ACCESS TO PRINT

This list is divided into the following categories:

Inclusion in this list does not indicate endorsement of any technology or service, but rather resources to accompany lab work.

PROVIDING INFORMATION in a DIGITAL FORMAT

It is useful to have printed information available in a digital format, as that allows some people to access these materials using computer access technologies.  This provides access to individuals who can not physically manipulate books, magazines and the like, as well as individuals who are unable to see the standard print of these materials.  Likewise, individuals who are not good readers can simultaneously use software to aid with reading.  The following links demonstrate some information that is available on the internet.
 

And for more surfing, try these sites.  You can also try a keyword search on the terms "electronic text".
 

TRANSFORMING INFORMATION into a DIGITAL FORMAT

However more often than not, there are printed materials that are not available in a digital format.  To assist with this situation we can take advantage of scanners and optical character recognition (OCR) software.
 

USES for INFORMATION in a DIGITAL FORMAT

Reading Assistance Software
Kurzweil
Ultimate Reader
Ultimate KidBooks

Screen Magnification
There are some utilities built into the Mac (CloseView) and Windows operating systems.  Some individuals require more customizable solutions like the ones below.
inLARGE (Mac)
Lunar
MAGic
list of sources

Speech Synthesis & Screen Readers
A screen reader is software that will interpret what is displayed on the computer screen, and  communicate this to the computer user.  This communication may be spoken, such as with the assistance of a speech synthesizer, or in Braille, as with a refreshable Braille display.  Many of the screen reader programs listed below come bundled with speech synthesizer.
outSPOKEN (Mac + Windows)
HAL
JAWS
List of sources

Braille
Resource list

Lighthouse for the Blind catalogue