakOn using a numerical keypad or the standard keyboard and SpeakOn responds with speech. With a low cost external USB slimline numerical keypad, you can operate SpeakOn with one hand from the comfort of your armchair.

  169. Speakup
    http://www.linux-speakup.org/speakup.html
    Speakup, written by Kirk Reiser and Andy Berdan, is a screen review package for the Linux operating system. Speakup allows you to interact with applications and the GNU/Linux operating system with audible feedback from the console using a synthetic speech device.

  170. Special Access To Windows
    http://ace-centre.hostinguk.com/
    index.cfm?pageid=83216478-D613-62F1-
    C85EEB3021CA6B57
    For the switch user, accessing the essentially mouse-driven Windows environment appears to be a formidable task. Not any more. Introducing SAW5 (Special Access to Windows) - it's software that enables Windows to be controlled by one or two switches,a joystick, a trackerball or a headpointer. SAW has many additions and features to make creating interfaces easy for those who use alternative inputs. SAW5 runs under Windows 98, ME and 2000 and XP, and it's FREE!

  171. Speed Typing
    http://www.colorpilot.com/speed-typing.html
    With Speed Typing, you can type frequently used text quickly and easily. You just type a word, and Speed Typing will automatically replace it with a line or a paragraph.

  172. SUITEKeys 1.0 for Microsoft Windows 95, 98, NT 4.0, and 2000/XP
    http://www.cs.cofc.edu/~manaris/SUITEKeys/
    SUITEKeys is a continuous speech understanding interface for motor-impaired PC users. In contrast to other speech recognition systems, it provides access to all available PC functionality. This is accomplished by modeling speech interaction at the linguistic level of the physical keyboard and mouse.

  173. Super Magnify v1.2
    http://www.softlookup.com/display.asp?id=9955
    Super Magnify allows you to magnify portions of your screen up to 15 times. The program includes a special interpolation routine to maintain details when magnifying, as well as the ability to magnify the mouse cursor. In addition, Super Magnify displays your (x, y) pixel coordinates on the screen, and the RGB values corresponding to the cursor's position.

  174. SuperMagnify (v1.2)
    http://www.theabsolute.net/sware/
    This software allows you to magnify portions of your computer screen up to fifteen times the normal magnification. The program includes a special interpolation routine to maintain details when magnifying, as well as the ability to magnify the mouse cursor. It also display your (x,y) pixel coordinates. It is for Windows 95/98/ME/NT/2000.

  175. Switch Access To Windows
    http://ace-centre.hostinguk.com/
    index.cfm?pageid=83216478-D613-62F1-
    C85EEB3021CA6B57
    Software that enables Windows to be controlled by one or two switches,a joystick, a trackerball or a headpointer. This new upgraded version of SAW has many additions and feautures to make creating interfaces easy for those who use alternative inputs.

  176. Switch Software Downloads
    70+ single switch PC games available for FREE download!
    http://www.oneswitch.org.uk/2/switch-downloads.htm

  177. Symbol & ConceptCoding Editor
    http://www.symbolnet.org/sv/index.html
    Building a Symbol and ConceptCoding Editor for CMS, based on CCF(ConceptCodingFramework). Also building tools for ConceptCoding administration (perhaps in another project).

  178. Symbol Set Maker
    http://www.deafblindonline.org.uk/software.html#ssm
    An accessory for making symbol sets for use in EdWord and EdWeb. It will instantly convert a file full of images into the correct format to be used in EdWord and EdWeb.

  179. Table Reader [top]
    http://www.dvlop.nl/exsoft/pages/tablerdr.htm
    eXsoft is proud to launch a program that will make life much easier for visually impaired people: Table Reader! Table Reader is a first-of-it’s-kind program that allows visually impaired people to read even the most extensive tables in Excel, without time-consuming and laborious scrolling or searching. Simply select what you need from the top row and the first column and you’ll have the corresponding value in a flash. This program is practically unlimited – as long as the basic idea of a table is being used! This will give blind or visually impaired people  possibility’s never experienced before, when using the Table Reader they can participate in economy, geography, science, physics, math, and so on, for the table part – this solution takes one of the biggest obstacles away for the blind!

