Latest News
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iPhone Gets Screen Reader
PictureBraille Version 1.2.1
Victor Reader Stream V3
DAISY Creation and Reading Tools Amazon Kindle 2 with Speech
MacSpeech Dictate Update
Total Recorder V7.1
Web Content Accessibility Guidelines Version 2
DeafBlind Communicator
PictureBraille 1.2.0 Released
iPod with Talking Menus
NVDA Free Screen Reader
Dragon Naturally Speaking Version 10
AMIS Free DAISY Player
PDF Accessibility Tools
Victor Reader Stream Version 2
Premier CD Creater
knfbReader Mobile
Accessibility Panel for Firefox
ClassMate Reader
Victor Stream DAISY Player
NoteTab Pro editing software
Planning an Adaptive Computing Program
Creating a Windows Key
iPhone Gets Screen Reader
(12 June 2009)
The latest version of Apple"s iPhone was released this week. The phone joins all Macintosh computers in having the built-in VoiceOver screen reader. Unlike the Mac, the iPhone does not have a "real" keyboard. To operate VoiceOver, the user applies "gestures" to the touch screen. These consist of movements such as twisting two fingers or flicking a finger. We eagily await the opportunity to experience this new approach to commanding a device.
As well as offering synthetic speech in 21 languages, the iPhone can accept spoken instructions to select music or make a call. Again, it recognises 21 languages.
The new iPhone should be available in Australia by about the end of June. For much more detail about its accessibility features, see the Apple Accessibility page.
PictureBraille Version 1.2.1 Released
(30 April 2009)
Pentronics released this update last month. This version incorporates some enhancements to the graphing and plotting functions as well as the addition of triangle and trapezoid creation tools that allow accurate determination of side lengths and angles.
PictureBraille can now be purchased directly from the Pentronics website using secure credit card payment. For details of the Version 1.2.0 release see below.
Victor Reader Stream Version 3 Released
(16 April 2009)
In late March, Humanware released Version 3 of the Stream software. This versatile product was reviewed in October 2007. At that time, we criticised the lack of a text search facility and inability to check spelling of words in DAISY books. The spell checking issue was addressed in an intervening upgrade. This release includes a text search feature, cleverly implemented by using the number keys for entering text in the same fashion as on a mobile phone keypad.
There is a raft of other minor improvements and "bug fixes". One new feature is that two voices of the chosen language are installed. The Vocaliser synthesizer's speech is reasonably clear, but not especially pleasant. Switching between voices at least offers some variation in the sound.
The free Companion software has also been revised. The one program now supports both the Stream and Classmate, reviewed in June 2008. It can be used to transfer material between a computer and the Stream, but more confident users can also use Windows Explorer to achieve this. One important provision in the Companion software is the ability to convert audio material recorded on the Stream from the unusual 3gp format into wav files.
Free DAISY Creation and Reading Tools
(31 March 2009)
The following is only a very brief summary of some exciting developments. More detailed reviews of these options will be provided as soon as possible.
DAISY Plugin for Microsoft Word
Version 2 of this plugin was released last week. It can be used with Word XP, Word 2003 and Word 2007.
Once installed, the plugin will convert a correctly structured Microsoft Word document into either an XML file for further refinement or a complete DAISY book. The default speech on the host computer will be used to produce the audio. This release markedly reduces the complexity of producing DAISY material compared to the DAISY Pipeline, which requires considerable knowledge on the part of the user.
The plugin can be downloaded from http://www.daisy.org/projects/save-as-daisy-microsoft/
Obi 1.0
On 27 March, the DAISY Consortium announced this Obi release. It is a free audio recording tool for creating material complying with the DAISY 3 standard. Unlike the Microsoft Plugin discussed above, Obi provides for human recorded audio. We have not assessed the software as yet, but very much look forward to doing so.
Obi can be downloaded from the Obi website, together with documentation.
