|
|
| Guest Profiles |
Read |
| Episode Summary: People With Disabilities |
Read |
| Living with autism: a parent’s story |
Read |
| Enabling change |
Read |
| Law & Regulations |
Read |
| One simple step to increase our GDP. |
Read |
| Talking words: How Orca helps the blind |
Read |
|
| |
| |
|
| Talking words: How Orca helps the blind |
| |
|
| |
|
|
| |
By Krishnakant Mane
Orca is a free and open source talking software that reads everything on the computer screen including normal text, emails, spreadsheets etc. A blind person can carry out all activities such as reading or writing documents, emails and even software programming. The software delivers a voiceover in synthetic speech about everything that happens on the screen. It reads out not just the text, but also other elements such as popup dialogs, links buttons, dropdown lists and anything that appears on the screen. If a person is typing on the keyboard, the software will also echo whatever is typed, either every character, or word, or both. Even an entire sentence can be echoed back if needed. A blind person can also hear formatting information including font size, bold, underline etc. In short, it is as good as a human assistant sitting next to a blind person.
Orca is free and open source, and runs on all Linux versions such as Ubuntu. Linux itself is free and open source. Today, more than 40 per cent computer users use it on desktops and 80 per cent of servers in the world run Linux. Due to its safety and virus-proof nature, organisations such as Trinux, LIC, Google, and courts all run Linux.
With training, it becomes easier to create employment opportunities for blind people. There are many projects such as the insight project in Kerala which have proved that employment of the visually disabled has improved after they were given computer training using Linux and Orca. Also, a project I did in the state of Tamil Nadu for the Electronics Corporation of Tamil Nadu (ELCOT), called True Vision which was run under my guidance and mentorship. We trained teachers in schools for the blind to use the free operating system Linux with Orca. The aim was to bring technology-based education to the blind students. The complete video on the project can be viewed here: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lzLIKxpZV0U
This will give an idea of how talking software can really benefit the visually disabled in terms of digital empowerment through education and employment.
|
|
| |
|
|
|
|
|
|
the personal details that should remain private. (See our Terms of Service).