The Credit Crunch and Greetings Cards.
There is so much economic gloom and doom about these days, one wonders how people with little or no sight will survive and of course we will.
I was born in 1940 in the West Midlands, UK with bombs falling by night and visiting the hospital several times each week. So, from my perspective, things have greatly improved. And its great to hear that individual spirit remains undeterred. Organisations serving our interests might cut back, re-organise and come up with new strategies but here below is an example of two great individuals bringing something rather special to our market. So please encourage them.
Thursday, 9/10/08, was World Sight Day which is this year dedicated to raising awareness of visual loss amongst older people. To coincide with this awareness raising event a visually impaired couple launched an innovative venture which hopes, in some way, to help partially sighted older people and younger ones too! Jim and Linda Lawson launched Easy2C, producing a very different type of greetings card which is, as it says on the tin, easy to see for anyone with a sight loss who can still read a little. Both the artwork and print size have been carefully designed to match the needs of those losing vision and those with conditions such as Macular Degeneration or Glaucoma.
The card designs are produced by a visually impaired artist qualified to degree level, Rachel Duerden, and the paper, envelopes and inserts are made from managed forests, thus environmentally friendly. 5% of the profits will go back to charities supporting and selling our work, commencing with Henshaws Society for Blind People who have very kindly offered their knowledge and assistance to get the venture off the ground and host the points of sale for Jim and Linda.
Easy2C was created because so many older people receive cards they cannot read and often have to ask others to read them for them or just guess the name of the sender. Of those who have seen these new cards, the reaction has been fantastic. The greetings can be tailor made for different occasions as well as buying the standard greetings off the shelf. For further information contact Easy2C on 01704 573199 or Henshaws in Liverpool on 0151 557 1226.
I don’t know how many hours I have spent with a powerful magnifying glass trying to puzzle out who our Christmas cards are from.
Our sales of scanning software and higher quality voices have certainly dropped off over the past month but we continue to receive requests for computer training. We don’t get grants from the Government and we have no contract work these days to lose. I would remind you that our free Thunder software will not further drop in price, however bad any recession might get and we won’t stop giving our time and energy to blind people needing their computer questions answered.
You can see from all this that I remain pretty up-beat about things and just admire ordinary people like Linda and Jim who keep having a go, coming up with something straightforward that meets a need.
Tuesday, 21 October 2008
Sunday, 21 September 2008
On Friday in London, I attended a conference entitled “Scripting Enabled” which in advance was described to me as a hackers’ day. So this was about good hackers lending their skills to the disabled community, hurrying up the process of accessibility and inclusion.. Scripting Enabled is the vision and brain-child of Christian Heilmann , a developer evangelist with lots to contribute. Its well worth searching on Scripting Enabled at http://scriptingenabled.org/about/ and following the story as it will unfold.
The morning session was all about the very diverse needs of various disability groups. People with learning disabilities might need pictures where we blind users need words. Christian has developed an excellent Easy YouTube video player with big buttons, clear colours and built-in keyboard accessibility which just works out of the box. It really is the easiest way to enjoy the YouTube experience and there must be something for us all there.
After the break, AbilityNet presented videos showing people with vision disabilities struggling with JAWS and ZoomText and I was left smugly thinking how much easier is the web with WebbIE which works with all screenreaders, free or expensive and offers magnification as well as the speech. But I very much took to their approach of open evaluation and user-lead opinions and experiences. This is something we at Screenreader.net need to take on board now.
The afternoon was not so good for me as I am not up there with the Techy JAWS brigade and, sadly I had to miss the panel session at the end. I can’t cover more in a short blog but try http://www.slideshare.net/cheilmann/scripting-enabled-how-accessibilty-concerns-can-fuel-mashup-innovation and particularly http://icant.co.uk/easy-youtube/ to dig deeper.
There really now is a shift of emphasis within the Assistive Technology industry compared to when we set up Screenreader.net two years ago. The market leader remains for blind and VI users but the pack are coming closer and freedom is better understood in terms of usability and user limited cash flow rather than being merely scientific. Though not cheap, Guide is there for the older population with poorer memories; NVDA from Australia, http://www.nvaccess.org/, is chasing Thunder and each have their strengths and weakness, no doubt. At least for free you can enjoy the benefits of both or either.
