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May 1999
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May 1999
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Reprinted with permission from the Journal of Visual Impairment & Blindness Vol. 92, No. 12 and is copyright 1998 by the American Foundation for the Blind, 11 Penn Plaza, Suite 300, New York, NY 10001.
If you are or will be in the market for a Windows 95 screen reader, this Product Evaluation of Alva Access Group's OutSPOKEN for Windows (OSW) 2.0 will help you to make a more educated purchase. The continuation of a series on screen readers for Windows 95, the evaluation rated this particular product on how well it performed Windows-related tasks. To compare OSW with similar products, see Earl & Leventhal (1997, 1998) and Leventhal & Earl (1997a, 1997b). For a step-by-step guide to making an informed purchase, see "Selecting a Windows Screen Reader" on page 5.
Rating scale Ratings were on a scale of 0 to 5 as follows:
0. No access; the equivalent of a sighted person with no mouse and the monitor turned off.
1. Little access; the program gives users an idea of what is going on but little opportunity to function well.
2. Less than adequate access, with much room for improvement.
3. Good access, but a definite need for improvement.
4. Very good access, with minor improvements expected in the future.
5. Access as good as a sighted person has with a mouse and a monitor.
OSW was tested with three different configurations: (1 on a Dell Pentium 166 with 32 MB of memory, using a DECtalk PC synthesizer, 2) on a Gateway Pentium using a Double Talk synthesizer, and 3) on a Dell Pentium 450 using Windows 98 and a DECtalk PC synthesizer.
A rating was given for installation and documentation and for basic performance in the word processing programs Microsoft Word 97 and Corel WordPerfect 8.0 and for performance with the Web browsers Microsoft Internet Explorer 3.02 and Netscape Navigator Gold 4.0.
Program profile
OSW provides the user with a small set of basic commands for navigating and reviewing text. Speech rate and a few other settings can be changed with hot keys. Other settings are changed in a pop-up menu. There are no program-specific configuration files, and no tools for creating them. As a result, all settings--such as verbosity or punctuation level--are global.
Unlike most screen readers, OSW's Find command works in menus, making it a powerful tool for advanced users and less confusing for beginners. OSW supports braille displays and provides Grade 2 braille.
Installation and documentation: Rating 3
OSW has a standard Windows installation that is compatible with other Windows screen readers. Unfortunately, the installation program does not speak by itself so, if no other Windows screen reader is available, it is necessary to use either a DOS screen reader or sighted assistance to edit a file called "response.ini."
OSW's documentation is available in print, on cassette, on disk, and in braille on request. It gives an excellent overview of OSW and Windows commands. OSW is unique among screen readers in the degree to which it emphasizes mouse navigation over Windows keyboard commands.
Word 97: Rating 3
OSW read menus, dialog boxes, and text in Word 97. It frequently broke words and pronounced words as though letters were missing. The Read Rest of Document feature read documents without interruption.
OSW did not announce the misspelled word in the spell checker. The user can determine what the word is by arrowing to the left and hearing it spelled in reverse. Other spell checker options were read normally.
WordPerfect 8.0: Rating 2
OSW read menus in WordPerfect. In dialog boxes, OSW often misidentified a control, reading check boxes as buttons or announcing that there were no items in a list box when there were. Editing text was problematic because OSW did not indicate the position of the caret accurately. The Read Rest of Document feature read without interruption. OSW struggled with the spell checker--it was often not possible to identify the misspelled word, and OSW sometimes gave misleading information.
Internet Explorer 3.02: Rating 2.5
With the Say On feature active, OSW sometimes read new Web pages automatically when they loaded. It read links when the Tab key was pressed. When the Page-down key was pressed, OSW read the next screen of text if the Say On feature was active.
Filling out forms was possible, but it involved listening for changes in the shape of the mouse pointer because OSW did not announce edit boxes.
Netscape Navigator Gold 4.0: Rating 2.5
OSW Read text as new Web pages were loaded when the Say On feature was active. It read text links when the Tab key was pressed. For graphical links, it either read nothing or read the "http://..." information on the status line. Again, filling out forms was possible, but it involved listening for changes in the shape of the mouse pointer because OSW did not announce edit boxes.
Improving performance
OSW lacks any tools for creating application-specific configurations. The user's Web browser is loaded with the same settings that were active in WordPerfect. Beginners would benefit from application-specific configurations--such as specifying that the misspelled word be read automatically in WordPerfect's spell checker or the Say On feature be active when Web pages load but inactive in menus. Advanced users will appreciate the powerful mouse navigation that allows them to go directly to options on the screen, but they will be frustrated by having to stop to change settings whenever they switch from one application to another.