  180. Talking Faces
    http://www.inclusive.co.uk/downloads/
    downloads.shtml#talkingfaces
    Another free, switch accessible program from Inclusive Technology. Record your voice and hear it played back while a face animates!

  181. Talking Messenger
    http://www.talkingmessenger.com/
    Always wanted to hear your Windows Messenger™ messages out loud? Talking Messenger will do just that! It even notifies you when your friends are on- or offline.

  182. TextAloud
    http://www.nextup.com/
    TextAloud reads text from email, web pages, reports and more, aloud on your PC. TextAloud can also save your daily reading to MP3 or Windows Media files ready for playback on your iPod, PocketPC, or even on your TV with Tivo's Home Media Option. You can download a free trial version of TextAloud. It does not include the optional premium voices, but is a fully functional version of TextAloud that you can evaluate for 15 days with no obligation. Optional premium voices can be added at the time of purchase.

  183. Thunder
    http://www.screenreader.net/index.php?section=Thunder
    ScreenReader that provides the ability to write letters and documents, hear what you have typed letter by letter or word by word, change the speed and voice, and repeat what you have just heard and more. It will speak menus and dialog boxes. You will have full speech feedback for most text-based word processing tasks including editing documents in Microsoft Word, WordPad or Notepad. You will be able to keep in touch with friends and family in complete privacy by using email with all the functions of Outlook Express. You will be able to read masses of information on the Internet on any subject from the price of first class stamps to zebras’ life expectancy. You will be able to search for information and get answers in seconds. You will be able to enjoy live and listen again radio, and fill in forms for Internet shopping, banking etc. To do this you will need WebbIE, our Internet text browser.TouchCD -

  184. Switch CD Player
    http://fullmeasure.co.uk/TouchCD/
    A very simple switch controlled CD player

  185. TuxPaint
    http://www.newbreedsoftware.com/
    An easy to use paint program. It has auditory feedback. Uses both the keyboard and the mouse. 

  186. UA-Chess [top]
    http://www.ics.forth.gr/uachess/index.html
    UA-Chess is a fully-functional chess game, developed by the Centre for Universal Access & Assistive Technologies of ICS-FORTH. UA-Chess can be played through a standard Web browser. Its distinctive characteristic is that it is designed to be Universally Accessible, i.e., it can be concurrently played by people with different abilities and preferences, including people with disabilities (e.g., low-vision, blind and hand-motor impaired).

  187. Ultra Hal Text-to-Speech Reader
    http://www.zabaware.com/reader/index.html
    Will read your documents out loud in one of its many high quality voices. This can be a great tool for proof reading because hearing your text out loud helps you spot all mistakes. This program can also be used for reading e-books. Why strain your eyes trying to read a book from your monitor when your computer can simply read it out loud for you? This program will also read all standard Windows dialog box messages out loud to you. This can be a great aid for the visually impaired or for anyone who just wants messages to be read out loud. The Ultra Hal Text-to-Speech reader is also able to read the clipboard contents. With this function you can easily have it read your email and web sites that you visit. This program is also able to speak incoming instant messages out loud. Now when you chat with your buddies online you will hear what they say instead of just reading it. The Ultra Hal Text-to-Speech reader is compatible with the AOL, AIM, ICQ, and MSN Messenger clients. In addition to speaking text out loud, this program is able to write audio data directly to Windows WAV files. You can convert all your documents and e-books into WAV files and then burn them to audio CDs or convert them into MP3 files. You can listen to your e-books on the road with a standard CD or MP3 player! This program has several high quality voices to choose from and gives you control over speed, pitch, and volume.