And today I heard of another free player from the States which sounds great but which I have not tried yet. At http://www.amazability.com/about.htm you can read about Adept1 which has received pretty massive Government developing backing in the States and which claims to offer Voice Input and voice output access to much of what the non-techy computer user might need. The software will be free, like ours. Nice to know we had a great idea like others.
The vision, so far as we are concerned, is nearer to reality and we welcome competition and or cooperation in this field. We will not hesitate to continue to develop and promote Thunder and WebbIE and speak openly about its ease of use as well as what it can’t currently achieve; but full marks to all others with a similar vision and mission.
The morning session was all about the very diverse needs of various disability groups. People with learning disabilities might need pictures where we blind users need words. Christian has developed an excellent Easy YouTube video player with big buttons, clear colours and built-in keyboard accessibility which just works out of the box. It really is the easiest way to enjoy the YouTube experience and there must be something for us all there.
After the break, AbilityNet presented videos showing people with vision disabilities struggling with JAWS and ZoomText and I was left smugly thinking how much easier is the web with WebbIE which works with all screenreaders, free or expensive and offers magnification as well as the speech. But I very much took to their approach of open evaluation and user-lead opinions and experiences. This is something we at Screenreader.net need to take on board now.
The afternoon was not so good for me as I am not up there with the Techy JAWS brigade and, sadly I had to miss the panel session at the end. I can’t cover more in a short blog but try http://www.slideshare.net/cheilmann/scripting-enabled-how-accessibilty-concerns-can-fuel-mashup-innovation and particularly http://icant.co.uk/easy-youtube/ to dig deeper.
There really now is a shift of emphasis within the Assistive Technology industry compared to when we set up Screenreader.net two years ago. The market leader remains for blind and VI users but the pack are coming closer and freedom is better understood in terms of usability and user limited cash flow rather than being merely scientific. Though not cheap, Guide is there for the older population with poorer memories; NVDA from Australia, http://www.nvaccess.org/, is chasing Thunder and each have their strengths and weakness, no doubt. At least for free you can enjoy the benefits of both or either.
And today I heard of another free player from the States which sounds great but which I have not tried yet. At http://www.amazability.com/about.htm you can read about Adept1 which has received pretty massive Government developing backing in the States and which claims to offer Voice Input and voice output access to much of what the non-techy computer user might need. The software will be free, like ours. Nice to know we had a great idea like others.
The vision, so far as we are concerned, is nearer to reality and we welcome competition and or cooperation in this field. We will not hesitate to continue to develop and promote Thunder and WebbIE and speak openly about its ease of use as well as what it can’t currently achieve; but full marks to all others with a similar vision and mission.
Tuesday, 16 September 2008
Web Accessibility and iTunes
There is plenty to blog about again this time round. We are busy but need a holiday after working very hard through the so-called UK Summer.
DDA Accessibility Laws:
The American Store Target will revamp its Web site to make it more accessible for the blind and pay $6 million in damages to plaintiffs who joined a class action lawsuit against the retailer, under a settlement announced with the National Federation of the Blind. The $6 million will be placed in an interest-bearing account so that plaintiffs in the lawsuit, filed in California two years ago, can make claims. Most plaintiffs will get about $3,500, an NFB spokesman said.
Under the settlement, the Baltimore-based NFB will test the Web site for three years and certify it once it is completely upgraded. The lawsuit was filed after earlier negotiations between the two sides broke down.
Many blind people use screen-reading software such as Thunder that vocalizes information on a computer, but Web sites must be made accessible for the technology. The lawsuit complained that Target.com was not accessible.
But our Screenreader.net contention goes further. Accessibility is far more than a software package and a legal decision. Most blind people can never raise the cash to buy costly assistive software and, even if they do, training, patience and a level of computer skill is required far above that of the average seeing user who clicks a mouse on what she sees.
But, on the assumption that many things come over to Europe from across the pond, we should sit up and take notice that the law will soon be more strongly on the side of the blind user here too. Maybe it won’t be long before a courageous blind person here, with the backing of a courageous blind agency, will strike a similar blow in the UK or within a European country. I never thought I would be taking such a stance!!! Its just that the years go by and still government, local councils and the private sector in general continue to take the micky, talk the talk and fail to actually make computer accessibility and usability available to the mass of ordinary blind and partially sighted people, even in some Western wealthy countries.
Such access really is the modern Braille and a great way to mainstream blind people so all power and well done to the American pioneers.
