Abstract
Personal computers have been helping blind persons to deal with textual information. Recently, however, operating systems based on GUIs have been rapidly spreading in the personal computer environment. Since GUIs utilize many figures and appeal to the eye, they are inherently difficult to adapt for blind persons. For the purpose of providing blind persons with access to a GUI-based operating system, we have proposed and developed a screen reader that works on the basis of keyboard operation and corresponding speech output. This paper first discusses the problems of accessibility of GUIs to blind problems and proposes the use of a screen reader as a solution. Then, the development of a prototype screen reader, the evaluation of the prototype, and the functions of the new screen reader after revision based on evaluations are described. Lastly, the purposes blind persons have for using personal computers and the applications usable with the support of our screen reader are compared. The effectiveness of our approach is discussed. © 1998 Scripta Technica, Syst Comp Jpn, 29(13): 18–27, 1998
Sign-in/Register to access full text options 
Talk to us
Join us for a 30 min session where you can share your feedback and ask us any queries you have
Schedule a callDisclaimer: All third-party content on this website/platform is and will remain the property of their respective owners and is provided on "as is" basis without any warranties, express or implied. Use of third-party content does not indicate any affiliation, sponsorship with or endorsement by them. Any references to third-party content is to identify the corresponding services and shall be considered fair use under The CopyrightLaw.
