A different screen reading program will need to be considered for each operating system. Some MAC operating systems contain screen reading capabilities which may or may not work for online catalogs. One of the most exciting advances in adaptive technology is OCR or Optical Character Recognition. The term scanner may be more familiar to you. This technology has been available for a number of years.
Scanners look very much like small photocopy machines.
Books or loose pages of text are placed on the scanner and the text is scanned and converted to computer readable form which can then be saved to a file. A Braille printer can be used to print a hard copy of search results or text files. Many blind people prefer to have a hard copy of materials just as sighted users do. The price of Braille printers has dropped significantly in recent years and if the budget allows, a Braille printer should be a part of the workstation. For people with a mobility impairment, computer technology offers an opportunity to gain independence in daily living, education and working activities.