AMIS 3, Release Candidate 1
AMIS (Adaptive Multimedia Information System) is a free DAISY player which has been in beta testing for some time. It provides access to several DAISY book versions, including text-only. One of the major efforts with the development of AMIS has been to make it available in a wide variety of languages (we can only attest to the effectiveness of the English implementation). Its self-voicing and flexible visual display caters for people who have print disabilities, while screen reader users can turn off the speech if desired.
AMIS can be downloaded from http://daisy.org/projects/amis/
Buttercup
This software, developed by Microsoft, is in the early stages of development. It uses Microsoft's Silverlight in conjunction with Internet Explorer or other web browsers to read DAISY Version 3 material. It is currently necessary to compress the DAISY files using Zip -compatible software before Buttercup can read them.
Bearing in mind that Buttercup is still being developed, it shows much promise. Speech was occasionally "fluttery" on the test machine, but it may well become a valuable resource.
To try the Buttercup demo, go to http://www.buttercupreader.net. Be sure to read instructions carefully to have Buttercup self-voice. A link is also available to install Silverlight.
DDReader
DDReader is a Firefox extension developed by Dorina Nowill Foundation for the Blind in Brazil. It is available in English, Portuguese and Spanish. Any speech on the host computer that matches the selected language can be used.
Currently only DAISY V3 books can be read. Comprehensive help and a tutorial are provided. This is an innovative approach to providing access to DAISY material for both people who have a print disability and those who have limited or no vision. Facilities are extensive and, with limited experience, DDReader is easy to use.
DDReader is available for download from the Dorina Nowill Foundation website.
Amazon Kindle 2 Offers Speech Output
(12 February 2009)
Background
Kindle is an electronic book reading device sold by Amazon. Unlike current computers and mobile phones, that use LCD (liquid crystal display) screens, it uses an E-Ink® display. Whereas usual screens can be updated (or refreshed) dynamically, the screen on the Kindle and similar products is passive. This approach is highly suitable for displaying material a page at a time. A major benefit is that it closely mimics the appearance of a hardcopy book, without the glare and other drawbacks of reading from a screen.
In the USA, Kindle is supported by a 3G wireless network. Once books are paid for, users can freely download them to their Kindles via this network. Our limited investigations indicate that Kindles are not available in Australia at this time and Amazon's wireless network certainly is not. Even without the network, material can be transferred to the Kindle from a computer via USB port.
Kindle 2
Amazon has just announced that Kindle 2 will be released on 24 February. It includes the ability to augment the visual display with synthetic speech output. Text size can also be adjusted. This is potentially a major development for people who have reading difficulties for any of a variety of reasons.
Full details are available at the Amazon Kindle page.
A worrying sequel to the above positive news is the report from Lioncourt that the Author's Guild sees speech output on the Kindle as raising copyright issues. The article suggests that access to material by people with vision impairment is threatened.
The Author's Guild has responded by claiming that the Kindle is not intended for use by blind people. Leaving aside the fact that this seems to be a mainstream product with relevance to people with vision impairment, they make no mention of the possible impact of their approach to this technology on people who have reading difficulties for reasons other than vision loss.
MacSpeech Dictate Update
(6 February 2009 by Kevin O'Gorman)
MacSpeech Dictate is speech recognition software for the Macintosh. It was reviewed in August 2008. In September of that year, a major update was released.
Version 1.2 provides a "move" command for easier verbal editing of a document, a spelling mode for letter-by-letter dictation of unusual words and phrase training capabilities that help the user increase accuracy on the fly. As well as these new features, some existing commands have been replaced with easier to use expressions. For example, "Do select" has been replaced with "Select the word". Speech capture accuracy has also been enhanced with this release. A welcome addition has been the "Purge memory" command, which solves an issue with Dictate getting out of sync with the text when the mouse or keyboard is used. However, once invoked it is no longer possible to edit existing text.
