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September 1998
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September 1998
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From: "David L. Jaffe" (jaffe@roses.stanford.edu) RESNA SIG-11
Browser Speak
by Joshua Dean
Federal Computer WeekThe visually impaired can now surf the Web, thanks to new browser software that incorporates computerized speech. The talking Web browser, pwWebSpeak/32, is available for $150 from The Productivity Works Inc., a software company based in Trenton, NJ.
"We designed a browser from scratch for those who have some visual disability," said Markku Hakkinen, senior vice president of Productivity Works.
The browser works by translating a Web siteās Hypertext Markup Language into speech. pwWebSpeak/32 also can present the text in variable sizes and backgrounds. Users navigate inside Web sites through the use of text rather than the typical graphical interface that many commercial and government sites employ.
All you need to get pwWebSpeak/32 up and running is a Microsoft Corp. Windows 95/98/NT-compatible PC, 5M of free hard drive space, an Internet connection, a 32-bit sound card and a speech synthesizer.
"Web accessibility is one issue that the government has been very aware of," Hakkinen said. This is evidenced by President Clinton's support of the World Wide Web Consortium's Web Accessibility Initiative, which has been pushing organizations with Internet sites to offer text-only versions of their pages.
Hakkinen also said Netscape Communications Corp.'s Navigator and Microsoft's Internet Explorer "have not been tools that visually disabled people could use easily."
Hakkinen alluded to future browser additions and uses. Speech recognition may be ideal for applications where users need hands-free browsing, such as in the car.
For more information about pwWebSpeak/32, contact:
Productivity Works at
609/984-8044 or
visit it's Web site at http://www.prodworks.com.
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