This pamphlet is a resource for schools, computer clubs and community organisations such as SeniorNet, which offer computer training in local communities. In fact it has been produced by blind people, to tell it like it is first hand from our perspective.
From time to time, we expect you will receive enquiries from blind and vision impaired people in your community. This pamphlet will give you basic information about how we as blind people can effectively use today's computers, and how computers can dramatically improve our quality of life. While you might think there is not much that you and your organisation can do to help a blind person, we hope you will soon find out from this pamphlet how you can be more effective in opening up the world of computers to a blind person in your area.
How can blind and vision impaired people use a computer?
Several companies today market computer programs that allow a blind person to use a standard computer. These computer programs are called "screen readers".
A screen reader is itself a standard Windows computer application, but its job is to run alongside the other programs running on a computer and "tell" the blind person what is on the screen. Because a blind person cannot see what is on the screen, a screen reader typically has a built-in speech synthesiser which, although perhaps sounding a bit like a robot, speaks information to the user through the normal sound speakers of the computer itself.
People with some limited sight typically use a different kind of screen reader which magnifies and enhances the image on the screen to make it easier to see, and some people use both speech and magnification at the same time.
But whether a person uses speech or magnification, typically the screen reader is just a computer application that comes on a CD and easily installs on most computers.
So how does a blind person actually know what is on the screen?
The screen reader keeps track of what the computer is doing, and speaks or magnifies the necessary information that a user needs in order to use the computer. When you as a sighted person look at the computer screen, of course you see the whole screen, but instinctively you focus your attention on the bit of the screen that is immediately relevant. A screen reader does the same thing. It does not simply read the whole screen, because that would quickly become tedious. But it monitors the screen and automatically tells the blind user the most important information about what is currently happening.
A totally blind person, someone with no sight at all to read the screen, cannot use a mouse. Most functions on the computer can be operated from the keyboard, though this does vary with different programs, and a totally blind person learns how to access the needed functions by using the keyboard. But in some cases, a good screen reader can even make functions accessible with special keyboard combinations when typically those functions might only be available with the mouse.
But how can a blind person use the keyboard?
A good typist or keyboard operator does not need to see their fingers on the keyboard. So blind people can easily learn to use the keyboard, and indeed using a keyboard (touch-typing) is a fundamental skill for many of us. Confidence with the keyboard is essential, though that does not mean a person needs also to be a fast typist.
So do blind people need special computer applications?
There are some computer applications specially marketed for use by blind people. These are designed to make using a computer as easy as possible for a blind person, but they can only achieve this by focusing on some very basic tasks such as limited word processing and note taking.
So most blind people use everyday computer applications such as Word, Internet Explorer and Outlook, and actually can do most of the tasks sighted people can.
What can blind and vision impaired people do using a computer?
Blind and vision impaired people do many different things in life, so there is almost no limit to the range of tasks we can do on a computer. It would be impossible to list them all, but here is a list of things that we typically can do using a computer:
· Surfing the internet
· Reading newspapers on the internet
· Internet banking and shopping
· Chat rooms and voice communication over the internet
· Internet radio stations and entertainment
· Looking up information on the internet
· Email correspondence
· Written correspondence
· Personal notes and keeping track of personal information
· Essays and other work to do with study
· Report writing (for employment, committee work etc.)
· Personal or business accounts (spreadsheet or book keeping applications)
So you can see there are many different things we can do using a computer, and mostly these are the same things that sighted people also typically do.
What difference does this make to a blind person?
Think of some of the things you do probably every day, which you take for granted. Perhaps you read the newspaper while having breakfast or your morning coffee. Perhaps every so often you stroll through the shops, maybe just window-shopping, but maybe also buying things you need as you see them on display. From time to time you might thumb through a recipe book to decide what nice dinner to cook for guests. And of course most of us have to sit down at times and pay those dreaded bills. But now imagine you could not do any of these things without relying on someone else for assistance.
While nowadays surfing the internet and the use of the internet for such tasks as shopping and banking is still felt by many people to be a bit of a gimmick, the reality for blind people is quite different. For example, internet banking such as via the ASB Bank's FastNet service can be easily used by a blind person with only moderate training. So we can read our own bank statements, pay our own bills, and generally keep tabs on our own personal money without assistance from someone else. This means we can be more independent with our personal finances and avoid the vulnerability that sometimes comes from being completely dependent on someone else.
Blind people are becoming more interested in internet shopping, even for the weekly groceries. Most internet shopping sites can be easily used by blind people even without the pictures. This gives us the opportunity to browse for things in a way that sighted people take for granted.
As more information, such as news from everyday newspapers, and particularly public information, becomes readily available on the internet, this information is also directly available to blind people through our computers. So in a sense, we stand to gain more than most by learning to use a computer effectively.
What can blind people not do using a computer?
Typically, a totally blind person cannot do anything that is mainly graphical, or which involves interacting with moving images. Screen readers, particularly those that use synthetic speech, cannot deal with graphical applications such as painting and drawing. Nor can they cope with animated applications such as most games.