The 1.2 release was not without problems. After installing the update I lost access to Global commands for controlling other applications on the computer. Applying the suggested fixes from the MacSpeech support team failed to solve the problem. After a considerable length of time I discovered through the MacSpeech support forums that the international settings on my Macintosh computer were affecting how the program works. My computer is normally set up with the international settings for Australia. However, being English born I use a British profile in MacSpeech. Using the Australian settings did not affect dictation but prevented my readily accessing other applications using voice commands. Changing the international settings to the default US or to UK settings fixed the issue, but left me with the problem of having to change these settings back to original locality each time - A tedious inconvenience.
MacSpeech recently released a 1.2 .1 update that has addressed this issue. It is now possible to access all global application commands while retaining preferred localisation settings.
Having resolved the above issues, the new features and the perceptible improvement in speech recognition accuracy makes MacSpeech Dictate a more powerful piece of software.
Total Recorder Version 7.1
Total Recorder is audio recording software for Windows. Version 7 was reviewed in September 2008. Version 7.1, which is a free upgrade for existing customers, was released shortly afterwards. Features described below are available on the Professional Edition.
A number of minor improvements have been made, including availability of a Favourites menu. For people who use large amounts of audio material, the inclusion of a variable playback speed option is a potentially valuable facility. Speed can be set between 0.35 and 3 times normal for audio files. With the optional Video add-on, speed can range between 0.01 and 300 times normal. The default setting is for normal pitch of audio material to be preserved.
Several speed settings are provided. The user can edit these and add new values. By default, if a speed other than normal is selected, playback reverts to normal each time the Stop button is pressed. If the feature is to be used regularly, it would be more convenient to adjust playback settings so that repeated presses of the Play button toggles between normal and the selected alternate speed.
Web Content Accessibility Guidelines Version 2 Released
(12 December 2008)
After what must be the longest gestation period in history, the W3C (World Wide Web Consortium) has released Version 2 of the Web Content Accessibility Guidelines. Version 1 of the Guidelines was released in 1999 and has long since been overtaken by technological developments. There is an important shift in focus between the two versions. Whereas Version 1 concentrated on HTML code, Version 2 aims to be technology neutral. While this makes the documentation vastly more bulky and initially more confusing, the Guidelines are relevant to the wide variety of approaches employed on today's websites.
The documentation is divided into several segments, assisting people with particular interests or concerns to locate relevant information:
- For practical, technical information see Techniques for WCAG 2.0 which cover 260 techniques including
- 140 general techniques;
- 57 Html and xhtml techniques;
- 22 CSS techniques;
- 44 Scripting techniques;
- 20 SMIL techniques;
- ARIA (accessible rich internet applications) techniques
- Understanding WCAG 2.0 will be a helpful starting point for many people
- How to Meet WCAG 2.0 provides many of the practical tips for WCAG2 and it may provide sufficient information for most developers
A helpful resource for those wanting to test a specific site is How to Meet WCAG 2.0, which offers a customisable quick reference to WCAG2.0 requirements (success criteria) and techniques.
DeafBlind Communicator Released
(5 December 2008)
The Canadian headquarters of Humanware announced this week the release of the DBC (DeafBlind Communicator). Hardware consists of a BrailleNote with either QWERTY or Braille keyboard and a mobile phone. The BrailleNote has software that allows it to serve as a TTY when connected to a standard telephone line. Face to face communication is facilitated via a bluetooth connection between the BrailleNote and phone. That is, text written on the BrailleNote appears on the display of the phone and vice versa.
There is also potential for the phone to serve as a connection to the internet. Contents of web pages would then appear on the BrailleNote's electronic Braille display.
Importantly, the DBC is not yet available in Australia. Current estimates suggest that it may be here by late 2009.
PictureBraille Version 1.2.0 Released
(24 November 2008)
A revised version of PictureBraille was released recently. A full review of the software was written in February 2007. Revisions in the current version include:
- A new button bar, above the graphic edit area, containing most of the features previously found in the Menus. Feedback from users has suggested that this would be much faster and simpler than selecting functions from the Menu every time they are required.
