Screen readers are important tools for visually impaired people. Test your Web site with a screen reader to experience the problems slowing access for visually impaired people.

JAWS

JAWS is the most popular screen reader for the Microsoft Windows operating system. The same company supplies the MAGic screen magnifier for people with partial impairment. The real problem with JAWS is the cost. When a blind person visits you for a holiday, you cannot just download the program and install it on your computer.

NVDA

NVDA (NonVisual Desktop Access) is the open source alternative for Windows. You can freely install NVDA on every Windows based computer in your home, office, library, and school, almost. NVDA does not support older versions of Windows including Windows 2000. NVDA uses standard interfaces, where available, and you may have to update your applications to the latest version for compatibility. Firefox has to be at least version 3. Test your Web sites with NVDA.

Orca

Orca is the Linux/Unix alternative to JAWS and is part of the GNOME project. If you use a recent version of GNOME then you have a screen reader built in or readily available as an easy installation option. Test your Web sites with Orca. Between Orca and NVDA, you should learn about all the problems and frustrations facing screen reader users. Gnopernicus is an obsolete predecessor to Orca.

Apple

If you are stuck with an Apple computer, you know that they slavishly copy the bad things from Microsoft including the tendency to make things non standard. Apple uses Unix to save money and increase profits but instead of supporting a standard open source screen reader, they use Voiceover. To test with Voiceover, you will have to use the latest version of Apple's proprietary modification to Unix and that will probably mean buying a new Apple computer.

Fire Vox

Fire Vox is a way to test your Web site without switching your whole operating system over to screen reading. You install Firefox then Fire Vox, add a sound output device, close your eyes, and test. Fire Vox does not help a visually impaired person use a computer because Fire Vox works only inside Firefox. Use of Fire Vox outside of Web site testing is aimed at all those Internet access screens that are locked into a Web browser at startup. Fire Vox is the quickest way into testing your Web site because you already use Firefox.

Window Eyes

Window Eyes is an alternative to JAWS that costs the same but offers a limited free trial of 30 minutes per day, just enough to test changes to a Web site.

Microsoft Narrator

Microsoft included a screen magnifier and a screen reader in Windows 2000 using an early version of the SAPI interface for screen readers. Few applications worked with SAPI. You could work you way around the computer using the screen reader but it was useless for testing Web sites. Microsoft eventually named the screen reader Narrator, moved to the current version of the SAPI interface, and added SAPI to most Microsoft applications. Narrator is probably good enough to help a visually impaired person install JAWS.

Mobile phones

Mobile phones (cell phones) are a classic example of software bloat. The newest phones have more processing capacity than early desktop computers but cannot run normal operating systems because the operating systems are bloated with junk. They have to use special cut down versions of operating systems. They need special screen readers and special testing for Web sites designed for use on mobile phones. Mobile Speak is one of several screen readers aimed at mobile phones.