From: Richard Webb 
Subject: Audio SW + Blind (Forward From elspider@interl.net)
Hello, Dave, and thanks for the note.
On 1997-10-28 D-Murphy@ucc.ie said to elspider@interl.net
   >I hope you don't mind me contacting you like this, but I came
   >across a mail you sent to the NFB about digital audio and access
   >for the blind. I am a lecturer in a university in Ireland and I
   >have a new postgraduate student who is blind. He is undertaking
   >research into sound recording and digital audio. The problem is
   >that our studio is completely Mac based and I need to find a good
   >reliable and accurate screen reader for him.
I don't like to be the bearer of bad news, but the only screenreader
for the Mac is a product called outspoken, once produced by Berkeley
Systems, the folkswho developed the after dark screen-saver for the
PC.  I'm not sure who has the rights to outspoken now, but they have
basically ceased development on it.
As for most audio products for the Mac, they all seem to like to use
nonstandard methods of depicting icons, etc.  Which means that the
screen reader cannot give him said access.  Protools and Sonic
Solutions both have this problem.  This bugs me a bit, as I'm
from the old analog school, but would like to build a high quality
mastering facility.  I can still do multi-track recording and mix to
dat, and if I wish to do low resolution edits, I can use Cooledit or
other similar products for the PC, but the high resolution high
quality products are all inaccessible at this time, so far as I know.
This holds true for both platforms.
At the NFb recording studio in Baltimore, they have Sadie, which is
for the Pc platform.  It, too is inaccessible at this time, though
there are many more choices for screen access than there are for the
Mac platform.  Hence, my recent communication with appropriate
listservs.
   >You seem to have an understanding of this area, could you please
   >give me some advice ?
   >I really appreciate your assistance.
I wish I could have been of better assistance.  It would have given me
great pleasure to suggest a software package that would fill your
needs for your student.  Alas, I cannot.
Contact chong99@concentric.net and others, maybe with enough voices
speaking up, we can get product developers to remedy this situation.
That's cold comfort for your student, bugt I've been involved in this
field for many years, and don't intend to change careers at 41.
Still, I would like to get out of the area of it I'm in now, and build
a high quality mastering shop.  This is unattainable to me at this
time, however.
If I can provide further information, feel free to contact me.
REgards,
Richard Webb
Electric Spider Productions
Library music, voice-overs, jingles, demos, music-on-hold.
     Instructional audio tapes.
Amateur Radio:  kb0ruu
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