  188. VideoSync [top]
    http://www.edcenter.sdsu.edu/disted/vidsync.html
    A free captioning tool for QuickTime.

  189. Virgo 4
    http://www.baum.ro/eng/products/virgo/virgo.html
    VIRGO 4 enables the user choose the sort of information to be displayed on the Braille display and to be given via speech-output. Users with a rest of sight have the choice to work also with the integrated screen magnification "Galileo". The complete integration of Braille, speech and screen magnification brings the power of media together to the benefit of the user. Of course, VIRGO 4 can as well be used only with Braille-output or only with speech-output or just with screen magnification. You've got the choice.

  190. Virtual Magnifying Glass
    http://magnifier.sourceforge.net/
    Virtual Magnifying Glass is an easy-to-use screen magnification tool for Windows.

  191. VirtualDub
    http://www.virtualdub.org
    Freeware (Open Source). Linear Video Editing System with captioning capabilities.

  192. Vischeck
    http://www.vischeck.com/
    Vischeck is a way of showing you what things look like to someone who is Colorblind.

  193. VobSub
    http://www.afterdawn.com/software/
    video_software/subtitle_tools/vobsub.cfm
    Freeware (Open Source). Plug-in for VirtualDub for Closed Captioning manipulation.

  194. Voice E-Mail Pilot
    http://www.colorpilot.com/voicepilot.html
    Do you have to type e-mails all day long? Hey, your e-mail does not have to be typed - you can create voice e-mails. And Voice E-Mail Pilot is the program that will let you do this. Your voice e-mail will let your addressee know how you feel better than the smiley face. You also can use the program as voice notes manager. You can sort your voice notes by subject, filter them, and save in different files. Voice E-Mail Pilot can automatically stop recording when you stop talking, which makes your notes free of unnecessary pauses.

  195. Web Access Gateway [top]
    http://www.cl.cam.ac.uk/~ssb22/access.html
    This is an online ``browser within a browser''; it gives you more control over how websites are displayed, regardless of which browser you have to use.  The gateway currently has two main purposes: To make the Web easier to access for print-disabled users (such as users with low vision or dyslexia);  To allow speakers of other languages to view Web pages written in them, when the encodings are not supported by their browsers. 

  196. Web Adaptation Technology
    http://www.alphaworks.ibm.com/tech/wat
    Web Adaptation Technology makes the Web easier to navigate and read for seniors, people with disabilities, and special-education students. This is accomplished by making transformations and adaptations, according to personal preferences, during Web browsing. Specifically, Web Adaptation Technology assists users by enabling them to magnify the contents on a Web page and adjust font, image, and page layout to improve readability. Web Adaptation Technology also enables selected text to be read aloud, using a "text-to-speech" feature, and eases the typing of people who have difficulty with a keyboard (such as those with tremors or arthritis or who are recovering from a stroke) in part by detecting these errors and automatically adjusting the keyboard sensitivity to accommodate the typing. Available in nine languages, this software is in use by nonprofit organizations and schools around the world.

  197. Web-4-All
    http://web4all.atrc.utoronto.ca/html/atrc
    /about_e.html
    Web-4-All is the first technology in the world that makes it possible for users to carry with them their user interface preferences (including system preferences, browser preferences and assistive technology preferences) and quickly configure public terminals or learning management applications accordingly. The Web-4-All pilot system automatically configured public access terminals through the use smart cards. Each user's interface preferences document is saved as a compressed XML string on the card. The preferences document is created using a preference wizard program. Once saved to the card, the user can take the card to any public access terminal running Web-4-All software, insert or swipe the card, and cause the system, browser, and assistive technology to be set exactly as they have specified. The user is able to specify the assistive technology they prefer, as well as acceptable alternatives if the preferred technology is not installed on the workstation. If none of the preferred technologies are present, the system will resort to a technology in the same class. When the card is removed, the workstation reverts back to the default configuration and all assistive technologies are shut down to avoid conflict with other users.

  198. WebFormater
     http://www.webformator.com/englisch/index.php
    Works with Internet Explorer and provides an accessible text-only re-presentation of a web page for a user's screen reader. 

