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WATA Bulletin: Fall 2001

Contents:

OmniPage Pro: a good choice for blind users?

Debbie Cook, Director, Washington Assistive Technology Alliance

Editor's note: Debbie Cook, who is blind, is skilled in using a number of different reading technologies. Here she shares her personal experience with OmniPage Pro, an optical character recognition (OCR) product, to see how easily it could be used by blind computer users.

Optical character recognition (OCR) software products are important computer aids that allow blind people to read. Products developed specifically for such use include OPENBook from Freedom Scientific and Kurzweil 1000 from Lernout & Hauspie. Each retails for $995. The leading OCR product not specifically adapted for blind users is OmniPage Pro 11 from ScanSoft. It retails for $495, about half the price of OPENBook and Kurzweil 1000.

Given its lower cost, is OmniPage Pro a good option for blind people to consider? In using and comparing the three software products, I find the specialized computer applications much easier to use.

OCR products developed for blind users are self-voicing applications that provide speech output for all functions of scanning, recognition and reading. They are ideal for users who do not have a screen reader or who are not comfortable using Windows applications.

Blind people generally use OCR to read correspondence, books, magazines and other printed materials. You place a document on the scanner, press a key and wait while the page is scanned and recognized. With OPENBook and Kurz-weil 1000, the page is then read aloud in high-quality synthesized speech. Graphics are discarded because they cannot be converted to text. Commands are issued through conventional Windows menus and the computer keyboard. Additionally, Braille translation and other applications can be launched from within the OCR application.

OmniPage Pro uses three on-screen work areas instead of a full-screen view. Some commands are accessed through conventional keystrokes while others are located on a toolbar, requiring the use of the mouse or the mouse movement keys of a screen reader. Therefore, blind users of OmniPage Pro must be familiar with accessing Windows applications through screen reader mouse emulation keys.

Documentation for OmniPage Pro comes in print and as a PDF file. Both of these formats are difficult for a blind person to use. In converting the PDF from text to voice, there were significant errors in recognition and formatting, which affecrted the readability of the document.

The OmniPage manual is also visually oriented; it uses diagrams, screen shots and pictures of key labels without text descriptions. The tutorial referenced throughout the manual was impossible to use. There is context-sensitive help and a Tips feature, both of which are useful. The best help, however, came from blind users on email lists who answered questions and shared their experience.

Configuring and learning OmniPage Pro was frustrating because of the cluttered screen display, inconsistency of keyboard access, and visually-oriented documentation. However, users with tenacity, patience, curiosity and time may want to consider it because of its lower price.

OCR products designed specifically for blind people make a complex process easy and accessible through a simple, powerful interface and clear documentation. They provide extensive online help in electronic and other formats. All dialogues and prompts are described from an auditory rather than a visual perspective.

The higher cost of these specialized products may be worth the expenditure for those who are uncomfortable with Windows applications and who want to be able to scan and read on demand.

For more information on the three products, visit their websites:

AT Access Fund is on the move; you can help

Frances E. Pennell, Washington Assistive Technology Foundation

The Spring 2001 Bulletin reported on our efforts to establish a low interest loan fund, the Access Fund, to help people with disabilities pay for assistive technology devices and services. Here's what's happening and how you can help:

  • The Foundation applied for and received advance ruling on its 501(c)(3) status from the Internal Revenue Service, meaning that we can now accept tax-deductible donations.
  • We are very excited about the addition of six new Board members, including Brian Dudgeon, UW Department of Rehabilitation Medicine; Gina Iandola, Homestreet Bank; Laura Ruby, Microsoft Corporation; Carolyn St. Cyr, Washington Mutual; Dr. Steve Stiens, VA Puget Sound Health Care System; and Bill Virgin, Seattle Post-Intelligencer. These new board members join existing board members Berl Colley, OCLC; Ken Strausz, private banking consultant; and Ted Medina, PACE program, Spokane Valley Community Colleges.
  • We have established a partnership with Cascadia Revolving Fund, a community development financial institution that specializes in loans to low-income entrepreneurs. Cascadia (www.cascadiafund.org.) will help incubate the Access Fund by providing an office and technical assistance, as well as the funds needed to launch the Access Fund during the coming year, provided we can find community partners to guarantee those loans.
  • Most important, we are open for business. Thanks to a grant from the Washington Council of the Blind, we are actively seeking loan applications to cover purchases of AT and AT services for individuals who are blind or visually impaired. Loans from $500 to $5,000 are offered at 6% interest for terms that vary with the size of the loan.

