Accessibility at NSW CLIC

screen shot of demonstration copy of Guide interface with each option selectable with arrow keys or by entering the corresponding number

(review date June 2007)

This is a software suite that provides many of the facilities available through modern computers while removing the associated complexities. It is menu driven, as shown by the screenshot. The user can simply enter the number corresponding to the chosen function or can use the up and down arrow keys to reach an item and then enter to select it. A wide variety of screen colours and text sizes is available. Three high-quality (Nuance) synthetic speech voices are also provided, including an Australian voice, and speech output is highly configurable.

Installation is straight forward and includes comprehensive instructions via synthetic speech. Once installed, Guide’s major features are easy to access and configuration to meet individual needs is easily achieved. Internet and scanner settings on the test computer were automatically detected. Email settings were not, probably due to the specific network environment.

Guide can be set to start automatically when the computer starts and, if desired, it can also shut down the computer when it is closed. It is therefore possible to write documents, send and receive emails, scan paper documents and play audio files and much more without having to learn about the Windows operating system and a multitude of separate applications. This makes it ideal for people who, for a variety of reasons, would usually find the process difficult. Potential candidates include those who have various neurological problems, and visual reading difficulties. Guide is not intended as the sole computing tool for people who need more powerful facilities. However, it is likely to be a complete solution for some and a very useful starting point or supplementary tool for others.

Internet and Email

Guide relies on settings from an installed mailer program to send and receive emails. As mentioned above, Guide warned that not all settings on the test machine were correct. Nevertheless, it was possible to send an email from its email facility.

When using the internet, there is a choice of a text-only or full browser. When using the full browser, loading each web page was extremely slow. Text-only browsing was faster, but not comparable with performance of mainstream browsers. On the other hand, there is clear speech and visual display tailored to individual needs.

Word Processing

The word processor offers basic editing facilities and is easy to use. Documents are saved in Guide’s own format, but can be exported to Microsoft Word. Word and PDF files can also be imported.

A spell checker is available, as is a dictionary and thesaurus. A word in a document can be looked up in the dictionary, but if the word is misspelled no alternatives are offered. The thesaurus is extensive and entering on any word in it takes the user to its definition.

One of the word processor features allows a file to be converted to an audio file in MP3 format. Selected voice and speed settings are used. The file can be saved to the host computer or directly to an MP3 player connected to it. The audio file is produced in much less than real time.

Other Facilities

Several of Guide’s features require a scanner to be connected to the computer. A document can be scanned, converted to text and read via synthetic speech. Accuracy on the clearly printed page which was used for testing was very high. Scanning can be done a page at a time or multiple pages can be scanned before reading is commenced. Handwriting or pictures can be scanned and enlarged for easier viewing. By utilising the scanner and a printer, documents can also be photocopied.

Among Guide’s utilities is an address book. Adding new entries and reviewing existing ones is very straight forward. The Address Book can be accessed from the main menu and also while writing a letter or email. If a modem is connected to the computer, the phone number of a contact can be dialled.

At any time, pressing the F1 key opens a help page. The help is contextual, providing information relevant to the function currently in use. This information is valuable for learning about less obvious features and serves as a reminder if something is forgotten.

Specifications