Browser Speak
by Joshua Dean
Federal Computer Week

The visually impaired can now surf the Web, thanks to new browser software
that incorporates computerized speech. The talking Web browser,
pwWebSpeak/32, is available for $150 from The Productivity Works Inc., a
software company based in Trenton, NJ. 

"We designed a browser from scratch for those who have some visual
disability," said Markku Hakkinen, senior vice president of Productivity
Works. 

The browser works by translating a Web site’s Hypertext Markup Language into
speech. pwWebSpeak/32 also can present the text in variable sizes and
backgrounds. Users navigate inside Web sites through the use of text rather
than the typical graphical interface that many commercial and government
sites employ. 

All you need to get pwWebSpeak/32 up and running is a Microsoft Corp. Windows
95/98/NT-compatible PC, 5M of free hard drive space, an Internet connection,
a 32-bit sound card and a speech synthesizer. 

"Web accessibility is one issue that the government has been very aware of,"
Hakkinen said. This is evidenced by President Clinton’s support of the World
Wide Web Consortium’s Web Accessibility Initiative, which has been pushing
organizations with Internet sites to offer text-only versions of their pages. 

Hakkinen also said Netscape Communications Corp.’s Navigator and Microsoft’s
Internet Explorer "have not been tools that visually disabled people could
use easily."  

Hakkinen alluded to future browser additions and uses. Speech recognition may
be ideal for applications where users need hands-free browsing, such as in
the car. 

For more information about pwWebSpeak/32, contact Productivity Works at
609/984-8044 or visit it’s Web site at http://www.prodworks.com.