A screen reader is an application which allows individuals who are visually impaired “see” a computer screen. It does this by “reading” the screen, as best it can figure, to the individual. More accurately, it try to interpret what would be on the screen, as a screen isn’t a requirement of the software.
While screen readers could do a good job in a text environment (like DOS and old Linux/UNIX), some have had problems in a GUI (Windows, Mac) environment. Especially in earlier versions, the layout of the application, or web page, would tremendously affect the ability of the screen reader. Leaving off the alt attribute of an image, or giving a poor description, would cause problems. Laying out the site with tables would give the screen readers a hard time as well.
While a screen reader comes with most modern operating systems, there are others on the market. These include JAWS (Job Access With Speech) and Window-Eyes for example.
Here is an example of how JAWS reads a web page:
You will want to make your designs as easy to use for those with visual impairments – making it work with a screen reader is a good first step.
What is a Screen Reader was originally found on Access 2 Learn
