If you are not familiar with what a PDA does and what features to look for to suit your needs, please first read our discussion of PDA features. The link at the bottom of that discussion will bring you back here.

[all other links on this page open a new window to EnableMart.com]

PDAs can be divided into two categories: some are running a proprietary suite of applications optimized for blind users, using the Windows CE operating system as an underpinning. Examples of this type are:

Pocket Hal is a full screen reader, complete with Braille support for the Pocket PC.

Braille Sense or BrailleNote's KeySoft interface, with applications optimized to work with a braille display. 

Voice Note is for people who prefer high quality speech output without a braille display. Most of the same great features of the BrailleNote are packed into an even smaller and lighter unit. Choose from either a Braille key or QWERTY input.

TADI Talking Organizer is a PDA that uses a keyboard and voice recording for input and speech for output. It has a phone book, appointment diary, notepad, calculator, alarm clock, timer, and five hours of recording time. It comes in English, Spanish, and French.

Voice Sense has a a Perkins style keyboard for inputting information and synthesized voice for outputting information. It has multimedia functions: a Daisy talking book player, an MP3 player and voice recording capabilities. Wireless networking features (such as wireless LAN and Bluetooth).

The second type are those running on the standard Pocket PC suite of applications. Examples are

Pac Mate or any Windows Mobile 2003 Second Edition- or Windows Mobile 5.0-powered devices running Mobile Speak Pocket. There are several models of Pac Mate. The Omni BX400, for example, comes with a braille keyboard and optional detachable braille display. Includes JAWS for Windows CE for speech output and Windows Mobile 6.0 with Pocket versions of Microsoft Word, Excel, Internet Explorer plus calendar, e-mail, contacts, FSEdit (braille word processor), FSCalc (financial and scientific calculator), Media Player and other applications. Full desktop synchronization through ActiveSync.

Maestro, a pocket PC made accessible using text-to-speech technology and a tactile keyboard over the PDA touch screen.

 Linux PDAs

These PDAs use the Linxux operating system instead of Windows CE:

The Icon, manufactured by LevelStar, is a Linux-based screenless PDA designed for the blind. Therefore all of the applications installed on the Icon are guaranteed to be completely accessible to the blind. This is a strong advantage to users who like using PDAs but do not want to buy an off-the-shelf PDA which may contain inaccessible third-party software. The Icon comes with a text-to-speech program, a telephone-like keypad and a context-sensitive help feature that can be activated from within any application.

The BRAILLEX EL Braille Assistant is a universal communications tool and a state-of-the-art Braille display for other computers. Send and receive e-mail or surf the web, make notes or organize your day, share information with other devices or access your Windows based PC. BRAILLEX Braille Assistant offers this with quality refreshable Braille and easily understood speech — in many different languages.

Accessories

EasyLink keyboard is a pocket-size, braille-input Bluetooth-enabled keyboard that works with either a PDA or a cell phone using Talks software. Two models are available; one has a braille keyboard, while the other has both the keyboard and a twelve-cell refreshable braille display. EasyLink comes with PocketWrite software and a PDA. You can buy just the EasyLink Braille display if you already have a PDA or other equipment and wish to use EasyLink with it. The Bluetooth wireless connectivity makes this device truly portable.

ActiveForever
(a division of Independent Living Products)
10799 N. 90th Street
Scottsdale, AZ 85260
800-377-8033 (Toll free)
480-767-6800
602-296-0297 Fax
www.activeforever.com
E-mail: CustomerService@ActiveForever.com

ActiveForever [all links on this page open the ActiveForever web site in a new window]specializes in practical solutions for a range of medical problems, rehabilitation, and accessibility. A section of their online store is devoted to low vision products.

ActiveForever's Low Vision Department offers a wide selection of daily living aids, large print products, magnifiers, CCTVs, talking watches, magnifying mirrors, lighting, and other low vision products. A list of these products can also be downloaded in PDF format.