  199. Webbie
    http://www.webbie.org.uk/
    WebbIE is a web browser for people who are blind and visually-impaired... especially those using screen readers. It is based on Microsoft's Internet Explorer to ensure that a maximum of sites work with it. It allows you access to the vast majority of webpages and tries to present all the information there simply and easily so you can explore and use the web fully.

  200. Whistling User Interface
    http://www.u3i.info/
    Whistling-driven mouse pointer. An alternative way how to control your mouse pointer. We have implemented and tested the following two different interpretations: 

  201. Windows XP Narrator
    http://www.microsoft.com/enable/training/
    windowsxp/narratorturnon.aspx
    Narrator is a text–to–speech utility for people who are blind or have low vision. Narrator reads what is displayed on the screen—the contents of the active window, menu options, or text that has been typed. This procedure tells you how to turn on and use Narrator.  Note  Narrator is designed to work with Notepad, WordPad, Control Panel programs, Internet Explorer, the Windows desktop, and some parts of Windows Setup. Narrator may not read words aloud correctly in other programs. Narrator has a number of options that allow you to customize the way screen elements are read.

  202. Word Talk
    http://www.wordtalk.org.uk/
    For people with reading and writing difficulties, having text reinforced by hearing it read aloud can be very useful. Specialised programs have existed to do this for a long time, and in many cases are extremely helpful and highly appropriate and should be seriously considered, perhaps in consultation with professional advice where necessary. WordTalk is a free plug-in developed for use with all versions of Microsoft Word (from Word 97 upwards), which can help people with reading difficulties use Microsoft Word more effectively. It will speak the text of the document and will highlight it as it goes. It contains a talking dictionary to help decide which word spelling is most appropriate. It sits neatly in your toolbar and is highly configurable, allowing you to adjust the highlight colours, the voice and the speed of the speech. 

  203. WordWeb V4.01
    http://wordweb.info/free/
    This software is a thesaurus and dictionary that works on Windows 95/98/2K/NT/ME/XP. You press Ctrl+Alt+W to look up a word at anytime. It has definitions and synonyms, proper nouns and the pronunciation.

  204. WordWeb
    http://onlineconferencingsystems.com/wordweb.htm
    WordWeb includes a comprehensive English thesaurus and dictionary, and can be used to look up words from within most programs.
    Definitions and synonyms
    Proper nouns 
    Related words
    Pronunciations
    140,000 root words
    115 000 synonym sets
    Look up words in almost any program
    Works OFFLINE!
    Once installed and active simply highlight and word in any applications and then press: Ctrl-Alt-W

  205. x Chat 2.8 and 2.9 [top]
    http://www.topshareware.com/x-Chat-download-4048.htm
    x Chat is a private one-on-one real time intranet chat program. It is simple to use but with powerful features. You don't need to setup a server or configure your setting. Once you install properly, it's done and resides in the system tray. It uses peer to peer connection, no interruption from server down. Encryption, away password protection and IP blocking enhance the security issues of your private chat session. Combined with network resolving and view utilities,  file transfer, drawing board, screen capture,  auto-connect/notify, instant shortcut messages, alert ring, chat saving/reader, drag and drop support, URL history, chat request auto popup, and many customized features, x Chat is most flexibility, functionality, customizable and user-friendly chat client.

  206. YackPack [top]
    http://www.yackpack.com/
    Simple web-based voice messaging. All you need to do is click, talk and send. Lets you set up groups of people for quick easy email communication.

