Written By: Laura Koehler, WBRC Orientation and Mobility Instructor
John Martyn, a former student of the WBRC, has taken his computer training to the next level. His goal is to be an advocate working with leading software companies to help them redesign their software products to make them accessible for the JAWS user.
So…what is a JAWS accessibility/scripting solution? JAWS (Job Access With Speech) is a computer screen reader program in Microsoft Windows that allows blind and visually impaired users to read the screen either with a text-to speech output or by a Refreshable Braille Display. Most companies as well as the non-blind community are very unaware of this technology, how it works and most importantly that their products are not accessible to the JAWS user. Scripting solutions (program redesigns) are required to make them accessible.
Mr. Martyn has devoted a great deal of his time creating these JAWS scripting solutions, however, his goal is to continue to work with leading software companies to encourage them to redesign their products. His website, doitblind.com, focuses on this mission and is showing leading software companies that it is profitable and equitable to provide accessibility. Solutions of interest to the blind community are:
Mr. Martyn was also recently a presenter at the CSUN Conference, demonstrating how his scripting solutions work for QuickBooks accounting software. Congratulations, John, on your efforts towards making computer technology accessible for the blind!
CLICK HERE to visit John's Website
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| Photo: WBRC Alumnus John Martyn |
So…what is a JAWS accessibility/scripting solution? JAWS (Job Access With Speech) is a computer screen reader program in Microsoft Windows that allows blind and visually impaired users to read the screen either with a text-to speech output or by a Refreshable Braille Display. Most companies as well as the non-blind community are very unaware of this technology, how it works and most importantly that their products are not accessible to the JAWS user. Scripting solutions (program redesigns) are required to make them accessible.
Mr. Martyn has devoted a great deal of his time creating these JAWS scripting solutions, however, his goal is to continue to work with leading software companies to encourage them to redesign their products. His website, doitblind.com, focuses on this mission and is showing leading software companies that it is profitable and equitable to provide accessibility. Solutions of interest to the blind community are:
1. blindtunes.net greatly enhances capabilities for iTunes as well as makes it easy to manage your music library and purchase tracks for your iPod or iPhone.
2. rhapsodyblind.com opens up the world of online music and allows you full access to the popular music service Rhapsody.
3. Mr. Martyn also designed a site for the NFB that promotes the learning and reading of Braille. The site should be up and running in March and can be accessed from doitblind.com.
Mr. Martyn was also recently a presenter at the CSUN Conference, demonstrating how his scripting solutions work for QuickBooks accounting software. Congratulations, John, on your efforts towards making computer technology accessible for the blind!
CLICK HERE to visit John's Website
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