- The graphing and plotting functions can now be used in conjunction with the Select Box. The size and position of a graph or plot can easily be determined and the resultant graph is scaled and positioned to fit the Select Box. A tutorial document detailing the use of the graphing functions is available for download from the PictureBraille page.
- A number of bugs in the graphing functions have been corrected.
The latest version of PictureBraille can be downloaded from http://www.pentronics.com.au/index_files/PictureBraille.htm. The installer can be used to run PictureBraille as a demonstration copy or to upgrade an existing copy. On this occasion it will be necessary for existing users to reactivate the software after upgrading, but it will not be necessary in future. Users who have lost their activation code should contact support@pentronics.com.au.
For all PictureBraille enquiries contact Nigel Herring at Pentronics by phone on (02) 4735-7355 or by email.
iPod Nano with Optional Talking Menus
(16 September 2008)
The fourth generation iPod Nano was released last week. One significant feature is the option of having menus, song titles and artist names spoken via synthetic speech. To have the information spoken, it is necessary to have the Nano (it must be a fourth generation example) synchronised with iTunes 8. The iTunes software must be on an Apple Macintosh with OS X v10.4.11 or later or a Window-based computer with XP SP3 or Vista. When the Nano is connected to iTunes, an option to enable spoken menus is offered.
Characteristics of speech will depend on what is available on the host computer. On the Macintosh, any of the supplied voices can be used, including the very well-spoken Alex. Alternatively, third party voices can be purchased and installed. On Windows-based computers, the quite unimpressive Microsoft voices can be used. Alternatively, high-quality voices can be purchased for relatively low cost.
Another useful offering with the fourth generation Nano is the optional Apple Earphones with Remote and Mic. A small pod on the earphone cable provides controls for volume and song selection. But the important feature is the facility for recording oral notes.
NVDA Free Screen Reader for Windows
(1 September 2008)
NVDA (Non Visual Desktop Access) is not new. When tested over a year ago, its capabilities seemed quite limited. With constant development, it has reached the point where it has quite a lot to offer. One significant feature is that it is free. Another is that it does not employ any video intercepts. This means it can be run on any computer, regardless of whether the user has administration rights. Its portability is further enhanced by having its default synthesizer included in the software.
The synthesizer supplied with NVDA is eSpeak. The sound is very mechanical, but having adjusted to that, pronunciation is quite accurate. Remarkably, 20 languages are included. It is also possible to choose from any SAPI 4 or SAPI 5 voices installed on the host computer. A wide variety of speech speed and quality adjustments is available, including a dictionary for words that are mispronounced.
NVDA is suitable for basic computing tasks. Microsoft Word support includes ability to report font size and attributes and style changes. For web browsing, Firefox 3 is recommended, but we had some success with IE 7 as well. Thunderbird 3 is recommended for email, but there is some support for Microsoft Outlook Express. We can report that Microsoft Outlook is not well supported. Correctly structured PDF files can be read effectively, but Bookmarks cannot be used.
NVDA is an open source project, written in the Python programming language and those with requisite skills are free to download the source code. For those of us lacking those skills, two download options are available. One allows installation onto the host computer and includes Start Menu and Desktop shortcuts. The other extracts files into a chosen folder. The files can then be copied to a thumb drive or CD-ROM, allowing the program to be run on any computer. We put the software onto a CD-ROM with an autorun.inf file, which caused NVDA to launch when the CD-ROM was inserted into the drive.
For further information about this very impressive development or to download the software, see nvda-project.org.
Dragon Naturally Speaking Version 10 Released
(14 August 2008)
Nuance announced the release of Version 10 of Dragon 10 last week. There are the usual claims of dramatically increased speed and accuracy (50% and 20% respectively). They also describe a new feature called Dragon Voice Shortcuts that allow multi-step processes to be done with a simple voice command. Our understanding is that this involves the program now accepting several ways of issuing a command.