What is access technology?
The terms "access technology" and "adaptive technology" are used to describe the range of specialised equipment that we use to give us access to the sighted world. Nowadays the adaptive technology industry is strongly focused on computer access, through screen readers and some other specialised devices.
In this pamphlet we will not go into detail on the range of adaptive technology available today. Suffice it to say that there are numerous companies around the world that produce a range of adaptive technology devices in addition to screen readers, that are sometimes needed in special situations. These include hardware speech synthesisers, portable note-takers and self-contained portable computers and personal organisers, Braille printers and Braille displays.
Specialised training
So yes there is a lot that we as blind people can do using a computer, but by now you have probably realised that the way we work with a computer is somewhat different from the typical way a sighted person would use one. Because of this, blind people do need, at least initially, specialised training.
Firstly, as already mentioned, we need to be confident with the keyboard.
Then, we need to learn the basic functions of the Windows system, because although this system is meant to be intuitive for sighted people (though some people would strongly debate that point), we really need to be shown the basic functions before they begin to make sense. Also we need specialised training in such applications as the internet, because in that case the way we interact with the application is quite different than for sighted users, so it is not easy for a sighted person to explain what is happening in a way that will make sense to a blind user.
So yes we need specialised training from people who understand adaptive technology and how it works to meet our unique needs. There are several organisations in New Zealand who provide adaptive technology training which we have listed at the end of this pamphlet.
But do blind people always need specialised training?
We need specialised training to get started. But once we become familiar with the basics of Windows and Windows applications, then typically we can work with trainers who need not be familiar with adaptive technology.
Where to go for more information
In addition to the companies listed in the next section, a good local source of information on adaptive technology issues is an email list operated by the Royal New Zealand Foundation for the Blind. Called the Assistive Technology Interest Group, this is a list that is used via email, allowing people to ask questions relating to adaptive technology or on problems that blind people are having with using a computer application. Most of the adaptive technology instructors in New Zealand are on this list, as are a number of blind people who are active computer users.
This is not a busy list so you will not be flooded with messages, but on the other hand you will find that people are friendly and willing to answer even basic questions because we all want blind people to be able to gain as much benefit and enjoyment as possible from using computers.
To join this list, simply send an empty message to the address "join-atig@rnzfb.org.nz". You will get a message back to confirm you have been added to the list
List of contacts
Out of Sight 06-348-8127
Pulse Data 03-384-4555
RNZFB Manager Adaptive Technology 09-355-6900
Zabonne 09-836-8876
From time to time, we expect you will receive enquiries from blind and vision impaired people in your community. This pamphlet will give you basic information about how we as blind people can effectively use today's computers, and how computers can dramatically improve our quality of life. While you might think there is not much that you and your organisation can do to help a blind person, we hope you will soon find out from this pamphlet how you can be more effective in opening up the world of computers to a blind person in your area.
How can blind and vision impaired people use a computer?
Several companies today market computer programs that allow a blind person to use a standard computer. These computer programs are called "screen readers".
A screen reader is itself a standard Windows computer application, but its job is to run alongside the other programs running on a computer and "tell" the blind person what is on the screen. Because a blind person cannot see what is on the screen, a screen reader typically has a built-in speech synthesiser which, although perhaps sounding a bit like a robot, speaks information to the user through the normal sound speakers of the computer itself.
People with some limited sight typically use a different kind of screen reader which magnifies and enhances the image on the screen to make it easier to see, and some people use both speech and magnification at the same time.
But whether a person uses speech or magnification, typically the screen reader is just a computer application that comes on a CD and easily installs on most computers.
So how does a blind person actually know what is on the screen?
The screen reader keeps track of what the computer is doing, and speaks or magnifies the necessary information that a user needs in order to use the computer. When you as a sighted person look at the computer screen, of course you see the whole screen, but instinctively you focus your attention on the bit of the screen that is immediately relevant. A screen reader does the same thing. It does not simply read the whole screen, because that would quickly become tedious. But it monitors the screen and automatically tells the blind user the most important information about what is currently happening.
A totally blind person, someone with no sight at all to read the screen, cannot use a mouse. Most functions on the computer can be operated from the keyboard, though this does vary with different programs, and a totally blind person learns how to access the needed functions by using the keyboard. But in some cases, a good screen reader can even make functions accessible with special keyboard combinations when typically those functions might only be available with the mouse.
But how can a blind person use the keyboard?
A good typist or keyboard operator does not need to see their fingers on the keyboard. So blind people can easily learn to use the keyboard, and indeed using a keyboard (touch-typing) is a fundamental skill for many of us. Confidence with the keyboard is essential, though that does not mean a person needs also to be a fast typist.
So do blind people need special computer applications?
There are some computer applications specially marketed for use by blind people. These are designed to make using a computer as easy as possible for a blind person, but they can only achieve this by focusing on some very basic tasks such as limited word processing and note taking.