The Worsening Economic situation:
We have had the good times here in the West and the coming year or two look not so good. But Screenreader.net will not be changing the price of free Thunder. We will never be wealthy here but are financially secure for the future because we don’t need paying for the work we do and we don’t need buildings and expensive staff.
But we do have ongoing expenses like everyone else and we do, therefore, ask that if you value the Thunder software and want to make a donation towards its upkeep, this would be very welcome indeed.
iTunes, LastFM and the BBC iplayer:
Like me, many of you will enjoy listening to music, listen again radio and TV programs etc. So now, as well as being able to enjoy LastFM and the BBC iplayer,
iTunes V8 works well too. For those who don’t know, LastFM.com is a website where you can download the music of your choice and listen to it free. There is a purchase opportunity too, of course. The BBC iplayer delivers on demand listening to radio programs from the whole of the BBC service as well as selected items from BBC TV 1, 2, 3, 4 and 5. And iTunes is the Apple music store widely used to download a massive music library and save to your iPod or other portable device. So, if this is your bag, check it all out and enjoy. And if you want to let us know how you get on, we welcome your emails or phone calls.
DDA Accessibility Laws:
The American Store Target will revamp its Web site to make it more accessible for the blind and pay $6 million in damages to plaintiffs who joined a class action lawsuit against the retailer, under a settlement announced with the National Federation of the Blind. The $6 million will be placed in an interest-bearing account so that plaintiffs in the lawsuit, filed in California two years ago, can make claims. Most plaintiffs will get about $3,500, an NFB spokesman said.
Under the settlement, the Baltimore-based NFB will test the Web site for three years and certify it once it is completely upgraded. The lawsuit was filed after earlier negotiations between the two sides broke down.
Many blind people use screen-reading software such as Thunder that vocalizes information on a computer, but Web sites must be made accessible for the technology. The lawsuit complained that Target.com was not accessible.
But our Screenreader.net contention goes further. Accessibility is far more than a software package and a legal decision. Most blind people can never raise the cash to buy costly assistive software and, even if they do, training, patience and a level of computer skill is required far above that of the average seeing user who clicks a mouse on what she sees.
But, on the assumption that many things come over to Europe from across the pond, we should sit up and take notice that the law will soon be more strongly on the side of the blind user here too. Maybe it won’t be long before a courageous blind person here, with the backing of a courageous blind agency, will strike a similar blow in the UK or within a European country. I never thought I would be taking such a stance!!! Its just that the years go by and still government, local councils and the private sector in general continue to take the micky, talk the talk and fail to actually make computer accessibility and usability available to the mass of ordinary blind and partially sighted people, even in some Western wealthy countries.
Such access really is the modern Braille and a great way to mainstream blind people so all power and well done to the American pioneers.
The Worsening Economic situation:
We have had the good times here in the West and the coming year or two look not so good. But Screenreader.net will not be changing the price of free Thunder. We will never be wealthy here but are financially secure for the future because we don’t need paying for the work we do and we don’t need buildings and expensive staff.
But we do have ongoing expenses like everyone else and we do, therefore, ask that if you value the Thunder software and want to make a donation towards its upkeep, this would be very welcome indeed.
iTunes, LastFM and the BBC iplayer:
Like me, many of you will enjoy listening to music, listen again radio and TV programs etc. So now, as well as being able to enjoy LastFM and the BBC iplayer,
iTunes V8 works well too. For those who don’t know, LastFM.com is a website where you can download the music of your choice and listen to it free. There is a purchase opportunity too, of course. The BBC iplayer delivers on demand listening to radio programs from the whole of the BBC service as well as selected items from BBC TV 1, 2, 3, 4 and 5. And iTunes is the Apple music store widely used to download a massive music library and save to your iPod or other portable device. So, if this is your bag, check it all out and enjoy. And if you want to let us know how you get on, we welcome your emails or phone calls.
Friday, 29 August 2008
BBC iPlayer and WebbIE Working Well
For the past 18 months, we have been involved with friends and partners in Europe, making the Thunder software available in languages other than English. Our partners proved to be good friends too and the project is at an end. But we now have Thunder working well in Italian, French, Estonian, German and Slovakian. Our partners from Southern Ireland opted to share our English version!!! In the not too distant future, we hope to take on the challenge of other languages but it all takes time, money and effort in no particular order.
