Software For The Blind Or Disabled Computer User
The web site contains software for the blind, dyslexic,
or motor impaired user, who for whatever reason,
cannot manipulate the mouse or negotiate windows easily.
Some applications such as the interactive calculator or the genealogy manager
seem unrelated to this goal, yet they exist
because their counterparts, available for $39.95 on retail shelves,
all run under MS-Windows, and force a graphical interface upon the user.
In many cases I was forced to reinvent the wheel to fit my nonstandard axle.
By placing this software in the public domain,
I hope others are not forced to do the same.
Unfortunately I haven't the time or resources to reinvent Quicken, TurboTax, It's Legal,
or other powerful programs that would make my life much simpler.
Of course you don't have to be disabled to enjoy some of the unique
features of these programs.
Several hundred sighted individuals run my genealogy system,
simply because they prefer a line-oriented interface.
Send any comments or suggestions, or references to other salient packages,
to eklhad@bio-3.bsd.uchicago.edu;
or call me at (810) 524-1004 during regular business hours.
- Columbo synthesized speech system,
adaptive software that allows blind or visually impaired users to
access DOS applications on PC compatibles.
- KeySounds generates various
sounds using the inbuilt toggle-speaker.
Some might prove useful in audio-adaptive software;
others are just plain fun.
- Easyterm is a handy package for
interactive communications and file transfers, DOS-DOS or DOS-Unix.
- Mars is one of the precious few
computer games that is fun to play, challenging to win, and entirely accessible to the blind (i.e. line-oriented).
- MathNotes contains my personal notes
(uncompressed ASCII consumes 3MB)
from dozens of undergraduate and graduate courses, with a focus on abstract algebra.
Since neither printed material nor its audio-cassette analog
constitutes a satisfactory reference library for the blind mathematician or engineer,
this concise and often cryptic library has proved invaluable, at least to me.
As with anyone else's notes, you may find them incomprehensible.
- Ecl is a library of useful functions
that must be downloaded if you wish to recompile any of the following packages.
- Pbc is an infinite precision calculator
with modular and polynomial functions, that runs under DOS or Unix.
- Grpanal is a permutation group analyzer
that derives the order of the group, and writes group elements in terms
of the initial set of generators. This is DOS-Unix portable.
By invoking "grpanal rubcube3", the program analyzes the standard Rubik's cube,
and maps arbitrary configurations back to start (i.e. solves the cube).
- GNG is a simple genealogy database manager that
is portable between DOS and Unix. It includes features not found in other
systems, such as adoption or care-giving relationships,
and merging distributed genealogy databases into one central database.
If you are interested in obtaining adaptive hardware/software that is more
compatible with screen-oriented applications,
you may find the following references helpful.
- National Technology Center
of the American Foundation for the Blind:
(212) 620-2080.
- National Braille and Technology Center for the Blind
of the National Federation of the Blind:
(301) 659-9314.
- Apple Customer Assistance OR Apple Dealer Referral
(800) 776-2333, or (800) 538-9696.
- IBM Special Needs:
(800) 426-2133.
- Trace Center:
(608) 262-6966.
The following sites provide text books and magazines on tape,
along with other useful services.