Adaptive Technology Consulting
A Division of Perkins Products
P.O. Box 778
Amesbury, MA 01913
978-462-3817
978-462-3928 (Fax)
www.adaptivetech.net[all links open in new window at Adaptive Tech web site]
E-mail: gyarnall@adaptivetech.net

Adaptive Technology Consulting provides high-technology adaptive devices, training, and consulting services that bring greater independence to individuals who are blind, visually impaired, or have learning disabilities.

Products include adaptive wallets, Daisy books, barcode readers, electronic personal organizers, electronic notetakers, large print computer keyboards, personal care products, screen magnification software, screen readers, speech recognition, video magnifiers (CCTVs), tables for video magnifiers, and whiteboard digital recorders.

Ann Morris Enterprises, Inc.
Division of Independent Living Aids, Inc.
P.O. Box 9022
Hicksville, NY 11802-9022
1-800-537-2118 (Toll free)
516-937-1848
516-937-3906 Fax
www.annmorris.com
E-mail: can-do@independentliving.com
[link opens in a new window]

Ann Morris supplies the following independent living products[all links open Ann Morris web site in a new window]: bath accessories, canes and walkers, CCTVs, clocks and timers, computers and technology, cooking, educational, electronics, food and novelties, games, recreation, health care, household, jewelry, lamps, magnifiers, personal care, pet supplies, talking items, telephones, watches, writing, and financial management.

Beyond Sight, Inc.
5650 S. Windermere St.
Littleton, CO 80120
303-795-6455
303-795-6425 Fax
E-mail: support@beyondsight.com

Beyond Sight offers braille displays and embossers; computers; software; mobility aids; clocks and watches; adapted games; kitchen aids; health and beauty aids; lamps and bulbs; writing aids; magnifiers; helpful gadgets; note takers; recorders and players; telephones; video magnifiers.

Blindsoftware.com has Three Goals

1. to develop premiere screen reader-accessible programs for the Windows operating system. These programs are to be flexible and easy-to-use while also providing key features for visually impaired computer users. The site provides a software comparison chart to see the benefits of their accessible software over other commercially available programs. These programs include productivity, games, and entertainment software.
2. to provide software developers a way to market their programs through blindsoftware.com, provided these programs meet our criteria to be useful and accessible to individuals with vision impairment.
3. to offer advertising opportunities to disability-related companies who offer products specifically for blind or visually impaired individuals.

BlindSoftware.com

Absolutely! Printed material can be accessed primarily via two ways:

• Electronically, via the internet or email;
• By scanning it into your computer and reading it using screen reading or magnification programs.

With the rapid expansion of the internet, you can now access a large amount of digital material on the internet, including most newspapers and magazines and a growing number of electronic books, such as eBooks. Many newspapers offer free access to much of their content, while others charge subscription fees and/or offer different levels of access based on requested content.

Scanners and OCR Software

Relatively inexpensive scanners and OCR (optical character recognition) software can translate any page of printed material into spoken text on your computer. OCR packages designed to be used by people who are blind or have low vision can range from $200 to $1,000, depending upon the number of features you request. For everyday use, the OCR packages from[all links open in new windows] Premier Technologies can certainly do the job for under $200. Other popular OCR programs include OpenBook (from Freedom Scientific) and Kurzweil 1000 or the Kurzweil 300 which runs on both Windows and Mac computers and can print output on a braille printer (from Kurzweil Educational Systems). The more fully-featured programs cost quite a bit more, in the neighborhood of $1,000.

Stand-alone OCR Hardware

These systems are portable units that scan and display documents using speech and sometimes a monitor. They have their own OCR software installed. They are more expensive than software that loads onto your computer, but the units are easier to carry with you. This is not an exhaustive list of all products available, just a sampling.

Examples include MobilEyes. The professional model has full laptop services and your favorite Screen Reader or Magnification Software can easily be loaded onto MobilEyes Professional.

Guerilla Technologies has several models of Extreme Reader Reading Machine. Three models serve readers of all computer comfort levels with ultra-reliable operation and clear, fluid speech output of today's popular media, including scanned print, text files on diskette, and DAISY-formatted CD books.

The Simon Reading Machine is very light weight, easy to use, and has a powerful scanner.

