However, with cheaper options on the market now able to do just as much as JAWS, it is no longer the assumed first choice when selecting screen-reading software, especially as the software seems to be evolving at a very slow-rate compared to the competition. It also gives the user the ability to read text under the cursor. JAWS 18 supports and freely provides version 2.2 of Vocalizer’s high-quality expressive voices from Nuance and works seamlessly with ZoomText’s magnifier. Updates to the program require you to buy a new version of JAWS each time, but each comes with lengthy documentation and training, has PDF reading, allows for scripts, and has the ability to be used with remote access.ĭespite having a somewhat steep learning curve, JAWS has a strong technical support team. It is the most expensive screen reader on the market, and a big investment at more than £800 inc VAT.

However, with that title comes the high price tag. Not to be mistaken with the film, JAWS is the best known screen-reading software and has a large community of users. From the extortionately expensive to the bargain bucket, here’s a round-up of the best screen readers currently out there for Windows. With so many screen reading solutions available in the market today, it is difficult to decide which one to go for. This allows the user to do many things on a computer from clarifying bold or underlined text or adjusting formatting to successfully reading emails and navigating the internet. Numerous screen-reading solutions for the blind and vision-impaired have since arisen, making the digital world accessible for the blind.īy using either a voice synthesiser or a braille display, screen readers are able to read any text that is displayed on the screen to the user.īy pressing various commands on the keyboard, the user is able to perform tasks that instruct the display or the synthesiser to read aloud anything they want read on the screen. In order to improve accessibility on the quickly evolving market of GUI operating systems on personal computers, commercial screen-reading software has had to adapt. During the transition from DOS to GUI operating systems, new companies began popping up with screen-reading solutions. However, the technology struggled to keep up with the introduction of the GUI. Screen-reading software for the blind has been around since 1986 when Jim Thatcher, part of IBM, developed the first screen reader for use by employees with low vision.

Computer screen reading software