  207. Yasr
    http://yasr.sourceforge.net/
    Yasr is a general-purpose console screen reader for GNU/Linux and other Unix-like operating systems. The name "yasr" is an acronym that can stand for either "Yet Another Screen Reader" or "Your All-purpose Screen Reader" (take your pick; it doesn't really matter much). It supports a number of synthesizers, although interfacing issues exist with some of them at the moment. Currently, yasr attempts to support the Speak-out, DEC-talk, BNS, Apollo, and DoubleTalk. It is also able to communicate with Emacspeak servers and can thus be used with synthesizers not directly supported, such as Festival Lite (via eflite) or FreeTTS. It is small enough to fit on a root disk if necessary (provided an Emacspeak server is not needed, of course). It is written in C and works by opening a pseudo-terminal and running a shell, intercepting all input and output. It looks at the escape sequences being sent and maintains a virtual "window" containing what it believes to be on the screen. It thus does not use any features specific to Linux and can be ported to other Unix-like operating systems without too much trouble. The current version should also run under FreeBSD, NetBSD, and Solaris (thanks to Rich Burridge for the Solaris port).

  208. Zen Key  [top]
    http://www.camiweb.com/zenkey/
    ZenKEY is comprised of a series of menus, each containing items which perform "actions". You can "fire" these actions by clicking on the item, or pressing any key-combination you choose.

  209. ZipSpeak
    ftp://mirror.services.wisc.edu/
    mirrors/linux/distributions/speakup/disks/
    slackware/zipspeak/index.html
    ZipSpeak is a mini Linux distribution designed to help blind people get started with Linux. It is based on the popular Slackware Linux distribution, and encorporates the Speakup Linux screen reader. ZipSpeak is produced and maintained by Saqib Shaikh ss@saqibshaikh.com.

Games:

  1. BG Boggle 1.0 (1.7 Megabytes)
    http://www.omninet.net.au/~irhumph/blindgamers.htm#BOGGLESAPI
    Requires SAPI Text-To-Speech and DirectX
    BG Boggle is the accessible version of the popular word game Boggle. Boggle is played with 16 letter cubes arranged in a four by four grid. Each cube has 6 faces and each face of each cube contains a single letter of the alphabet. The exception to this is that a single face of one of the letter cubes contains a Q U combination. You cannot make words which contain a Q not followed by a U. At the start of the game, the letter cubes are shuffled at random and dropped into the cube tray. In the Blind gamers version of the game, you have to make as many words of three or more letters as you can, following the rules of Boggle, attempting to make all the possible words for that particular arrangement of the letter cubes. Each letter of the word must be connected to the next letter of the word either horizontally, vertically or diagonally in the grid. You cannot use a letter cube more than once in the same word. That is not to say you cannot make a word with two E's for example, but you can only do this if at least two letter cubes have an E on their top face. You try to score as high a percentage as possible. If you find all the words you score 100 percent. Each random game is guaranteed to contain at least ten words. Send your request for BG Boggle 1.0 to Ian Humphreys, together with your full name and country of residence, at: irhumph@omninet.net.au. For example:  My name is Karen Black from Ontario, Canada, please send BG Boggle 1.0. Please allow up to four days for delivery.

  2. BG Sudoku 1.0 (590 Kilobytes)
    http://www.omninet.net.au/~irhumph/blindgamers.htm#SUDOKUSAPI
    Requires SAPI Text-To-Speech and DirectX
    BG Sudoku is the accessible version of the logic puzzle which is sweeping the world with its popularity. A 9 by 9 grid of cells is further subdivided into nine 3 by 3 boxes. Some of the cells already contain a number. To solve the puzzle, you must fill in the remaining cells with the numbers from 1 to 9 so that there is not more than one of each number in every row, column and 3 by 3 box. Send your request for BG Sudoku 1.0 to Ian Humphreys, together with your full name and country of residence, at: irhumph@omninet.net.au. For example:  My name is Karen Black from Ontario, Canada, please send BG Sudoku 1.0.  Please allow up to four days for delivery.