Questions to ask before buying

• Do you need a portable, stand-alone OCR product or a software-based product to be used in your computer?
• If you want software, is the OCR system compatible with your computer's operating system?
• Do you also require screen-reading features?
• Is speech output all you require, or do you also want the text displayed on a monitor?
• Do you require braille output?
• Do you need printer and/or braille embosser/printer output?

Through your local rehabilitation agency, you may want to seek the services of an Assistive Technology Specialist who can help you decide on the best product for you, and provide you with resources to master your chosen option.

Carolyn's Low Vision Products

3938 South Tamiami Trail
Sarasota, FL 34231-3622
800-648-2266 (Toll free)
941-373-9100
www.carolynscatalog.com  
E-mail: support@carolynscatalog.com  

Carolyn's products include canes, computer supplies, electronics, fit over shields and sunglasses, games, household products, lamps, magnifiers, medical supplies, telephones, stationery, video magnifiers, vitamins, watches and clocks.

For people with low vision, large fonts on bright screens with adjustable contrast, low glare, voice output and tactile buttons and keys are important for low vision users. However, most cell phones allow for only minor font size adjustment, and few have contrast or brightness adjustment. Some cell phone models reduce glare with glare resistant coatings on their phones' screens. It is best to find the cell phone with features you need and then find the cell phone service provider that offers that phone model.

You will need to check out several types of different phones to find the features and/or buttons that best meet your individual needs and preferences. Some phones, for example, have larger screens than others; so again, you will need to explore the different options.

Some cell phones have flat buttons and/or "rocker" buttons, which may not be helpful to you. However, there are several phone models that have raised buttons and different size buttons that you will be able to feel. For example the Nokia 6061 Flip Phone claims to have a large color screen and big easy-to-use keys.

The feature of most help to you may be the cell phone with voice activation and speech. For example The Liberty Bell® cell phone[link opens in new window] is 100% voice activated and allows the user to turn the system on or off, place a call or end a call, answer a call and even adjust the volume simply by speaking.

The Owasys 22C has no screen and thus is equally usable by blind and sighted users. It has well-spaced buttons, and provides speech access to all of its functions, but it is a very basic phone without many of the advanced features of today's phones. It must be ordered directly from the manufacturer.

Talks Series 60 Cell Phone Software allows your cell phone to be more accessible through screen reading software, and claims to be specifically designed for blind or low vision users. You will need to check out the phones that can use this software and you must have a computer with wireless Bluetooth or infrared capability, in order to install the software. For more information contact IndependentLiving.com[link opens in new window]. Also see evaluation of TALKS for Series 60 and Mobile Speak.[link opens in new window]

Screen Readers for Cell Phones

These three companies provide screen reading software for cell phones. The speech output provided by these programs supports nearly every feature and function on the phones.

• Code Factory
• Dolphin Computer Access
• Nuance

Computer Center for Visually Impaired People at Baruch College

151 East 25th Street, 6th Floor
New York, NY 10010
646-312-1420
646-312-1421 (Fax)
www.baruch.cuny.edu/ccvip
E-mail: judith_gerber@baruch.cuny.edu

Services include:

• Computer courses: Microsoft Word, Excel, PowerPoint, Access, and Surfing the 'Net. Students learn to use the keyboard rather than a mouse to navigate the computer, which makes it possible to email, shop on-line, or create documents, presentations and spreadsheets.
• A monthly open house that features hands-on demonstrations.
• Braille and large print production
• Training and consultation

To understand what Screen Magnification Software does, read the article Magnification Programs for the Computer Screen. Here is a list of some of the software available. Some work only with Windows. This list is not all-inclusive and new products may have been released recently.

• You may want to try ZoomText magnification software. You can set magnification and colors for different web sites. The software automatically finds links in web pages. Read more about ZoomText and try a free demo version for a month to see if you like it at Ai Squared[link opens in new window].
• Another application for Windows from Ai Squared is the BigShot Screen Magnifier. It magnifies the screen upto 200%. Find this at Ai Squared[link opens in new window].
• Another popular, full-featured screen magnification program is Magic, from Freedom Scientific. A demo can be downloaded directly from their website.
• For Apple users, SSP Direct offers this anti glare screen magnifier [link opens in new window]
• Dolphin Computer Access offers Lunar Screen Magnifier for Windows. [link opens in new window]

Digital Talking Book Players come in two types: software for your computer and stand-alone portable players. Here are some examples or each of these types of players. This is not an all-inclusive list; new products come out all the time.

