[blindlaw] Methods for Reading Handwriting

[Kerri Regan]

Hi everyone. I recently started my first full-time paralegal job at a
 firm which deals primarily with Worker's Compensation and Social
 Security-related cases. My position is mostly computer and
 phone-based, communicating with clients and keeping track of a busy
 caseload for my supervising attorney. The case management software
 works well with JAWS and much of the paperwork the firm uses is
 already scanned into the computer, but today I encountered a major
 problem. There are forms that are filled out by medical professionals,
 sent back to us and scanned into our system. While the forms
 themselves are typed PDFs, many of the doctors fill them out by hand.
 The handwriting comes across just fine for my sighted colleagues, but
 when I tried reading the forms with JAWS' OCR utility I was only able
 to read blank fields, not their content. Going over these forms with
 clients is an important part of my job, and while my employers have
 been wonderful and willing to adapt the position to better fit my
 abilities, I'd prefer not to foist reading duties on one of my
 colleagues and do all the work this position requires.  I know many
 OCR programs have trouble processing handwriting, but are there any
 out there that might be an exception?  I'm totally blind, familiar
 with all Windows screenreaders and have the KNFB reader app on my
 iPhone. Any advice would be greatly appreciated. Thanks in advance for
 your help, Kerri