Hi Jim, et al,

I accidentally neglected to mention HPR in my previous message.  It's a
terrific program for reading web pages with a real lot of very cool
features.

Chris

-----Original Message-----
From: BLIND-DEV: Development of Adaptive Hardware & Software for the
Blind/VI [mailto:[log in to unmask]]On Behalf Of Jim
Thatcher
Sent: Tuesday, June 08, 1999 4:13 PM
To: [log in to unmask]
Subject: Re: Screen readers for web sites


Screen readers, including JFW, as Chris described it, are really stepping up
to
the challenge of providing proficient access to the web with speech and
brialle.
The progress they have made over the last years is impressive.

However, there is an alternative, a program designed by a blind IBM
researcher,
and written specificaly for blind users to access the internet with ease and
efficiency. IBM Home Page Reader provides a simplified number pad interface.
You
stop and start from the number pad (0 and enter) and always maintain your
position. You hear links in a different voice so you can stop and follow a
link.
Forms are easy. Frames are easy. You can navigate headers and tables, in
addition to links or stepping through the page chunck at a time. With the
new
version of Home Page Reader, Version  2.5 (due out at the end of this
month),
you can listen to a page in any of five languages (English, French, Italian,
Spanish or German) and you can turn on language detection so HPR will switch
languages when the language of the page changes. We already support most of
the
W3C access features, including table headers and summaries. The new version
has
advanced table navigation, up and down columns and across rows, and what is
the
column/row header of the currect cell.

There is lots of information about Home Page Reader and a 30 day free trial
on
our Web site, http://www.austin.ibm.com/sns/hpr

Jim Thatcher
IBM Special Needs Systems
www.ibm.com/sns
[log in to unmask]
(512)838-0432



Hi,

I know there is a lot of discussion about the upgrade costs to JFW.  It's
part of our business model and I have nothing to do with that end of the
company.

I can tell you, however, that the JFW 3.31 upgrade will be free to all users
of 3.30.  While I can't speak publicly about the details of the 3.31
version, I can say that it is very cool and does a whole lot of very nifty
things with internet related items.

Thanks,
Chris Hofstader
Development Manager
Henter-Joyce, Inc.