If you are not sure what a Digital Talking Book is or how to choose a player to listen to these books, please read about Digital Talking Books on this web site before looking at these examples. A link on that page will bring you back here.

The American Printing House for the Blind has two products:

• Book Wizard Producer provides all the features necessary to create several types of books. You can create books with audio only, text only, or text and audio. You can create books from scratch by recording your own voice directly into Book Wizard Producer, or you can import existing audio and HTML text files. You can make the navigation features of your new book as simple or as detailed as you like.
• Book Wizard Reader is a software program to read digital talking books

Dolphin, an assistive technology company, also has both a reader and a producer software products:

• EasyReader is used to read and listen to content through a combination of text, audio and images right on your computer. You can change fonts, colors, and text size and the speech is highlighted as it is read.
• EasyProducer converts standard Word files into DAISY digital talking books (synchronised audio and text) that can be searched and navigated.

Innovative Rehabilitation Technology Inc. (I.R.T.I.) produces eClipseware software to read and produce Digital Talking Books:

• eClipseReader supports over 30 formats of accessible media. In addition to book navigation, eClipseReader incorporates study tools that enables students to bookmark and take notes that can be reviewed in eClipseReader's powerful text document reader as an outline study guide that is automatically generated in the study process. The Study Outline may be exported to MS Notepad as a text file, for use with other applications such as MS Word, and Braille Translators. eClipseReaders unique user interface can be customized for both blind users preferring a keyboard interface and an simple graphic interface for sighted.
• eClipseWriter turns electronic files in formats such as MS Word, HTML, .TXT, and .RTF and unlocked PDF into digital talking books or NIMAS document output. Also included is a talking word processor for authors to create their own original text or to edit existing copy. Formatting processes may be completely automated or by simple manual document mark-up that allows you to edit documents for more detailed structure with intermix audio, and graphic files into finished DAISY book providing a rich multi-media presentation.

Freedom Scientific's FSReader is a software application for the PAC Mate PDA and the PC. Used with DAISY formatted talking books, the FSReader has powerful navigation options for reading. FSReader teams up with JAWS to deliver easy accessibility.

gh Player offers a variety of accessibility features such as text-to-speech functionality, digital magnification, contrast enhancement, and synchronized text highlighting for a fuller reading experience.

Victor Reader Soft Victor Reader Soft combines the audio and text mode that let you read the text on screen synchronized with audio and is fully accessible to print disabled persons.Victor Reader Soft offers basic and advanced features: browsing the table of contents, skipping from section to section or returning quickly to a page, insert bookmarks to return to a spot or mark important passages etc. It supports JAWS and Window Eyes screen readers.

These portable devices can be used without your computer although some may provide connectivity to a computer to exchange files. There are other fine players available that we have not included on this list.

American Printing House for the Blind offers Book PortTM — a flexible book reading device that consists of a small, portable unit with a keypad and earbuds, plus accompanying software. It features both text-to-speech capabilities and digital audio support. This means you may read electronic files (with synthetic speech) or digital recorded books (with human speech). The unit contains state-of-the-art hardware such as a universal serial bus (USB) connector and a CompactFlash® card slot for removable mass storage. Book Port also acts as a recorder, letting you take audio notes on the material you read. The included software and cable lets you use your PC to transfer material to Book Port.

Plextalk offers both a player and a player/recorder for recording your own DAISY formatted Digital Talking Book.

