RE: Screen reader access in NZ public libraries

My wife was reading the March 2009 rise magazine, when she came across your article. I wanted to contact you to let you know about a free screen reader called NVDA, that has access across the Aotearoa People’s Network (APN). This is the New Zealand library network. http://www.nvda-project.org/wiki/Recognition is the site where you can read up about what has happened across NZ so far. There is also a blog on that same site that says a little about it.

There is also a link on that page http://www.peoplesnetworknz.org.nz/ which is the library’s website and tells you (under a heading called phases) which NZ libraries are now accessible. At the moment, the access allows a user who has NVDA on their portable pen drive, to use it on the computer network. In time, they also hope to have a hard drive version installed. The rollout is still currently underway.

I am visually impaired myself, and have found it to be a very worthwhile project! I am very grateful to the APN for all their support. Next on my list, are the information centres across Taranaki, and wider public networks down the track.

We are not asking for the world, we are just asking for access to the world! I thought you might be a good contact to pass this information onto.

Please feel free to pass this onto any other blind or visually impaired people who this may assist (who may or may not be able to afford a commercial screen reader). NVDA is free! http://www.nvda-project.org
Look under the heading called downloads.

I have friends in Australia who have requested information on this as well, so they can fight for access over there. I have contacted a handful of government and access related departments on their behalf, and am just waiting to see what happens from here. One day, I would like it so that when we are travelling, (whether in New Zealand, Australia or abroad) we can just plug into a lot of places and remain independant like our sighted counterparts.

I look forward to hearing back from you soon.

Kind regards,
Gene Gibson
Taranaki NZ