  3. BG 15 Puzzle 1.0 (685 Kilobytes)
    http://www.omninet.net.au/~irhumph/blindgamers.htm#15PUZZLESAPI
    Requires SAPI Text-To-Speech and DirectX
    This game is the second game in the Blind-gamers series which is not a card game. BG 15 puzzle is played as follows. You have 15 blocks or tiles, each labelled with a number from 1 through 15, arranged in a 4 by 4 square. The sixteenth position is empty but can be used to slide an adjacent tile into. At the start of the game, the tiles are shuffled in random order and it is your job to rearrange them by sliding, into ascending order from 1 to 15, finishing with the empty position in the bottom right hand corner. The less moves you take, the higher your score. Your high score is remembered and replaced should you get a higher score in subsequent games. Send your request for BG 15 Puzzle 1.0 to Ian Humphreys, together with your full name and country of residence, at: irhumph@omninet.net.au. For example:  My name is Karen Black from Ontario, Canada, please send BG 15 Puzzle 1.0.  Please allow up to four days for delivery.

  4. BG LAP 1.0 (670 Kilobytes)
    http://www.omninet.net.au/~irhumph/blindgamers.htm#LAPSAPI
    Requires SAPI Text-To-Speech and DirectX
    This game is the first game in the Blind-gamers series which is not a card game. You are presented with an 8 by 8 array of tiles which are colored using a hidden color scheme. It is up to you to deduce the hidden color of each tile, accumulating as few penalty points as possible. Hints cost you 1 penalty point, whilst a bad guess costs you 5 penalty points. At the start, you know that there are always 16 tiles of each of four colors and that the tiles of each color form a contiguous area. When you have deduced the color of all 64 tiles, the game is over. The object is to accumulate as few penalty points as possible and beat your previous best. Send your request for BG LAP 1.0 to Ian Humphreys, together with your full name and country of residence, at: irhumph@omninet.net.au. For example:  My name is Karen Black from Ontario, Canada, please send BG LAP 1.0.  Please allow up to four days for delivery.

  5. BG Hearts 1.0 (670 Kilobytes)
    http://www.omninet.net.au/~irhumph/blindgamers.htm#HEARTSSAPI
    Requires SAPI Text-To-Speech and DirectX
    This game is the accessible version of the game called Hearts which comes with your Windows operating system. You play against three computer players. You try not to win tricks containing hearts or the Queen of spades. You score one point for each heart won, and 13 points for winning the Queen of spades. The player with the lowest score when one player reaches 100, is the winner. A maximize option magnifies the card images to full screen size for those with partial sight. Send your request for BG Hearts 1.0 to Ian Humphreys, together with your full name and country of residence at: irhumph@omninet.net.au For example:  My name is Karen Black from Ontario, Canada, please send BG Hearts 1.0.  Please allow up to four days for delivery.

  6. BG Penguin Solitaire 1.0 (670 Kilobytes)
    http://www.omninet.net.au/~irhumph/blindgamers.htm#PENGUINSAPI
    Requires SAPI Text-To-Speech and DirectX
    This game is an accessible version of Penguin Solitaire. Those of you who like Free Cell Solitaire, and who want a similar game with a little bit more of a challenge, will love Penguin Solitaire. As with Free Cell, all the cards are dealt face-up and so the only luck involved is in the random way the cards are distributed across the layout.  A maximize option magnifies the card images to full screen size for those with partial sight. Send your request for BG Penguin Solitaire 1.0 to Ian Humphreys, together with your full name and country of residence at: irhumph@omninet.net.au. For example:  My name is Karen Black from Ontario, Canada, please send BG Penguin Solitaire 1.0.  Please allow up to four days for delivery.

  7. BG Scorpion Solitaire 1.0 (658 Kilobytes)
    http://www.omninet.net.au/~irhumph/blindgamers.htm#SCORPIONSAPI
    Requires SAPI Text-To-Speech and DirectX
    This game is an accessible version of Scorpion Solitaire. In this game, you build sequences in suits from King down to Ace in the columns. The game is won when you have four columns of cards, one for each suit, arranged in descending order from King down to Ace. This game is designed for both blind players and partially sighted players. A maximize option magnifies the card images to full screen size for those with partial sight. Why not send for your free copy today? Send your request for BG Scorpion Solitaire 1.0 to Ian Humphreys, together with your full name and country of residence at: irhumph@omninet.net.au For example:  My name is Karen Black from Ontario, Canada, please send BG Scorpion Solitaire 1.0.  Please allow up to four days for delivery.