• Plextalk-PTN1 Player enables you to enjoy your favorite audio titles such as; Daisy Digital Talking Books, music CD's, MP3 CD's, or audio books on CD.
• Plextalk-PTR2 Daisy Player and Recoder is designed to be a high quality recorder with the ability to create DAISY 2.02, audio only, books and Music CDs. It can play DAISY titles, Music CDs and Audio File CDs and CF cards. It can be used as a CD-RW or memory card drive when connected to a computer.
• Victor Reader ClassicX + Player supports all DAISY navigation levels and has advanced functionality such as skipping instantly to a specific page and placing multiple bookmarks.

[all links open in a new window] DisabilityInfo.gov is the federal government's one-stop web site for information of interest to people with disabilities, their families, employers, service providers and many others.

The site compiles information about state and federal legislation regarding disabilities, health care, education, social security and other benefits, civil rights, transportation, and technology. Of particular interest are the resources for Assistive and Adaptive Technology.

En-Vision America, Inc.

1845 E.Hovey Avenue
Normal, IL 61761
309-452-3088
800-890-1180 (Toll free)
www.envisionamerica.com  
E-mail: envision@envisionamerica.com

En-Vision America, Inc. provides high-tech products aimed at solving problems for people with visual impairments, including voice-enabled products such as i.d. mate OMNI, the talking bar code reader, and ScripTalk, the talking pharmaceutical reader.

EnableMart
4210 E. 4th Plain Blvd.
Vancouver, WA 98661
888-640-1999 (Toll Free)
360-695-4155 (Outside the U.S.)
360-695-4133 Fax
www.enablemart.com
E-mail: support@enablemart.com
Request a catalog 

EnableMart provides over 3,000 assistive technology and assistive living devices from over 200 manufacturers.

[all links on? this page open to enablemart web site in a new window]

EnableMart's online Assistive Technology store has a section devoted to vision products which sells screen magnifiers, braille note takers, screen readers, talking books, braille embossers and translators, and miscellaneous products for low vision, such as talking thermostats and alarm clocks, barcode readers, and more. 

Enhanced Vision Headquarters
5882 Machine Drive
Huntington Beach, CA 92649
888-811-3161 (Toll free)
714-374-1829
714-374-1821 Fax
E-mail: evinfo@enhancedvision.com

Dedicated to helping individuals maintain their independence, Enhanced Vision has developed assistive technology to create a full line of easy-to-use low vision tools at affordable prices. The web site offers an online product selector to help you choose the most appropriate assistive device for your needs.

Independent Living Aids, Inc.
P.O. Box 9022
Hicksville, NY 11802-9022
800-537-2118 (Toll free)
516-937-1848
516-937-3906 (Fax)
[all links on this page open in a new window]
E-mail: can-do@independentliving.com

Independent Living Aids (ILA) offers bath accessories; canes and walkers, CCTVs; clocks and timers; computers and technology; kitchen aids; electronics; food and novelties; games; recreation; health care; household; jewelry; lamps; magnifiers; personal care; pet supplies; talking devices; telephones; clocks and watches; writing materials and supplies.

LS&S Group
P.O. Box 673
Northbrook, IL 60065
800-468-4789 (Toll free)
866-317-8533 (TDD)
847-498-1482 (Fax)
www.lssgroup.com[all links on this page open in a new window
E-mail: info@lssonline.net

LS&S specializes in products for people who are blind, visually impaired, deaf, and hard of hearing, including talking watches, talking calculators, magnifying glasses, lighting, recorded book players, daily living products, mobility and orientation, assistive technology, amplified telephones, assistive listening devices, alerting systems, vibrating alarm clocks, TTYs, and other communication devices.

Magnifying Aids
1780 Main Street, Suite A
Dunedin, FL 34698
866-691-2450 (Toll free)
727-234-0664
727-491-3857 (Fax)

Magnifying Aids offers braille; clocks and watches; computer software and access; diabetes management; kitchen and housekeeping; labeling and marking; lighting; low vision; mobility devices; personal care; recreation and leisure; talking products; telephones and accessories; writing and reading devices.

Maxi-Aids
42 Executive Boulevard
Farmingdale, NY 11735
800-522-6294 (orders)
631-752-0521 (information)
631-752-0738 (TDD)
631-752-0689 (Fax)
E-mail: sales@maxiaids.com

Maxi-Aids offers alerting indicators; assistive tools; braille products; canes for the blind; labeling and marking; large print; lighting; low vision products; magnification; players/recorders; radios; games, recreation, and leisure; sewing aids; talking products; writing and reading aids.

