MD Software Tools
An example of a software solution I chose to review in more detail was the ZoomText Screen Magnifier software from AI Squared the sell for approximately $400.00 to $650.00. ZoomText is a software product that makes your applications easier to use by enlarging and enhancing everything on your computer screen. The display is clear at every level of magnification. Another version of the software allows you to hear what is happening on your screen with a screen reader. It is customizable and has many different levels of magnification.
According to the software reviews of ZoomText from http://www.afb.org/afbpress/pub.asp?DocID=aw070203 , advantages of the software package include:
• The hardware requirements are very minimal
• Installation is quick and easy
• Allows you to set hot keys
• Has a 30 day trial you can download from Internet
• Provides several levels of magnification
• The screen display can be customized
• Has freeze and zoom windows along with a text finder
• The screen reader come in both male and female voices
Overall ZoomText was rated very well. Many people feel it is a good reader and much cheaper that Jaws which is the leading software package in it’s class. Another close competitor is LunarPlus. ZoomText appears to be the best software available for the money. It is more efficient and economical than other packages. ZoomText is better designed for people specifically with low vision opposed to no vision.
Having the choice between using computer hardware or software for my individual impairment, I would choose the software. I think having an application such as ZoomText that can increase the readability of all computer applications, such as the way blackboard is displayed, would be the single most important tool. This solution provides the most flexibility and seems to solve the majority of the low vision problems relating to using computers that are caused by macular degeneration. Merlin would also provide a supplemental benefit for my impairment by enabling me to read a standard text book if an eBook was not available for a particular course.