As we anticipated, our biggest challenge thus far has been fundraising. In addition to cash donations, we are actively seeking partnerships with individuals, community organizations and businesses whose participation will enable us to accept Cascadia's generous offer to provide guaranteed Access Fund loans.

This is a wonderful opportunity to make a big difference in the lives of AT users without a substantial dollar investment. (Default rates for AT loans nationally have been extremely low- around 1-2%.) For more information about the Access Fund or becoming an Access Fund partner, please contact Frances Pennell at (206) 447-9226 Ext. 200 (V) or 800-214-8731 (V/TTY) or visit us on the web at www.watf.org. Our office is located at 1901 N.W. Market Street, Seattle, Washington 98107.

Screen magnification software now available on computers at the Seattle Public Library

As part of the Seattle Public Library's "Accessibility for All" project, a project funded by a grant from the Seattle Foundation for the enhancement of public access to library resources, the new MAGic (Magnification in Color) software has recently been made available on all public computers throughout the Seattle Public Library system. MAGic is screen enlargement software that offers benefits not only to people with low vision or learning disabilities such as dyslexia, but also to people who need enhanced detail or want to avoid eye strain.

The software enlarges all objects on a computer screen, including text, graphics, and icons, from 2 to 20 times the original size.

In addition to magnification, the software can also be used to:

  • increase contrast by reversing colors;
  • magnify specific portions of the screen;
  • change the shape, color and size of the mouse pointer;
  • navigate the screen more easily through the use of options such split-screen and panning (useful for people who have difficulty using a mouse).

For more information about the software, contact Ann Hay, the information technology systems manager at Washington Talking Book and Braille Library at 206-615-0431. For directions and information on how to use the software, ask the staff at the branch libraries.

Calendar

Assistive Technology Industry Association (ATIA) 2002 Conference and Exhibition
January 16-19, Orlando, Florida

The conference serves as a leading forum for a wide variety of professional presentations and discussion about new assistive technology, practical applications, and services. For more information, contact the ATIA, 526 Davis St., Ste. 217, Evanston, IL 60201. Phone 877-OUR-ATIA (877-687-2842); fax 847-869-5689; email ATIA@northshore.net; web address www. ATIA.org.

Combining Good Teaching Practices with Technology: Technology, Reading & Learning Difficulties Conference
January 24 - 26, San Francisco

Conference sessions focus on ways to use technology in education for reading, learning disabilities, staff development and adult literacy, as well as integrating technology across the curriculum. There also will be exhibitor presentations at which you can learn about a variety of software programs and/or other products. For more information contact: Educational Computer Conferences Inc., 19 Calvert Court, Piedmont, CA 94611-3435, (510) 594-1249, tollfree (888) 594-1249, or www.trld.com/.

Technology and Persons With Disabilities
March 18 - 23, Los Angeles

CSUN's 17th Annual International Conference is a comprehensive international conference where all technologies across all ages, disabilities, levels of education and training, employment, and independent living are addressed. Keynote speaker will be Gregg C. Vanderheiden, Ph.D., a pioneer in the field of augmentative communication and assistive technology. Contact: Center On Disabilities, California State University, Northridge, 18111 Nordhoff St., Northridge, CA 91330-8340, (818) 677-2578, or on the web at www.csun.edu/cod/conf2002.


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The WATA Bulletin is supported by grant H224A3006 from the National Institute on Disability and Rehabilitation Research, U.S. Department of Education, to the Division of Vocational Rehabilitation, Olympia, WA.

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