If you know of individuals or organisations wanting to enjoy Thunder in these languages, please visit http://www.screenreader4free.eu/index.html and you will find lots of useful information as well as the software and tutorial downloads. I would like to publically thank all those who have been involved. Our vision remains strong to get a free talking screenreader option out there throughout the world, knowing as we do, that many blind people don’t have the funds to purchase the commercial options and don’t really want to be using illegal copies.
Many Thunder users enjoy the WebbIE Text browser and, in particular, the accessible Listen Again BBC radio service. But, over the past few weeks, we have run into some problems. Hopefully they are now fixed.
In the middle of August, Google changed its code and our excellent easy Web
search facility ceased to operate. If you can’t use it, you need to go to www.webbie.org.uk and download the latest version of WebbIE and all will be well again. This could well happen again in the future but hopefully not for some while.
And the BBC too have been making changes to their Listen Again service. We all get used to the way we do things and, when you can’t see what is going on, perhaps the challenge of something new is greater. But take it from me, the changes made by the BBC are brilliant and give us much more to listen to and enjoy, including TV as well as radio.
Again go to www.webbie.org.uk and to the BBC iplayer link. There is a download and this should sort you out for the time being. The message from the BBC people is that the iplayer will become accessible to us in a standard way by the end of October. I will give an update in my next blog. If you are not up to the technical side of all this, I suggest you find a computer buddy who can do the business for you. I do this myself whenever things are too difficult.
We are being helped by some good people from an organisation called Unltd in London to develop what we are doing into a more successful social enterprise. This is not just about money and revenue, important as this is. Its more about efficiency and getting to more potential users. We do keep records of the email addresses when you download Thunder from our website. We will never disclose these email addresses to anyone else; but we do want to write to you and be in contact with you for several reasons.
We don’t actually know how many people use Thunder on a regular basis.
We don’t know if it does the job properly in your circumstances.
You might want to purchase a better sounding voice from us or a scanner to read your post etc.
Some of you might want an electronic magnifier, Closed Circuit Television System, to enable you to read print or enjoy your photos again etc.
In other words, we do have access to lots of information and some low priced but high quality products that could interest you. So we are going in the near future to be sending out emails and hoping for a good response, please. Obviously, if you just want to use Thunder and not be bothered with all that, you can just press the DELETE Key on our email and that’s fine.
We have also been talking about having some kind of Thunder community so that you can talk or email to each other, I know that some like and some don’t like this kind of thing; but its great to know you can chat to someone else when there is a problem and it all lessens the isolation which some of us experience. Anyway, emails will be flying around the world from us very soon.
The other part of what Unltd are helping us with is how to manage our business, raise the funds we need, meet the right business people and keep good accounts etc. There is so much good stuff out there on the web, we just have to make it available to everyone, whether its valuable health information, the chance to go for the best retailer financial services offers etc. So we will aim to be hear for you for many years.
If you know of individuals or organisations wanting to enjoy Thunder in these languages, please visit http://www.screenreader4free.eu/index.html and you will find lots of useful information as well as the software and tutorial downloads. I would like to publically thank all those who have been involved. Our vision remains strong to get a free talking screenreader option out there throughout the world, knowing as we do, that many blind people don’t have the funds to purchase the commercial options and don’t really want to be using illegal copies.
Many Thunder users enjoy the WebbIE Text browser and, in particular, the accessible Listen Again BBC radio service. But, over the past few weeks, we have run into some problems. Hopefully they are now fixed.
In the middle of August, Google changed its code and our excellent easy Web
search facility ceased to operate. If you can’t use it, you need to go to www.webbie.org.uk and download the latest version of WebbIE and all will be well again. This could well happen again in the future but hopefully not for some while.
And the BBC too have been making changes to their Listen Again service. We all get used to the way we do things and, when you can’t see what is going on, perhaps the challenge of something new is greater. But take it from me, the changes made by the BBC are brilliant and give us much more to listen to and enjoy, including TV as well as radio.
Again go to www.webbie.org.uk and to the BBC iplayer link. There is a download and this should sort you out for the time being. The message from the BBC people is that the iplayer will become accessible to us in a standard way by the end of October. I will give an update in my next blog. If you are not up to the technical side of all this, I suggest you find a computer buddy who can do the business for you. I do this myself whenever things are too difficult.
