A person hears the information from a speech synthesizer or the computer's sound card. A screen reader also allows a person to control the computer using the keyboard rather than the mouse. For example, open your File menu by pressing Alt-F. To close the File menu, press the Alt key again. A blind person also uses special keyboard commands that were created by the screen reader. For example, most screen readers offer a keystroke to read the information in the title bar or in the status bar.
Some people use a refreshable Braille display rather than listening to the information.
A Braille display is not like a computer screen. Usually, it is placed near or under the keyboard. The screen reader sends the information on the screen to the Braille display. Then, a person places his or her fingers on the display and reads the information in Braille as it appears. Braille displays are helpful to people who are deaf-blind and to people who work at jobs that require them to talk to customers on the phone.