  8. BG Klondike Solitaire 1.0 (655 Kilobytes) 
    http://www.omninet.net.au/~irhumph/blindgamers.htm#KLONDIKESAPI
    Requires SAPI Text-To-Speech and DirectX
    This game is an accessible version of Solitaire which comes with Windows. As with all the games in the Blind-gamers series, it is self-voicing. You don't need your screen reader in order to play. It has many built-in features aimed at a really efficient method of moving the cards around, and shortcuts to remove the tedium of transferring cards from column to column and to the Home Cells. This game is designed for both blind players and partially sighted players. A maximize option magnifies the card images to full screen size for those with partial sight. Why not send for your free copy today? Send your request for BG Klondike Solitaire 1.0 to Ian Humphreys, together with your full name and country of residence at: irhumph@omninet.net.au. For example:  My name is Karen Black from Ontario, Canada, please send BG Klondike Solitaire 1.0.  Please allow up to four days for delivery.

  9. BG Free Cell Solitaire 1.1 (670 Kilobytes)
    http://www.omninet.net.au/~irhumph/blindgamers.htm#FREECELLSAPI
    Requires SAPI Text-To-Speech and DirectX
    This game is an accessible version of the popular Free Cell Solitaire with many built-in features aimed at a really efficient method of moving the cards around, easy-to-use location of specific cards, and shortcuts to remove the tedium of transferring cards from column to column and to the Home Cells. This game is designed for both blind players and partially sighted players. A maximize option magnifies the card images to full screen size for those with partial sight. Are you ready for the challenge? Send your request for BG Free Cell Solitaire 1.1 to Ian Humphreys, together with your full name and country of residence at: irhumph@omninet.net.au. For example:  My name is Karen Black from Ontario, Canada, please send BG Free Cell Solitaire 1.1.  Please allow up to four days for delivery.

  10. BG Cribbage 1.1 (530 Kilobytes)
    http://www.omninet.net.au/~irhumph/blindgamers.htm#CRIBSAPI
    Requires SAPI Text-To-Speech and DirectX
    This is the latest version of Spoonbill's Cribbage game for the blind. It is self-voicing, using synthesized speech produced by the Microsoft SAPI Text-To-Speech (T T S) engine. If you already have a screen reader installed, you probably already have SAPI. If not, you can download the T T S install file from this site. It is approximately 6.5 Megabytes in size. Click here to download SAPI T T S. Send your request for BG Cribbage 1.1 to Ian Humphreys, together with your full name and country of residence at: irhumph@omninet.net.au. For example:  My name is Karen Black from Ontario, Canada, please send BG Cribbage 1.1.  Please allow up to four days for delivery.

Special note about other, low cost, accessible software:

  1. Windows Defender (Beta 2)
    http://www.tdspodcast.com/2006/04/updated-
    version-of-windows-defender.html
    Windows Defender (Beta 2) appears to be a very accessible anti-spyware application. (Thanks to Jeff Bishop for the following info)

  2. Windows OneCare Live
    http://onecare.live.com/
    Windows OneCare Live provides Antivirus, Backup and Restore, fire wall, PC tune up facilities, integration with Windows Defender, and more. Most importantly, it appears to be as accessible as Windows Defender. Paul Thurrott's review has given it a rating of 4 out of five stars (highly recommended). His only complaint was that it didn't have antispam capabilities. The other really nice feature is that you can use it on up to three PC's. Until the end of April you can purchase OneCare for $19.95. It doesn't matter if you are currently a beta tester or not. Simply browse to the OneCare web site and download the software and follow the instructions to get the special pricing. If you are already a beta tester for OneCare, then you would have received an email about how to take advantage of the special pricing offer. After April 30th the price goes to $49.95.

Copyright © 2004-2008 by Online Conferencing Systems, Inc. All rights reserved.

An IDEAL Group, Inc. company.

This website was last updated on