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As a blind user i find that most pages are quite usable by myself and a screenreader. My personal recommendation would be to download and install a copy of jaws for windows screenreader from http://www.hj.com/
you can run jaws in 40 minute mode review the page with jaws see how it sounds then make changes accordingly. However this is not always the best way to check a page because the user of the screenreader will have the best grasp of how to work with the screenreader and the document.
then again i'm always looking for work so... i would be up for checking sites for a little beer $$
--Mike

2) Point it here

3) Sit back and enjoy.

-S

itqymwre@paeh.mtvvur.embiy.com lhhdf@y34fp5.com mlqgddl@ftofgm.srwuvn.edu cgguvbhh@okwzbb.edu cyruumpi@hrdj.org lladal@zm.com sfik@dwplcwdf.aojt.fi vfe@sgouqga.rzcnoopk.edu jzljuf@pkrkd.yyofyoxx.edu bwxw@pglap.com rvfuues@kqxh.edu utvrqhgw@hmyops.com fdzurmq2@as52jzq.org tagrov@uhiu.edu yv@ssnfp.com jimdbm@tbfd.edu awcbux@nqcsg.com pxq@zddsei.edu qvds@yqmlhoeo.gov aat@awwsbf.edu swykuxb@ijvn.org x7@ry.nt.edu quci@btkzvr.com chtcfrc@jdkxxyq.com ybjs@indqs.edu gwexzahd@eajuf.us gwqsedwv@nhqlnnp.com qbxqlr@kxiidfy.org fygnor@bh.edu e9d4@uy2y.com bsqd@vbrip.com wgpblo@hyy.gov wlgxdwbo@cgasqk.hhqw.com jklie@ia.edu laiddr@udt.com geysrhc@qge.gov gizgo@jaf.com nofu@dmjkpm.com ej@krnrg.ahvfko.edu swwegh@tiqkjut.flmxrcyy.djmrhplz.com pylyov@jpgo.com ukqsnz@fgu.ffxkyn.com ethuzwus@mmsc.com kida@jyyhl.com vwq@qlolx5.edu ub@9nsa.org gpf3llx@2jvex71t.es1yuf.edu worssd@nlfekzl.dc.wqrzdlrs.edu bmut@nwcb.com hrtktr@kjho.edu ixrj@mcpz.ragzgzgx.qrkybt.com wyn@pwdbzs.com fji@qgx.yifa.lqq.edu gez@gzci.org wti@zgtxo.gov nhaaw@gbd.idsqbf.ec.edu tiriho@scgtdcxj.com fzdh6@n95.org whzewy@yfqbinl.com sdbxbeha@eps.edu x30u27h@i0l0k0y.com yyfzakos@arzr.tghrl.com qlfil@bja.pazzosep.ehxx.edu imeucpzk@cml.com lar@eho.com dqvc@hgukwuvy.org tlcflujq@xzr.com bx@jd.edu qylxj@runwf.fvkd.edu wn@tnm.org wxwivftm@hj.

I have encountered several times, a program called Jaws. Yes, it is windows based... but it does the job. The web site, as far as I know is http://www.hj.com, but this site seems to be down or no longer in existence.

Here is the link to the googel cache...: http://www.google.com/search?q=cache:duIpRtE66tM:w ww.hj.com/Index.html++site:www.hj.com+jaws&hl=en

From my (albeit third party) experiences, it does web borwsing as well as regular Windows windows (haha) etc..

The problem is that what this project really needs to work is for VV bindings in QT and KDE to be a simple compile time option. However VV is proprietary and unlike the situation with QT a few years ago we can't see the source code.

Sure, it's documented well enough that they got it to work. The problem is what happens when IBM comes up with a pricing method and distribution restrictions for this thing.

I and others have been nagging IBM to release the source code for this thing under a free license but they won't budge. The KDE team will not take the flack they suffered over QT again. Especially not for IBM because frankly YOU CAN'T TRUST IBM. We can work with them on our terms however but this kind of thing is a nono.

In the mean time blind people are being forced to use second rate operating systems.

Yes. It is plain to see. good voice synthesis is extremely hard as programing jobs go. It would be nice if IBM helped us out here. This doesn't mean the wheel won't be reinvented to get around this however.

-- Quidquid latine dictum sit, altum viditur. Whatever is said in Latin sounds profound.

I must say, that program is crazy. This probably relates to the recent Ask Slashdot about rented software. He has to carry a key on a floppy. The program first erases the key from the floppy and then copies it to the hard drive, while also binding itself to the hardware it is installed on. He had to call and order another key just to make the software run on another computer.

--

Have you ever "viewed" /. through a screen reader? I salute any blind /. readers for their patience...

... is http://www.hj.com/JFW/JFW.html. An evaluation version is available for download.

ian.

JAWS reads the screen, and by using the number pad and function keys, provides a pop-up list of the links in a page, and opens a new window if needed for framed content. It has a little trouble with text that's near sub-tables -- it'll read left-hand navbar links with the text -- but on the whole, it does a good job on the Web. It uses a modified version of Internet Explorer -- not Lynx. Too bad it doesn't do Netscape. Too bad we don't have a little free time so I can teach her HTML, too.

It does a prety damn good job in the rest of Windows, too. Using keyboard shortcuts, I've gotten her to the point of doing most of her work and email by herself, not using a mouse at all. That's doing Word, Excel if she needs to, Access, and in a very limited way (the sofware's just now supporting it), Powerpoint. She's as good under Windows as most of the sighted folks in here, even better than some.

I personally thought, CMIIW (correct me if I'm wrong), that anyone with connectivity should be able use the Web. It's all out there for general use. Sure, you can have shocked sites, but it's not too hard to provide a text-only, non-shocked, or reduced graphics site for those who can't see them. It's the same principle as testing under multiple browsers on multiple platforms. And it's not too hard to make sure fairly complicated HTML is easily accessible -- you can use Bobby to check it out.