We are being helped by some good people from an organisation called Unltd in London to develop what we are doing into a more successful social enterprise. This is not just about money and revenue, important as this is. Its more about efficiency and getting to more potential users. We do keep records of the email addresses when you download Thunder from our website. We will never disclose these email addresses to anyone else; but we do want to write to you and be in contact with you for several reasons.
We don’t actually know how many people use Thunder on a regular basis.
We don’t know if it does the job properly in your circumstances.
You might want to purchase a better sounding voice from us or a scanner to read your post etc.
Some of you might want an electronic magnifier, Closed Circuit Television System, to enable you to read print or enjoy your photos again etc.
In other words, we do have access to lots of information and some low priced but high quality products that could interest you. So we are going in the near future to be sending out emails and hoping for a good response, please. Obviously, if you just want to use Thunder and not be bothered with all that, you can just press the DELETE Key on our email and that’s fine.
We have also been talking about having some kind of Thunder community so that you can talk or email to each other, I know that some like and some don’t like this kind of thing; but its great to know you can chat to someone else when there is a problem and it all lessens the isolation which some of us experience. Anyway, emails will be flying around the world from us very soon.
The other part of what Unltd are helping us with is how to manage our business, raise the funds we need, meet the right business people and keep good accounts etc. There is so much good stuff out there on the web, we just have to make it available to everyone, whether its valuable health information, the chance to go for the best retailer financial services offers etc. So we will aim to be hear for you for many years.
Tuesday, 1 July 2008
NOT ALL GLOOM AND DOOM
NOT ALL GLOOM AND DOOM
As a statistic, I am 68, registered blind and hard of hearing. I wear two excellent digital hearing aids so, in many circumstances, I hear what I need to. I have had weak vision all my life and so am totally happy about that. With Margaret, I run a thriving business which is somewhat unusual as a business model but its all great. I am living where I want to be, with the person I want to be with and doing the things I want to do. So no room here for the doom and gloom of the credit squeeze, the down-turn in the economy and all that. Our software is largely free to blind people anyway and the numbers using it are rising day by day.
So, if you want to join us here at Screenreader.net, and ignore the general doom and gloom, here’s how you could play a part in a great project:
Translating the talking software into other languages:
So far we have the Thunder talking software in six languages; English, French, German, Italian, Estonian and Slovak. We have part translations in other languages too. We know there are blind and partially sighted people in all countries who would benefit from the talking computer with no funds to pay for the costly alternatives. So we welcome, please, an email or a phone call from anyone who can help with translation. Its partly a question of translating the manuals and tutorials and partly a question of translating the software package itself so that the menus, dialogs and features speak appropriately. We can give help and support, of course.
Writing Visual Basic Scripts: It is possible that no computer program is perfect and there is always room for improvement and more development. The Thunder software serves many people really well and makes easy much of what needs to be done on the computer without sight. But in schools and at work and even at home, there will always be a need to improve what Sensory Software Ltd has created and to extend the accessibility possibilities to new tasks and applications. So we welcome, please, an email or a phone call from anyone who has the capability and enthusiasm to modify or create Visual Basic scripts for this purpose. Your work will give blind and partially sighted people in great numbers a huge uplift as they struggle to improve their quality of life.
Feedback: We have thousands of Thunder users worldwide and, human nature being what it is, we don’t hear from those who, like us, use the software every day without problems. That’s great and just as it should be. But when there are problems, please, we would like to hear from you so we can put things right, or do our best to do so. We are reluctant to send out evaluation forms and questionnaires to everyone but we welcome your input and suggestions.
Interestingly, much of the feedback we do get falls into two major categories: Some blind people make the talking computer their hobby and their life; So we get feedback from those who already have one or more screenreader software packages on their computers with voice conflict problems or “moans” that Thunder does not behave like the others they are used to. The feedback we get from new users of talking software is very different indeed. Its almost always very positive and enthusiastic. But it’s the third kind of feedback we are now looking for; i.e. positive suggestions and tips to improve what we do for those who can’t afford expensive screenreader talking software.
The Finances: Any new business will struggle for the first year or so and this is especially true, probably, for a social not for profit enterprise like ours. Its almost two years to the day since Thunder was first launched and we are delighted to be able to say that we have money in the bank to continue what we are doing for the foreseeable future. With the long-term in mind, though, we need now to take a look at how we sustain a Screenreader.net revenue. A modest annual charge to each user would more than meet our costs but we don’t want to go down that road because even a modest charge would be beyond the resources of many individuals. Again, your suggestions would be very welcome, please. I will return to financial matters in a future blog.
