Web Accessibility Tools - Screen Readers and Magnifiers

Screen Text Readers

Most students with vision loss coming to Texas A&M have gone through training by the Texas School for the Blind and Visually Impaired, or the state Department of Assistive and Rehabilitative Services. This training focuses primarily on the JAWS text reader from Freedom Scientific. Since the bulk of our on-campus users will be familiar with this software we particularly encourage testing your pages in it. However, there are several other titles that might be in use by the general public that you should be aware of, such as Window-Eyes from GW Micro.

• Demonstration of JAWS in Use by an Expert
• JAWS Keyboard Shortcuts

Screen Magnifiers

Web accessibility doesn't apply only to those who are completey blind. There are many people who have vision impairments but who can see objects which are magnified. Screen magnifiers are used by partially sighted Web users to increase the size of on-screen elements. The needs of screen magnifier users are often overlooked when implementing Web accessibility policies.

• Microsoft Windows Screen Magnifier
• Tips for Building Web Pages with Screen Magnification in Mind
• Browser Features: Font Size and Zoom