First, the disclaimer. I'm not an expert at using screen reader programs. For those who might not know, a screenreader is a program that reads content from a computer screen. They're primarily used by people who are blind, have low vision, or have a reading disability of some kind. Since the user is assumed to be blind, a screen reader uses keyboard shortcuts, rather than icons, to run the computer.

The screen reader that I have heard the most about is Jaws, by Freedom Scientific, http://www.freedomscientific.com/. A lot of people find it useful, but its base price is $895.00, steeper than many people can afford.

Enter the free download. I have tried a multitude of free screen readers and talking web browsers over the years. Many of these programs were adequate and maybe even more useful than one could expect, considering the price. But alass, they all seemed to have fatal, or near fatal, quirks and none of them really could do it all.

However, with the entrance of a new product called Thunder, I'm encouraged to think that a useful free alternative has finally arrived. You can find the download at http://www.screenreader.net/ . To use Thunder to surf the net, you will need to also download and install Webbie, http://www.webbie.org.uk/, a free web browser that integrates with Internet Explorer. Sorry, Firefox people, it simply won't work without IE on your machine. You will also need to be running Windows XP.

I have only spent a few hours with these programs, but those hours were mostly positive. My first surprise was that I simply downloaded the programs,installed them and they worked! Thunder installed easily, created icons, put itself in the startup folder, and ran the first time I started the computer! Both of these programs have a manual that can be downloaded. The only problem I found is that the programs are developed in England, and they use the continental keyboard. Ok, you US-centric persons, you didn't know that there are other keyboards out there? A couple of the shortcuts took some hunting for; they used a different key than the one listed. I quickly found that to access the start menu I could simply use the windows key, rather than the recommended shortcut.

All in all? These programs take a bit of getting used to and have a few quirks. For example, Webbie is preset not to load images, so any site that used tagged images as buttons is unusable. After a bit of rummaging in the manual I got around that one. I also found the Thunder voice hard to get used to. It has a British accent and is not really clear at some times. Note that for thirty bucks you can buy some better voices. Humm, a plot here? But, I learned to make do and for the price....

Have you used either of these programs and would like to comment? Email me at abilitymaine@gmail.com and share your experience.

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