So here are our contact details:
-mail: ask@screenreader.net
Telephone:
+44 (0) 1733 234441. We look forward to hearing from you.
As a statistic, I am 68, registered blind and hard of hearing. I wear two excellent digital hearing aids so, in many circumstances, I hear what I need to. I have had weak vision all my life and so am totally happy about that. With Margaret, I run a thriving business which is somewhat unusual as a business model but its all great. I am living where I want to be, with the person I want to be with and doing the things I want to do. So no room here for the doom and gloom of the credit squeeze, the down-turn in the economy and all that. Our software is largely free to blind people anyway and the numbers using it are rising day by day.
So, if you want to join us here at Screenreader.net, and ignore the general doom and gloom, here’s how you could play a part in a great project:
Translating the talking software into other languages:
So far we have the Thunder talking software in six languages; English, French, German, Italian, Estonian and Slovak. We have part translations in other languages too. We know there are blind and partially sighted people in all countries who would benefit from the talking computer with no funds to pay for the costly alternatives. So we welcome, please, an email or a phone call from anyone who can help with translation. Its partly a question of translating the manuals and tutorials and partly a question of translating the software package itself so that the menus, dialogs and features speak appropriately. We can give help and support, of course.
Writing Visual Basic Scripts: It is possible that no computer program is perfect and there is always room for improvement and more development. The Thunder software serves many people really well and makes easy much of what needs to be done on the computer without sight. But in schools and at work and even at home, there will always be a need to improve what Sensory Software Ltd has created and to extend the accessibility possibilities to new tasks and applications. So we welcome, please, an email or a phone call from anyone who has the capability and enthusiasm to modify or create Visual Basic scripts for this purpose. Your work will give blind and partially sighted people in great numbers a huge uplift as they struggle to improve their quality of life.
Feedback: We have thousands of Thunder users worldwide and, human nature being what it is, we don’t hear from those who, like us, use the software every day without problems. That’s great and just as it should be. But when there are problems, please, we would like to hear from you so we can put things right, or do our best to do so. We are reluctant to send out evaluation forms and questionnaires to everyone but we welcome your input and suggestions.
Interestingly, much of the feedback we do get falls into two major categories: Some blind people make the talking computer their hobby and their life; So we get feedback from those who already have one or more screenreader software packages on their computers with voice conflict problems or “moans” that Thunder does not behave like the others they are used to. The feedback we get from new users of talking software is very different indeed. Its almost always very positive and enthusiastic. But it’s the third kind of feedback we are now looking for; i.e. positive suggestions and tips to improve what we do for those who can’t afford expensive screenreader talking software.
The Finances: Any new business will struggle for the first year or so and this is especially true, probably, for a social not for profit enterprise like ours. Its almost two years to the day since Thunder was first launched and we are delighted to be able to say that we have money in the bank to continue what we are doing for the foreseeable future. With the long-term in mind, though, we need now to take a look at how we sustain a Screenreader.net revenue. A modest annual charge to each user would more than meet our costs but we don’t want to go down that road because even a modest charge would be beyond the resources of many individuals. Again, your suggestions would be very welcome, please. I will return to financial matters in a future blog.
So here are our contact details:
-mail: ask@screenreader.net
Telephone:
+44 (0) 1733 234441. We look forward to hearing from you.
Monday, 16 June 2008
A Progress Report.
Some good things have happened to Screenreader.net of late and I thought you might like to be briefly updated.
We now have an excellent range of Thunder downloads on this website and we are far from finished yet.
Version 3.43 is the latest Thunder and its worth you getting this on your computer or laptop. WebbIE too continues to grow and improve and, of course, you will update to the latest version as part of the thunder download. But its always worth a look at www.webbie.org.uk to keep abreast of things and make your suggestions and comments.
If you have been following the Thunder story over the past two years, you will know about our European connections and we are proud to say that Thunder is now up and running and available free of charge in French, German, Italian, Estonian and Slovak as well as our own English version. To enjoy all this, you need to go to www.screenreader4free.eu. We have high hopes of other languages coming along in the not too distant future and we thoroughly enjoyed working with our European partners over the past eighteen months. Speak as you find and the EU does good things for people with little or no sight, especially those of us who are not so wealthy.
