Screen reader software is what makes the computer accessible to an individual who is blind, but I’m not writing this post for those who are blind.  If you’re blind, you probably know about the resource I’m going to share.  I’m writing this because there are literally millions of sighted individuals, of all ages, who find reading challenging and who might benefit from this special screen reader.

A screen reader is controlled by the keyboard via keyboard commands.  It uses text-to-speech to read what is on the computer screen; and it is text-to-speech that enables the blind user to navigate and know precisely where he or she is on the computer at any given moment.

WebAnywhere is a screen reader that has been developed to provide access to web pages.  It does not facilitate access to computer applications that are not online.  The beauty of WebAnywhere is that it is web based. This means there is nothing to install, and that it can be used on any computer–Mac, PC, or Linux.  It will even work on a networked or locked down computer where the user does not have administrative rights.

To activate WebAnywhere, simply click on the link below, or enter the URL in your address bar wa.cs.washington.edu

The WebAnywhere user can easily choose what he or she wants to read on a web page by using a simple set of keyboard commands.  There are other text-to-speech options for  web pages, but I believe that WebAnywhere is an excellent option for anyone who relies heavily on text-to-speech for any reason.

The developers indicate that WebAnywhere works best with the latest version of Flash, but that it will also work with Windows Media Player or Quicktime.  This means that WebAnywhere can be used on handheld devices that are without flash.