Local suppliers anticipate having stocks by early September. Special upgrade pricing is available. Due to the software being available with a wide variety of microphones, it is difficult to arrive at an exact price.
AMIS Free DAISY Player
(29 July 2008)
The DAISY Consortium develops standards for DAISY (Digital Access Information System) books. One of its projects, which is reaching fruition, is AMIS. This is a software DAISY player and, as the heading proclaims, it is free. AMIS is currently undergoing beta testing and initial experience indicates that it will be a very effective tool.
There are features that will be helpful to people who have visual reading difficulties. Text size and style can be adjusted and the word being spoken can be highlighted. Menus can be announced via digitised speech - the default setting.
The usual DAISY navigation features are available - moving by phrase, section or page and jumping to a specific page. Full text searching is also possible.
AMIS does not have its own synthetic speech. DAISY books without audio files will therefore not be spoken. Screen reader access is reasonable, with some minor familiarisation issues.
The beta is available from http://daisy-trac.cvsdude.com/amis/wiki/BetaTesting.
NetCentric Tools for Making PDF Files Accessible
(22 July 2008)
The Canadian company, NetCentric, offers a software product for improving accessibility of PDF files for use by people using screen readers and portable devices such as mobile phones. CommonLook is a plugin for Acrobat 6 or later running on Windows 2000, XP or Vista. For those many PDF files that have not been constructed correctly, CommonLook markedly reduces the time taken to correct errors. Being aimed heavily at the American market, there is heavy emphasis on Section 508 compliance and having material that complies with that requirement in Australia is not a bad thing.
NetCentric will shortly release a new product, PDF Accessibility Wizard, for beta testing. This is a plugin for Microsoft Office products (initially just Word). While producing PDF files from Microsoft Office currently results in generally well structured documents, it will be interesting to see what embellishments PAW offers. One claimed benefit is that the operator will be automatically prompted to include alt text for images.
Cost of CommonLook depends on factors such as the number of licences, but is in the order of $1,000. It is anticipated that PAW will be in the order of $100. For more details, see the NetCentric website at http://www.net-centric.com.
Victor Reader Stream Version 2 Released
(2 July 2008)
The Victor Reader Stream was reviewed in October 2007, then with Version 1.1 of the software. Version 1.2 was released in March 2008, with a number of minor but useful changes. Version 2 was released this week and boasts numerous improvements. Perhaps most important is the increased range of file formats supported. Formats now include the following, with recent additions marked with an asterisk:
- DAISY talking books
- Plain text, RTF* and HTML files
- Electronic Braille files (brf)*, including Unified English Braille
- MP3, wav, FLAC*, Speex (SPX)*, unprotected version 9 Windows Media* and Ogg Vorbis audio files
The full list of refinements is too large to include here. Some of the more significant and/or interesting will be mentioned. Navigation of text files has been improved. Inclusion of support for RTF files is also significant. A spell mode, where a word is spoken and then spelled, is also valuable. A nice touch is access to ID3 tag information for MP3 files. This includes artist, track name and number and genre. The amount of free space on the SD card can now be checked.
Since our 2007 review, Companion software for the Stream has become available and its Version 2 release coincides with this release of the Stream software. The Companion software runs on a Windows-based computer and facilitates transfer between the computer and the Stream. It does not have to be used and, for some, Windows Explorer will be preferable. One potentially important facility included with the Companion software is conversion of audio notes recorded in the obscure format on the Stream to WAV files.
For existing Stream owners, upgrading to Version 2 is free, as is the Companion software. Both can be downloaded from Humanware's software support page. At the time of writing the readme file still refers to V1.2, but well organised notes are placed on the Stream's SD card during the upgrade.