So most blind people use everyday computer applications such as Word, Internet Explorer and Outlook, and actually can do most of the tasks sighted people can.
What can blind and vision impaired people do using a computer?
Blind and vision impaired people do many different things in life, so there is almost no limit to the range of tasks we can do on a computer. It would be impossible to list them all, but here is a list of things that we typically can do using a computer:
· Surfing the internet
· Reading newspapers on the internet
· Internet banking and shopping
· Chat rooms and voice communication over the internet
· Internet radio stations and entertainment
· Looking up information on the internet
· Email correspondence
· Written correspondence
· Personal notes and keeping track of personal information
· Essays and other work to do with study
· Report writing (for employment, committee work etc.)
· Personal or business accounts (spreadsheet or book keeping applications)
So you can see there are many different things we can do using a computer, and mostly these are the same things that sighted people also typically do.
What difference does this make to a blind person?
Think of some of the things you do probably every day, which you take for granted. Perhaps you read the newspaper while having breakfast or your morning coffee. Perhaps every so often you stroll through the shops, maybe just window-shopping, but maybe also buying things you need as you see them on display. From time to time you might thumb through a recipe book to decide what nice dinner to cook for guests. And of course most of us have to sit down at times and pay those dreaded bills. But now imagine you could not do any of these things without relying on someone else for assistance.
While nowadays surfing the internet and the use of the internet for such tasks as shopping and banking is still felt by many people to be a bit of a gimmick, the reality for blind people is quite different. For example, internet banking such as via the ASB Bank's FastNet service can be easily used by a blind person with only moderate training. So we can read our own bank statements, pay our own bills, and generally keep tabs on our own personal money without assistance from someone else. This means we can be more independent with our personal finances and avoid the vulnerability that sometimes comes from being completely dependent on someone else.
Blind people are becoming more interested in internet shopping, even for the weekly groceries. Most internet shopping sites can be easily used by blind people even without the pictures. This gives us the opportunity to browse for things in a way that sighted people take for granted.
As more information, such as news from everyday newspapers, and particularly public information, becomes readily available on the internet, this information is also directly available to blind people through our computers. So in a sense, we stand to gain more than most by learning to use a computer effectively.
What can blind people not do using a computer?
Typically, a totally blind person cannot do anything that is mainly graphical, or which involves interacting with moving images. Screen readers, particularly those that use synthetic speech, cannot deal with graphical applications such as painting and drawing. Nor can they cope with animated applications such as most games.
What is access technology?
The terms "access technology" and "adaptive technology" are used to describe the range of specialised equipment that we use to give us access to the sighted world. Nowadays the adaptive technology industry is strongly focused on computer access, through screen readers and some other specialised devices.
In this pamphlet we will not go into detail on the range of adaptive technology available today. Suffice it to say that there are numerous companies around the world that produce a range of adaptive technology devices in addition to screen readers, that are sometimes needed in special situations. These include hardware speech synthesisers, portable note-takers and self-contained portable computers and personal organisers, Braille printers and Braille displays.
Specialised training
So yes there is a lot that we as blind people can do using a computer, but by now you have probably realised that the way we work with a computer is somewhat different from the typical way a sighted person would use one. Because of this, blind people do need, at least initially, specialised training.
Firstly, as already mentioned, we need to be confident with the keyboard.
Then, we need to learn the basic functions of the Windows system, because although this system is meant to be intuitive for sighted people (though some people would strongly debate that point), we really need to be shown the basic functions before they begin to make sense. Also we need specialised training in such applications as the internet, because in that case the way we interact with the application is quite different than for sighted users, so it is not easy for a sighted person to explain what is happening in a way that will make sense to a blind user.
So yes we need specialised training from people who understand adaptive technology and how it works to meet our unique needs. There are several organisations in New Zealand who provide adaptive technology training which we have listed at the end of this pamphlet.
But do blind people always need specialised training?
We need specialised training to get started. But once we become familiar with the basics of Windows and Windows applications, then typically we can work with trainers who need not be familiar with adaptive technology.
Where to go for more information
In addition to the companies listed in the next section, a good local source of information on adaptive technology issues is an email list operated by the Royal New Zealand Foundation for the Blind. Called the Assistive Technology Interest Group, this is a list that is used via email, allowing people to ask questions relating to adaptive technology or on problems that blind people are having with using a computer application. Most of the adaptive technology instructors in New Zealand are on this list, as are a number of blind people who are active computer users.
This is not a busy list so you will not be flooded with messages, but on the other hand you will find that people are friendly and willing to answer even basic questions because we all want blind people to be able to gain as much benefit and enjoyment as possible from using computers.
To join this list, simply send an empty message to the address "join-atig@rnzfb.org.nz". You will get a message back to confirm you have been added to the list
List of contacts
Out of Sight 06-348-8127
Pulse Data 03-384-4555
RNZFB Manager Adaptive Technology 09-355-6900
Zabonne 09-836-8876
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