Conclusion
Performing basic tasks with OSW, such as editing text in a word processor and reading an on-line newspaper, required a lot of energy because the user constantly had to confirm that OSW was providing accurate information about what was happening on the screen. The basic parts of a good Windows screen reader are present in OSW, but tools such as the ability to create, modify, and save configurations are lacking. At the end of 1998, users should expect more from a screen reader.
References
Earl, C.L. & Leventhal, J.D.(1997) Windows 95 Access for Blind or Visually Impaired Persons: An Overview. Journal of Visual Impairment & Blindness, 91(5), 5-9.
Earl, C. L., & Leventhal, J. D. (1998). A review of two speech access programs for Windows 95: SLIMWARE Window Bridge and Artic WinVision. Journal of Visual Impairment & Blindness, 92(4), 240-244.
Leventhal, J. D., & Earl, C. L. (1997a). A review of two speech access programs for Windows 95: ScreenPower and Window-Eyes. Journal of Visual Impairment & Blindness, 91(5), 13-15.
Leventhal, J. D., & Earl, C. L. (1997b). A review of two speech access programs for Windows 95: ASAW and JAWS for Windows. Journal of Visual Impairment & Blindness, 91(6), 17-19.
Manufacturers' comments
"We agree with the assessment that OSW's powerful features appeal to advanced users, although beginner and intermediate users find its unique mouse navigation and concise command set provides a universal set of tools for accessing Windows. OSW development has traditionally embraced the philosophy of using the mouse pointer as the primary tool for effective screen access. Future OSW development will build on these tools so that more automated feedback of screens such as formatted Web pages and complicated dialogs will be even easier for the user. OSW's universal approach to graphical interfaces will also be demonstrated with the release of our Windows NT product scheduled for 1999."
Product information
Product: OutSPOKEN for Windows Solo and Ensemble 2.0
Manufacturer: Alva Access Group, 5801 Christie Avenue, Suite 475; Emeryville, CA 94608;
Tel: 510-923-6280
Fax: 510-923-6270
E-mail: info@aagi.comWeb site: www.aagi.com.
Price: Solo (speech only) $695, Ensemble (speech and braille) $795.
Selecting a Windows Screen Reader
Before exploring specific products, potential users may need to abandon some of the following misconceptions that could lead them to make inappropriate choices about screen readers.
Misconception: The choice of a screen reader is a matter of personal preference.
Reality: All screen readers do not perform equally well. There are wide variations in the way they perform with particular applications. Some even fail to read what is on the screen.
Misconception: The difference between one screen reader and another is the way in which it gives you access to the information on the screen (the command structure).
Reality: Although screen readers are differentiated by command structure, it is not the most important factor in choosing a screen reader.
Misconception: If a particular screen reader worked well in a demonstration with WordPad, it will work well for all the
applications.
Reality: One screen reader may work well with one application and badly with another. The screen reader and application must be considered together.
Misconception: Windows screen readers can have all the same commands that a DOS screen reader has.
Reality: Windows is not DOS. Some of the screen-reading concepts carry over from one system to another, but users must be prepared to learn a new way of doing things.
Steps for selecting a screen reader
Armed with the reality check just described, you are now ready to follow the seven steps for finding the right product for your specific needs.
* Get and review all the information the manufacturers and vendors can provide on their products.
* Consider the accessibility features you absolutely must have. For example, do you need: support for a particular braille display or synthesizer; compatibility with other assistive technology, such as a screen magnification program; or does the manual need to be in a particular language?
* What applications will be used: Word? WordPerfect? A 3270 emulator? Custom applications?
* Read the reviews of Windows-based screen readers written by American Foundation for the Blind's (AFB) technology program within the past 18 months. Become familiar with the profiles of the screen readers, their special features, and their shortcomings.
* You will probably have found that there is no screen reader on the market that works with the braille display, synthesizer, and applications you have specified. Reevaluate your decision from steps 2 and 3. Do you still feel as strongly about your needs in those areas? Consider the possibility of having two screen readers. One hundred twelve (21%) of the 526 Windows screen reader users in AFB's Careers and Technology Information Bank have more than one screen reader.
* Consider the general profiles of the screen readers. Which work the way you like to work? Do you like a verbose system, or do you prefer minimal speech? Do you want to be able to "tweak" your system to your exact needs and preferences or do you prefer simplicity over flexibility?
* Test run demonstration copies of the screen readers you think you may want to use. Make liberal use of technical support to determine whether the problems you are having are simply your lack of familiarity with the program or an actual shortcoming in the product.
Note: You may find that your choice of screen reader is incompatible with system hardware such as the video card. If this is the case, consider changing the video card first, since the ideal screen reader is hard to find.
Information provided by: Jay D. Leventhal, senior resource specialist, and Crista L. Earl, resource specialist, Technical Evaluation Services, National Technology Program, American Foundation for the Blind, 11 Penn Plaza, Suite 300, New York, NY 10001; techctr@afb.net.
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