When Computer Accessibility Features Aren't Enough

If you have been dependent on your computer but can no longer distinguish information on the computer screen, even using the accessibility features of Windows VISTA or XP or the MAC Leopard, you may be feeling very lost.

It would be advisable to locate a vision rehabilitation agency in your area where you can take advantage of a thorough Technology Evaluation. Specially trained AT (Assistive Technology) professionals will be able to help you determine which adaptive devices and software will best meet your computer usage needs.

Thanks to major advances in screen reading software, it has become much more possible and far easier to access all aspects of computer usage via synthesized speech. Some of the more popular speech software programs (screen readers or speech synthesizers) on the market today include:

• JAWS — from Freedom Scientific
• WindowEyes — from GW Micro
• Hal — from Dolphin Computer Access
• ZoomText with NeoSpeech from AI Squared

In the United States, and increasingly throughout the world, JAWS for Windows is taking a significant part of this market. For this reason, you may find it easier to locate potential trainers for this software as opposed to other alternatives.

The downsides to these types of programs are their relatively high price and their complexity, which can make the learning process rather time consuming. However, all of these products offer free demonstration copies, which you can either request on a CD-Rom or download directly from their websites. These demonstration copies will come with certain restrictions, but do provide you with the opportunity to try them out and get used to listening to synthesized speech. By the way, do not get discouraged if you are unable to easily understand everything you hear. With practice, you will get much faster and you will quickly forget you are listening to computer-generated speech.

Features to consider:

• Of course you must be sure the software is compatible with your computer's operating system. The Mac OS comes with VoiceOver as part of the operating system, and there are few other products made for the Mac. Windows VISTA OS has accessibility features too. And most of the screen reading products run on versions of the Windows OS.
• Do you need to use the software while traveling or while you are not on your home computer? The Dolphin Pen is a USB device that you can plug into almost any computer running Windows and use the software to magnify and read speech, so you can take the software with you to school or work.
• Do you need the software available in a language other than English? Not all of these screen readers are multi-lingual.
• Check the hardware requirements of the software. Some require a CD-ROM or DVD drive, a certain amount of RAM or disk space, sound cards, graphic cards, and keyboards. And, does it work with your braille display?
• Are you a musician? You might take a look at CakeTalking software that provides a customized configuration for the JAWS for Windows screen reader that allows blind musicians to use both basic and advanced features of Cakewalk SONAR, a music editing and recording program.

ShopLowVision.com
3030 Enterprise Court, Suite D
Vista, CA 92081-8358
800-826-4200
800-368-4111 (Fax)
www.shoplowvision.com
E-mail: Contact ShopLowVision.com

For Consumers: ShopLowVision.com offers a wide range of adaptive daily living products for home and leisure; kitchen and dining; health and wellness; office and technology; electronic low vision; travel and mobility; glare control; and braille.

For Professionals: ShopLowVision.com offers a wide range of optical magnification products including charts, spectacles, magnifiers, loupes, telescopes, absorptive lenses, and lamps/lighting.

Technologies for the Visually Impaired, Inc.

9 Nolan Court
Hauppauge, NY 11788
631-724-4479 (Phone and Fax)
www.tvi-web.com  
E-mail: contact@tvi-web.com

Technologies for the Visually Impaired Inc. offers a wide range of adaptive devices, software, and accessories specifically designed for use by blind or visually impaired individuals, including adaptive computers, reading machines, Windows access software, speech synthesizers, refreshable braille products, voice recognition software, screen magnification software, CCTV products, braille embossers, braille translation software, tactile imaging products, various accessories, and customized personal computer systems.

The Tiresias web site [link opens in new window]
provides in-depth information on assistive devices for people with visual disabilities, current and future research, technical information, disability organizations and agencies, sources of research, funding, publications, standards, and legislation.