Electronic Magnifiers or Closed Circuit TV Systems have occupied our thoughts for several years. There are excellent products on the market but few are affordable. We have joined forces with another UK Company, Bierley Ltd, who manufacture a range of electronic magnifiers for use with ordinary TV sets or the PC or Laptop. They also sell an excellent stand-alone model for around £650. Very soon you will see details of the Bierley products on our products website.
And this leads me to the final paragraph of this blog. We have always been thrilled that Thunder is free but we, as a business, have our modest bills to pay to make it all possible and if we go bust – well we cease being useful. So we must generate some covering income to balance the books.
We have set up another website: www.screenreader.co.uk as an online shop. At www.screenreader.co.uk you can purchase online or by telephone a range of reasonably priced products and accessories to use with your Thunder. There are superior sounding computer voices, advanced speech and or print enlargement software packages and, soon as just mentioned, the Bierley range of electronic magnifiers requiring no computer involvements. There is also some useful software for Braillists and those of you wanting to scan books or your post and listening to what comes to you in print. We even have software for people who can see well but struggle with reading and writing because of Dyslexic challenges.
And last of all: We do encourage you please, to make a donation towards the cost of implementing and updating the free software we provide. You don’t have to, of course; but every little helps and we are so proud of the fact that blind and visually impaired people all over the world can now enjoy the PC and all the benefits this can bring.
Some good things have happened to Screenreader.net of late and I thought you might like to be briefly updated.
We now have an excellent range of Thunder downloads on this website and we are far from finished yet.
Version 3.43 is the latest Thunder and its worth you getting this on your computer or laptop. WebbIE too continues to grow and improve and, of course, you will update to the latest version as part of the thunder download. But its always worth a look at www.webbie.org.uk to keep abreast of things and make your suggestions and comments.
If you have been following the Thunder story over the past two years, you will know about our European connections and we are proud to say that Thunder is now up and running and available free of charge in French, German, Italian, Estonian and Slovak as well as our own English version. To enjoy all this, you need to go to www.screenreader4free.eu. We have high hopes of other languages coming along in the not too distant future and we thoroughly enjoyed working with our European partners over the past eighteen months. Speak as you find and the EU does good things for people with little or no sight, especially those of us who are not so wealthy.
Electronic Magnifiers or Closed Circuit TV Systems have occupied our thoughts for several years. There are excellent products on the market but few are affordable. We have joined forces with another UK Company, Bierley Ltd, who manufacture a range of electronic magnifiers for use with ordinary TV sets or the PC or Laptop. They also sell an excellent stand-alone model for around £650. Very soon you will see details of the Bierley products on our products website.
And this leads me to the final paragraph of this blog. We have always been thrilled that Thunder is free but we, as a business, have our modest bills to pay to make it all possible and if we go bust – well we cease being useful. So we must generate some covering income to balance the books.
We have set up another website: www.screenreader.co.uk as an online shop. At www.screenreader.co.uk you can purchase online or by telephone a range of reasonably priced products and accessories to use with your Thunder. There are superior sounding computer voices, advanced speech and or print enlargement software packages and, soon as just mentioned, the Bierley range of electronic magnifiers requiring no computer involvements. There is also some useful software for Braillists and those of you wanting to scan books or your post and listening to what comes to you in print. We even have software for people who can see well but struggle with reading and writing because of Dyslexic challenges.
And last of all: We do encourage you please, to make a donation towards the cost of implementing and updating the free software we provide. You don’t have to, of course; but every little helps and we are so proud of the fact that blind and visually impaired people all over the world can now enjoy the PC and all the benefits this can bring.
Sunday, 18 May 2008
The Times Newspaper and Thunder
On Thursday last, Screenreader.net had a minute of fame with a brief article about us appearing in the London Times Newspaper in the careers section. The story as told below is substantially true and its remarkable how a journalist can put together an uncomplicated summary of our last eight years of work in 300 words. But what I liked most was that it presented a picture of blind people doing well, achieving something good and not the more usual helpless image as often portrayed by some fund-raising charities’ campaigns. When you read this piece, you will also realise that no mention was made, sadly, of Sensory Software Ltd, who created the Thunder software.
