 About JAWS
JAWS, created by Freedom Scientific, is a screen-reader, which literally reads the contents of the screen aloud, providing access to individuals with blindness or severe low-vision. The software is not only capable of allowing an individual to navigate the Windows desktop, but also gives voice to Internet Explorer and Mozilla Firefox, Microsoft Office utilities, even instant messenger applications. The software is designed to be scriptable and modular, allowing for the extension of the software into providing speech into other applications. JAWS comes with the Eloquence Speech Engine, which is designed to be understood clearly at high rates of speed. As such, the speech delivered sounds somewhat mechanical and artificial in nature. It is not designed for use with some systems that are designed primarily for infrequent use. Just like other competitive products, JAWS is designed to be the one-stop interface that is learned and utilizied for a significant portion of one's computer-using life. With this in mind, JAWS is provided to the OSU System, but may be beyond the scope of all but the most serious users. For more information, please contact our office. Training Due to the complexity of the software, we have offered some basic training information, available here. For more in-depth training, it is recommended that you visit Freedom Scientific's JAWS Training Headquarters, with MP3's of audio walk-through for JAWS. Other support is available in the software itself, on Freedom Scientific's website, and through our office. For more information, please visit the Quick-Start Guide for JAWS. OSU Specific Information The version of JAWS available at OSU is only compatible with Windows 2000 and Windows XP computers. For individuals using other Operating Systems, please contact our office for more information on Macintosh or Linux alternatives. Availability JAWS is licensed for use on any OSU-System owned computer, including OSU-Stillwater, OSU-Okmulgee, OSU-Tulsa, OSU-Oklahoma City, and OSU-CHS. The software is also licensed for use by Students, Faculty, and Staff on personally owned computers both on or off campus with an active Internet connection to the OSU-Stillwater network for licensed verification. JAWS is limited to 10 concurrent users running the software at any given time. Download & Installation JAWS is available for download at the OSU Information Technology Division's Software Distribution Center. Installation should be fairly straightforward, but additional instructions and walk-throughs are available in the AT Installation Guide. Running JAWS requires usage of the AT Loader for authentication purposes.
|
