NCH Software Packages Fully Accessible to the Blind and Visually Impaired

Guest post by Craig Faris, President of Seeds of Promise International Child Welfare

This information does not apply to everyone, but for the blind and/or those using screen-reading software, I can save you a bit of time. I myself am totally blind, live in Canada, use Window-Eyes 7.5 as my screen-reader of choice, and recently tried Express Scribe. Much to my immense surprise and considerable delight, the software package is fully accessible to the blind, as every single option can be selected from ordinary text-based menus! In addition, the software uses ordinary dialogue boxes which can be fully read aloud with a screen-reader, and generally the software is fast and easy to use.

This simple fact is a rarity in today's graphics-based computing environment, where custom dialogue boxes, photo buttons, and other generally inaccessible programming methods are commonly employed to make the screen busy and appealing to sighted folks.

I have since tried some of NCH Software's business point-of-sale software, such as Copper, Inventoria, and Barillo, and these packages are all also easily used by a totally blind individual like myself!

Hats off to NCH Software for, perhaps inadvertently, making their lightning-fast, user-friendly software packages fully accessible to blind computer users.

Now all we need is for the POS software packages to somehow be linked together, or at least use a common database, and I can open my own storefront with 100% accessible software!

Voice Command Dictation

Did you know that you can set up custom voice commands to control dictation recording in Express Dictate? Express Dictate works with your computer's speech recognition engine so you can have hands-free control while dictating to write notes, flip through files, or to just relax a little.

To set up this feature you first need to configure your computer's speech recognition engine. Express Dictate requires a SAPI 5 compatible speech engine�but don�t worry if you don't know what this means�if you have either Windows Vista or Windows 7 you already have a speech engine that meets this requirement. To configure your speech engine, go to your system�s control panel (found from the Windows Start menu) and click Ease of Access, then Speech Recognition Options, then Start Speech Recognition. You�ll go through guided steps that will teach your computer to recognize your voice and accent.

Once you have finished that, Express Dictate will also be able to recognize your voice. To set up your custom dictation commands, open the Voice Commands tab in the Options dialog of Express Dictate and make sure the Enable voice commands box is checked. Click the Add button to create a new command, type in the spoken phrase you want Express Dictate to recognize and select the command it should trigger from the pull-down list by clicking in the Command column. Try to select voice commands that you aren't likely to use while dictating to avoid any unwanted program activity, yet specific enough that you will remember what they refer to. Once you're done, starting to record can be as easy as simply saying "Record."

To try out the new speech commands for yourself, download Express Dictate dictation software today and enjoy the added freedom of having hands-free control.

Assistive Technology

Recently I stumbled across an article by Luke Hsieh, an assistive technology advocate, about building a low cost electronic magnifier with a webcam and Debut video capture software. This was not only a nice example of how versatile our video recording software is, but it got me thinking a bit about assistive technology, which doesn't always get its due.

A lot of technology is designed with a somewhat constrained image of the typical user, and as a result can sometimes be very difficult or even impossible for people with various disabilities to use. Assistive Technology, on the other hand, makes it easier for individuals with disabilities to access information technology, which is extremely important in the high tech world we live in.

I have heard from customers in the past complementing our software applications because they have found them to be very accessible. While I am thrilled that they have found our software accessible, I have to admit this is more the result of our efforts to make our products as intuitive and user-friendly across the board than anything else. It makes sense that software that it easy to use is also more accessible, and as a result, we hope everyone will find our software easy and accessible.

Some examples of how our software can be used as assistive technology include Verbose text-to-speech software to convert a document to an mp3 file to listen to latter, or as a screen reader; and as Hsieh pointed out you can use Debut video capture software to make a custom electronic magnifier, or when you're making your next YouTube video. We will continue striving to make all our software easy to use for everyone, and hope that everyone finds our software accessible along the way.