[nabs-l] free screen readers

Anita Adkins aadkins7 at verizon.net
Thu Jun 17 01:50:06 UTC 2010


Hi,

NVDA is an excellent free screenreader.  You do not have to be on the 
internet when using it, and yes, you can have it and another screenreader 
installed at the same time, although this is not necessary.  NVDA is 
comparable to JAWS and Window Eyes in my opinion.  It has a list of voices 
from which you can choose.  Its voice is sort of robotic sounding, but it is 
easy understood.  I have a friend who is totally blind who uses it and 
nothing else because she was not able to afford to purchase a screenreader. 
She checks email, browses the Internet, and can use Word and the like.  In 
fact, I believe Windows Calendar does not work with JAWS, but it does work 
with NVDA.  Note that I have not checked this particular piece of advice out 
myself as I do not often use Windows Calendar.  I have taught assistive 
technology and tested websites for accessibility and usability, and so I am 
very familiar with screenreaders as one must know if it is the site that is 
inaccessible or that the user of the screenreader is not aware of a certain 
function.  I have used NVDA in order to check it out.  I have JAWS on my 
Vista computer now (and an installed version of NVDA), but I will just put 
NVDA on my Windows 7 desktop I recently purchased unless I learn I can 
install JAWS.  The voice is hard to get used to when one is so used to JAWS. 
A lot of the NVDA commands are similar to JAWS commands.  For example, 
insert+t is for the title and insert+b is for reading a dialogue box.  I 
will paste the link to download below, just FYI.
http://www.nvda-project.org/wiki/Download
Anita
----- Original Message ----- 
From: <bookwormahb at earthlink.net>
To: "National Association of Blind Students mailing list" 
<nabs-l at nfbnet.org>
Sent: Wednesday, June 16, 2010 8:14 PM
Subject: [nabs-l] free screen readers


> Hi all,
>
> Those of you using free screen readers I'd like to know about them.  I use 
> Jaws currently and it works well mostly.  I have Windows xp.  But if a 
> free screen reader can do most functions that will help me out; such as I 
> can install it on computers I use for volunteering or on a family member's 
> computer for ocassional use.
>
> What's your experience?  What does it sound like?  Does it have multiple 
> voices?  What applications does it work with?  I want to try NVDA.  Where 
> do I get it and do i always need to be on the internet to make it work? 
> How did you learn the commands of the reader?  Other main readers have 
> tutorials.
>
> If I install one and still have jaws on the pc will that work?  I wonder 
> if it eats up your memory having two screen readers.
>
> Thanks
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