Royal National Institute of the Blind
105 Judd Street
London WC1H 9NE
England, UK
Dr. John Gill, OBE, FIEE
+44 20 7391 2244
+44 20 7391 2318 (Fax)
www.tiresias.org [link opens in new window]

E-mail: john.gill@rnib.org.uk

Washington Assistive Technology Alliance's web site offers useful information about Assistive Technology, including an introduction to What is Assistive Technology?

WATA provides a page of vendors who sell assistive and adaptive technology products [link opens in new window] for people with low vision and blindness. The vendors sell software, computer accessories, telephone technology, pill organizers, mobility aids, Braille products, magnifiers, lamps, watches, clocks, cooking gadgets, and many more items.

If you live in Washington state, there is also a hot line you can call for assistance in finding which assistive technology products could help you, and how to get training and perhaps funding for using these products.

1-866-866-0162 V/TTY: Toll-Free Hotline for Washington State residents

What should I look for in a computer?

The Computer

There is not a significant difference among the myriad of computer brands. However, you will find that the more established brands often provide a higher level of support. You may also consider purchasing the computer from a local store; this way, should something go wrong with it, you should have easy access to support services. This may not always be the case if you purchase the computer from an on-line store. Of course, you may pay a bit more for this convenience and local servicing.

Memory

We suggest at least 256 megabytes of RAM or even 512. Screen readers and magnification programs take up memory, as do many other programs, such as, digital music editing, video and picture editing software programs. Memory prices have decreased significantly in recent years and keep in mind that it is always cheaper to "load" the computer at the time of initial purchase, instead of adding features and components later.

Hard Disk

Hard disk space is measured in gigabytes. These hard or fixed disks have gotten larger and larger, and now it is not unusual to find storage capacities of up to 160 gigabytes (GB) or higher. The larger the capacity the better, but you probably could do very well with something in the neighborhood of 50 to 100 GB. The more music, videos and pictures you plan to store, the larger the hard disk you will need to purchase. Digital media, as these items are usually called, take lots of space.

Processor Speed

Processor speed has gotten faster and faster. However, despite what you may be told by eager salespersons, unless you plan to manipulate large amounts of data and perform complex computations, speeds higher than 2 gigahertz (GHZ) are probably unnecessary.

Operating System

Windows Vista includes built-in accessibility settings and programs that make it easier to see, hear, and use the computer. The accessibility settings and programs in Windows Vista are particularly helpful to people with visual difficulties, hearing loss, discomfort in their hands or arms, or reasoning and cognitive issues. The Ease of Access Center makes it easier to find and use accessibility settings.

Windows XP provides a great deal more accessibility features than previous versions. Typically, for personal use, you will not need the professional version (XP Pro), and will do fine with the Home edition. You will find that very few blind and visually impaired persons use an Apple Macintosh. Most magnification programs and screen readers are designed for the Windows operating systems.

However, with the more recent versions of the Macintosh, such as the MAC Leopard OS, Apple has introduced a built-in accessibility features called Universal Access including VoiceOver and customizable Braille display.

Video System

As with memory (RAM), you want as much as possible, especially if you have low vision and plan to use a magnification program. In most cases, a 17-inch monitor should meet your needs; of course, if you have no usable vision and plan to use a screen reader, we suggest you purchase the least expensive monitor. Even though you may not need a monitor at all, we would encourage you to have one, since it will enable you to share your computer with others and also to get assistance from a sighted person should you run into any difficulties.

Storage

In addition to the hard disk, you should make sure to get a CD and DVD re-writable drive. This will enable you to backup your data onto CDs and/or DVDs. Also, with these drives, you will be able to store music, pictures, etc. Most computers sold nowadays no longer include a floppy drive for the old 3.5" diskettes. However, in their place, there are a wide variety of other even smaller media you can use to transport data. These include flash cards, and thumb drives, etc. These devices can be extremely small and yet capable of storing large amounts of data.

Ports and Slots

The more USB ports you get the better. Also, make sure that some of them are located on the front of the computer for easier access. Most devices now use USB ports to connect to the computer, including storage devices, such as flash cards, and thumb drives.