As part of our advocacy, #OneAccessibility, we will share information about differently abled, accessible places, inclusive issues and related topics. Look out every week for this enlightening post.
Caption: An image of a person wearing a headphone while working on a laptop with YOUTUBE shown on the screen. (Photo by Freepiks)
Globally, useful informatio nare being disseminated as the Coronavirus pandemic rages. These informational materials are educational and useful in combating the zoonotic disease as they remind people to take hygiene seriously. Updates from the COVID-19 are also being shared regularly to give the public insight on the latest news and preventive measures. A major constrain though is the inadequate consideration for persons with disabilities to peruse this information.
One assistive technology that can help close this gap is the Screen Reader. A screen reader is an assistive technology (AT) that converts text to speech or braille format. It is useful for people with disabilities, especially visual impairment.
Screen readers translate texts, buttons, images, and other screen elements into sound, dots, or both. In other words, it is a software application that presents visual contents to blind people in non-visual format.
Some screen readers can read texts in several languages and accents. With the aid of the screen reader, a command can read or spell a word, line, or full content on a display screen to the hearing of the user. It can do more advanced tasks such as identifying colors and spellchecking.
Screen readers are gradually available for several devices like desktop, laptops, and mobile running on Linux, Windows, Mac, IOS, Android, and other operating systems. Web pages, emails, PDF documents, word processors can be easily convertedtl to sound. Some graphical applications also have sound translations. A typical example is the voice feature on Google Maps. There are some popular screen readers available in the market, some include Chrome Vox, Cobra, BRLTTY, JAWS (Job Access with Speech), NVDA (Non Visual Desktop Access), Speak up, Voice Over and ZoomText Fusion.
Making digital content screen readable starts with coding precisely and understanding universal design. Creating screen pages to be accessible by able and disabled users should be a global concern rather than focusing on technical or innovative interfaces with difficulty to navigate. Contents with clear headings, image captions and short sentences makes it easier for screen readers convey messages more accurately.
Now that the world has gone virtual with schools and businesses using digital tools, it would be great to ensure that persons with disabilities do not face any barriers. Are video conferencing platforms like Meet and Duo screen readable? How can this made made readily available for PwDs to join the millions of virtual meetups holding worldwide?
You can watch a video showing how [Chrome Vox Next Screen Reader](http://Chrome%20Vox Next Screen Reader) works and Google Live Transcribe
Do check the list of other articles under “Accessibility Uncovered”. Learn more about our project and team at oneaccessibility.org
