WebAIM - Web Accessibility In Mind

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Re: BrowseAloud redux

for

From: fran.paterson
Date: Feb 14, 2008 4:20PM

Have looked at Browsealoud and its partner software Read&Write Great for those with mild problems who are computer literate, and an early/cheaper/entry solution. Providers of websites offering this can make it easy and free for those who download the reader option to see their site, so the cost is at the supplier end.

Advantages - customer does not have to pay, learning curve is gentle, keeping up to date with latest browser developments is easy and free. Computer does not need additional memory or processing power, really useful for those with learning difficulites, dyslexia or low reading skills. Easy to integrate.
Disadvantages - does need some computer/visual skills to get around, only works for contributing sites, not really useful for the totally blind

You can donwload the reader option for free to try, and they will also offer to set a named site up for you to try it out if you contact them


---- Patrick Lauke < <EMAIL REMOVED> > wrote:

> Laura Carlson

> Some folks on our campus are have recently been contacted by the
> marketing department for BrowseAloud [1] and are interested
> in it. I'm
> trying to gather further information on cost/benefits.
>
> I searched the WebAIM achieves and found the "Speech enabling
> software"
> thread [2] from a couple of years ago.
>
> What is your current advise?

I don't particularly like the BrowseAloud model...the plugin works on any site, but it checks against a whitelist of urls (of sites that have paid for the service) to see whether or not it should run. It would be far more useful for end users if it ran on every site by default...but then the company's business model would crumble...

http://www.accessifyforum.com/viewtopic.php?p=52021#52021
and
http://www.accessifyforum.com/viewtopic.php?t=7541

P