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I used to set-up, deliver, & train blind users on Windows machines. Windows is the most popular since it has the most user-friendly accessibility solutions. My dad started the business I worked for, & he's been totally blind since birth. If you want, I'd be more than happy to put you in touch with him, feel free to contact me at dave [at] sweetmansystems [dot] com. The favorite screen-reader for Windows is Jaws, but Window-Eyes is also good. OSX is great because it comes with a full-featured built-in screen-reader for free, whereas Jaws can run you $900 -- but the OSX screen-reader (called VoiceOver) is generally much more difficult to get started with, as they key combinations are complicated and difficult to remember. If you have enough useful vision, you could also use a program like ZoomText (on Windows), which combines screen magnification with voice output. I've been looking into screen-readers for Linux & especially the command line, but haven't had enough experience with anything to make a recommendation -- though my dad knows a guy who uses linux & runs servers, if you end up talking to him ask for contact info for a guy named louis, if you can get a hold of him he'd be able to steer you in the right direction. If you're in the US and in California (I think other countries and states have similar programs), you may want to get in touch with the Department of Rehabilitation, as they can provide a lot of help and information & will also purchase training, accessibility equipment, computers & software in order to get people with visual impairments proficient enough to compete in the classroom & in the job market. The thing to be prepared for is that it's a major life adjustment. It's a totally different way of interacting with the computer, and it will usually come with a pretty steep learning curve, but it's definitely doable, especially I think with the hacker mindset. All of these programs have demo versions from their websites:
Jaws for Windows: http://www.freedomscientific.com/products/fs/jaws-product-pa...
Window-Eyes: http://www.gwmicro.com/Window-Eyes/
ZoomText: http://www.aisquared.com/zoomtext/ Info about Apple's VoiceOver:
http://www.apple.com/accessibility/voiceover/
(oh, the other good news is that VoiceOver is also included on all iPhones & iPads!) |