dotleicester.org

The onset of computer technology brought with it innovations that have made mankind’s life more convenient. An example would be telecommunications technology. Years before there were the telephones that linked people to one another. Then there were the bulky mobile phones, which were followed with today’s Internet-based communication systems such as Skype and the ever-reliable Yahoo! Messenger.

All these have improved the quality of our lives including the lives of the “special people” among us. Years ago, reading was considered an impossible task for blind persons but this is no longer the case today because of the introduction of screen readers.

A screen reader helps visually impaired individuals learn things about themselves and the world around them through its assistive technology function. Through this technology, they are taught to read through the Braille Output Device connected to the reader. Some readers also have text-to-speech functions, thus, visually impaired individuals are given the chance to learn how to write as what they input onto the reader is read aloud to them so they know if what they have written matches what they had in mind.