Microsoft Narrator
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Narrator is a light-duty screen reader utility packaged with Microsoft Windows 2000, Windows XP and Windows Vista. Narrator reads dialog boxes and window controls in a number of the more basic applications for Windows.
While Microsoft recommends that the visually impaired purchase a full-function screen reader for general computer use, Narrator is a significant piece of software for a number of reasons. Narrator is included with every copy of Microsoft Windows, providing a measure of access to Windows without the need to install additional software as long as the computer in use includes a sound card and speakers or headphones. Windows 2000 was the Microsoft operating system released with some degree of accessibility for the blind built in, permitting a blind person to walk up to any such computer and make some use of it immediately.
Narrator can assist a blind person in installing a full-function screen reader, assisting the user until his/her screen reader of choice is up and running. As well, because Narrator is a lightweight screen reader that requires minimal "hooks" into the operating system, Narrator can provide speech when a full-function screen reader might be unable to do so such as during the process of updating video drivers.
Narrator may be seen as a precursor to inclusion of more complete screen readers as part of a computer's operating system. In 2005 Apple Computer released its Mac OS X operating system with a full-function screen reader, VoiceOver, included. Windows Vista also includes an integrated screen reader.
Windows includes one default speech synthesizer called Microsoft Sam and supports SAPI so that other SAPI-compatible speech synthesizers can be installed and used.
