With the proper training blind and visually impaired individuals can use many different adaptive products in the home and at work. Adaptive technology can be simply a talking food scale for your kitchen or a peace of specialized software or hardware which allows the blind user to function on their computer as easily as their sighted peers.

Below you will find brief descriptions of adaptive products and links to the companies web sites. These descriptions are meant for informational purposes only. I am not promoting or selling the products. I do not in anyway receive any profit or royalties from any of the following companies.

Kurzweil 1000 is a scanning, reading and writing software program for use by people who are blind or visually impaired. Kurzweil 1000 works on a personal computer in conjunction with a flatbed scanner and synthetic speech. Scanned text is converted into speech for your listening pleasure.

For more information about this product please contact the manufacture by clicking on the following link:
Kurzweil product Home Page

Magic 8.0

The Magic 8.0 Professional Edition provides those using Windows NT/2000 Professional operating systems a magnification solution in business and educational environments, and it is compatible with the world's most popular screen reader JAWS® for Windows.

Magic 8.0 helps people with low vision view information on their computer screen while hearing it through their speech synthesizer. Magic 8.0 combines state-of-the-art magnification features with a true low vision speech option. The software magnifies the information the person chooses, from two times to 16 times its normal size. The smoothing feature eliminates jagged edges caused by bitmapping when images or characters are magnified on the screen.

With the speech option, Magic 8.0 gives users the ability to choose information they want read from a computer screen as they navigate applications. Magic reads the information aloud as users type it-either character-by-character or word-by-word, or they can move the mouse over existing text and hear it. The speech option is particularly helpful when listening to entire paragraphs, email or lengthy documents on the Internet. You can use magnification and speech together or independently.

For more information about this product please contact the manufacture by clicking on the following link:
Magic 8.0

Openbook 5.0

Openbook turns your computer system into a scanning and reading machine, offering blind and vision-impaired individuals access to printed materials. Once scanned, Openbook converts the material into electronic information to be read aloud by the synthesizer and displayed on your screen. Openbook works with standard Windows® menus, dialogs and commands and comes with a full-function email program.

For more information about this product please contact the manufacture by clicking on the following link:
Openbook 5.0

ZoomText 7.1

The most advanced screen magnifier on the market today! ZoomText Xtra Level 1 delivers unparalleled features and performance... clear images, smooth navigation, ease of use and the highest level of compatibility.

Level 1 Features 2X to 16X magnification with advanced edge-smoothing 8 different zoom windows for full and partial-screen enlargement Intelligent tracking keeps points of interest in view Smooth panning for quick screen navigation Color filtering for improved contrast and readability Cursor enhancements make finding the cursor a snap Automatic routing of the cursor to the magnified view Fast zoom in/out using the mouse wheel Command interface for Dragon Naturally Speaking Professional Support for Java applications.

For more information about this product please contact the manufacture by clicking on the following link:
ZoomText 7.1

JAWS 4.01

The most popular screen reader worldwide, JAWS® for Windows® works with your PC to provide access to today’s software applications and the Internet. With its internal software speech synthesizer and the computer’s sound card, information from the screen is read aloud, providing technology to access a wide variety of information, education and job related applications. JAWS also outputs to refreshable Braille displays, providing unmatched Braille support of any screen reader on the market.

For more information about this product please contact the manufacture by clicking on the following link:
JAWS 4.01

Window-Eyes 4.1

Window-Eyes is nothing less than the most advanced, most stable screen reader available. With Windows 9x and Me compatibility and the ability to read more screens than our nearest competitor, Window-Eyes is the most rock solid screen reader on the market today.

Window-Eyes gives you total control over what you hear and how you hear it. And with our new Braille support, we extend that control to what you feel. And how you feel it. And configuring Window-Eyes is a snap. Just log onto our web page where you'll find configurations for a broad range of applications. There's no need to learn a complicated scripting language. Window-Eyes is about letting you hear and feel all the world has to offer without a lot of technical hassles. It's out there waiting for you.

For more information about this product please contact the manufacture by clicking on the following link:
Window-Eyes 4.1

Freedom Scientific Line of Hardware Products

Alva Access Group Home Page

Duxbury Systems Braille Translation Software

Braille Printers from Enabling Technologies

MathTalk.com - Metroplex Voice Computing Inc.

Telesensory - Products for People with Low Vision - Aladdin video magnifiers

Sighted Electronics- Braille Displays, Braille Printers, Braille Software, CCTV Magnifiers