Magnification of full-motion video playback from encyclopedias and other multimedia applications is also available with ZoomText Xtra. Such a program can make an online catalog or the Internet accessible to the patron with low vision. The most basic technology of voice output is books on tape. This is an easy accommodation for a library to make, and many have already made this technology available. However, to access the online catalog or the Internet, a patron with little usable vision will need a screen reader.
Screen reading software can convert the text or graphics display on a PC into verbal output.
When screen readers first came out, they could only handle reading text in DOS-based programs. The Windows environment was difficult for screen readers. Assistive technology took a while to catch up. Now, screen reading programs for the Windows environment are improving rapidly. With this software, a blind individual would have access to speech output on a PC that a library is using to access its catalog or the Internet.