Roger Wilson-Hinds achieved academic success despite his
blindness and rose to senior jobs in education. But he was
uncomfortable as an employee and, when 50, he and his wife,
Margaret Wilson-Hinds, started a successful business to supply
ICT equipment and teach other blind people how to use it. Illness
struck. While recovering, Roger resolved to create and give away
screen reader software to any blind person. Now with 100,000
users, ‘Thunder’ is gaining large fees for developing variants.
Our big idea
GIVING your product away to anyone who wants it is certainly an atypical business model, but for Roger and Margaret Wilson-Hinds, it was the pivotal decision that turned their screenreader idea into a commercial reality.
Blind since birth themselves, the Wilson-Hinds were busily running a disability training company, having won a government contract to teach blind people to use computers. Then, in 1998, Roger was diagnosed with cancer, forcing the couple to quit the business and gift it to a close friend - who has continued its success and now employs nine people.
During the ensuing treatment the Wilson-Hinds realised that, although programmes that could scan text on a computer screen and read it back to the user were available, the typical £700-£800 software packages were beyond the pocket of the majority of the world's blind community and they became determined to produce a low-cost alternative.
At 60 most people contemplate turning the wick down a little, but fuelled by the idea of "opening up information literacy to blind people anywhere", in 2000, Roger enrolled himself and his wife on a course for social entrepreneurs instead.
Having self-funded the product's development, the screenreader, called Thunder, was finally ready for market, but, after a few years of trying to sell it at low-cost, the take-up was slow.
"It seemed like a good idea at the time, but low-cost is often seen as inferior and it wasn't until we studied the Google model and embraced the notion of 'free to the end user' that things really got moving," Roger says.
Immediately the product became free a German company with links to European Blind Union got in touch and, two months later, the Wilson-Hinds were in receipt of an EU grant of ¤240,000 to fund French, Italian, German, Slovak and Estonian versions of Thunder.
Since then, more funding has been forthcoming, a version specifically for people with learning difficulties is in development and, with almost 100,000 users, the company now advises businesses on how to make their websites available to this untapped market.
http://www.blogger.com/www.screenreader.net
By MARK BARBER
We do look forward to a great future for the Thunder screenreader software and what it can do to empower blind and visually impaired people throughout the world.
Roger Wilson-Hinds achieved academic success despite his
blindness and rose to senior jobs in education. But he was
uncomfortable as an employee and, when 50, he and his wife,
Margaret Wilson-Hinds, started a successful business to supply
ICT equipment and teach other blind people how to use it. Illness
struck. While recovering, Roger resolved to create and give away
screen reader software to any blind person. Now with 100,000
users, ‘Thunder’ is gaining large fees for developing variants.
Our big idea
GIVING your product away to anyone who wants it is certainly an atypical business model, but for Roger and Margaret Wilson-Hinds, it was the pivotal decision that turned their screenreader idea into a commercial reality.
Blind since birth themselves, the Wilson-Hinds were busily running a disability training company, having won a government contract to teach blind people to use computers. Then, in 1998, Roger was diagnosed with cancer, forcing the couple to quit the business and gift it to a close friend - who has continued its success and now employs nine people.
During the ensuing treatment the Wilson-Hinds realised that, although programmes that could scan text on a computer screen and read it back to the user were available, the typical £700-£800 software packages were beyond the pocket of the majority of the world's blind community and they became determined to produce a low-cost alternative.
At 60 most people contemplate turning the wick down a little, but fuelled by the idea of "opening up information literacy to blind people anywhere", in 2000, Roger enrolled himself and his wife on a course for social entrepreneurs instead.
Having self-funded the product's development, the screenreader, called Thunder, was finally ready for market, but, after a few years of trying to sell it at low-cost, the take-up was slow.
"It seemed like a good idea at the time, but low-cost is often seen as inferior and it wasn't until we studied the Google model and embraced the notion of 'free to the end user' that things really got moving," Roger says.
Immediately the product became free a German company with links to European Blind Union got in touch and, two months later, the Wilson-Hinds were in receipt of an EU grant of ¤240,000 to fund French, Italian, German, Slovak and Estonian versions of Thunder.
Since then, more funding has been forthcoming, a version specifically for people with learning difficulties is in development and, with almost 100,000 users, the company now advises businesses on how to make their websites available to this untapped market.
http://www.blogger.com/www.screenreader.net
By MARK BARBER
We do look forward to a great future for the Thunder screenreader software and what it can do to empower blind and visually impaired people throughout the world.
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