Technologies for the Visually Impaired is proud to be an
Apple Store Business Affiliate

VoiceOver

VoiceOver is the free, built-in screen reader available on all Apple computers running Mac OS X Tiger or later. Unlike traditional screen readers for Windows, VoiceOver is part of the operating system itself and not a "bolt on" software package installed after the fact. VoiceOver provides speech, output and screen magnification for the blind or low vision user, and refreshable Braille displays can be connected and used as well. The user has full keyboard control over their Mac, and can utilize their computer without any assistance . VoiceOver is easily customizable by the user, and one has access to many features and functions that can be turned on or off, such as sound alerts and verbosity settings.

For more specific information on VoiceOver, please see:

http://www.apple.com/accessibility/voiceover/

Daily tasks such as email, word processing, web browsing, chatting and listening to music can all be performed on the Mac with applications included on every Macintosh computer; Apple Mail, Text Edit, Safari, iChat and iTunes respectively. All of these programs work with VoiceOver with the same level of accessibility as on a Windows computer. Additionally, there are several third party applications accessible out of the box that a user can purchase or download for free.

Courtesy of Greg Kearney of the Wyoming Medical Center, who is an active contributor to the VoiceOver Community, for a list of VoiceOver compatible applications, please see:

http://w3.wmcnet.org/vo/

In the Windows Environment, one can pay between $800 and $1200 to purchase a screen reader, this cost on top of the money spent on the desktop or laptop itself. Since the costs of both desktops and laptops from Apple is comparable to those of Windows systems as it is, the value of VoiceOver is only enhanced. Additionally, one then gets the stability, reliability and ease of use the Mac OS X operating system provides to the user.

Even when it comes to specialized note takers designed specifically for blind users, Apple provides a cost-effective and powerful alternative:

http://www.apple.com/macbookair/

For VoiceOver resources, Apple news relating to VoiceOver, useful articles, tutorials and other valuable information, please see:

http://www.lioncourt.com

http://www.icanworkthisthing.com

To browse Apple products and make purchases, see:

Shop the Apple Online Store

TVI provides training and support for VoiceOver. For any questions regarding this subject, please contact us:
contact@tvi-web.com