Premier CD Creater - Very Accessible
(1 July 2008)
This software is not new, but we have only just had the opportunity to review it and it thoroughly deserves a mention. It consists of a suite of utilities:
- Audio Grabber (copies tracks from an audio CD)
- Make An Audio CD
- Make A Data CD
- Make A Data DVD
The software is produced by the Canadian company, Premier Assistive. They claim that this is the world's most accessible CD burning software. In particular, they assert that there is no need to tailor screen readers to get the most from the software. We can verify that claim. The purpose of most features and settings is immediately obvious and helpful backup information is available in the documentation. While screen reader access is a strong point, this software is very easy for any user to operate. One observer commented that all software should be this clean.
Many of Premier Assistive's products are intended for people who have reading or literacy-based disabilities. This may account for a few "rough edges" in the form of completely forgivable typographical errors in the software. The help file is in Microsoft Word format, when a well structured HTML file or formal help file format could offer somewhat improved information retrieval. Discovering how to purchase via the website is also a little tedious - it was much easier to download a demonstration version. On the other hand, the purchase process is punctuated by helpful and friendly emails.
The Audio Grabber component is a little disappointing. It attempts to retrieve information about the CD such as artist, track titles etc from an internet site. More often than not, the information it presents is incorrect.
At approximately $60US, this software is much less expensive than mainstream competitors. For anyone who wants simple and effective CD burning software, it therefore represents very good value.
knfbReader Mobile- OCR on a Mobile Phone
(5 March 2008)
(Subsequent to this entry, a full review was written in April 2008)
The knfbReader Mobile is based on the Nokia N82 mobile phone. The name is derived from K for Kurzweil and NFB for National Federation of the Blind. The Reader is a result of collaboration between Ray Kurzweil, the inventor of the first optical character recognition device for use by blind people, and the NFB.
The knfbReader uses the phone's camera to capture an image of a page, business card, food package etc. Software converts the image into text that can be read by a speech synthesizer and displayed on the screen. Text size can be set to meet individual needs and the word being spoken can be highlighted. A screen reader that provides access to the phone's usual facilities is included.
The Australian supplier is Pacific Vision. Phone (03) 9482-9359 or visit their website. Cost of the knfbReader Mobile is $3,195.
Accessibility Panel for Firefox
(26 October 2007)
After extensive beta testing, EdNA (Education Network Australia), Department of Education, Science and Training (DEST) and Vision Australia announced release of the Accessibility Panel on 11 October. This is a valuable tool for assessing web pages for accessibility according to the Web Content Accessibility Guidelines. The Panel is especially helpful for people who have limited knowledge of web page coding, as points where problems occur are clearly specified. Suggestions for correcting problems are also usually very helpful.
When installed, the Panel is added to the Firefox Tools menu. It can be selected from the menu or from a shortcut key (control-shift-a by default).
The Accessibility Panel can be downloaded from http://www.groups.edna.edu.au/course/view.php?id=1593.
ClassMate Reader for Students with Reading Disabilities
(25 October 2007)
The Canadian branch of Humanware has just announced the ClassMate. The student can read material on the LCD screen and simultaneously listen to the audio output. The ClassMate supports text files and a wide range of audio formats. Importantly, it supports the DAISY standard. It also has a dictionary which includes audible output.
The student can make text or vocal notes and use bookmarks to assist with study. Material can be transferred between the ClassMate and a computer via a USB connection.
The press release gives the ClassMate's size as similar to a portable gaming system. It states that it will be available in the USA in "late autumn 2007" and in other countries in early 2008. Price in the USA is $439.
Victor Stream DAISY Player is Available
(19 September 2007)
The Victor Stream is the latest in a line of DAISY players from Humanware. It is small enough to fit in a shirt pocket and represents a significant development in access to information for people with reading difficulties.
The Stream is powered by a rechargaeble battery. As well as DAISY files, It supports a wide range of other files. These include text, HTML and several music formats including wave and MP3. That is, it can play audio files and provides access to other file formats via synthetic speech. Bookmarks can be set in files, regardless of format. The Stream also serves as a digital voice recorder.
A full report will be provided as soon as possible, hopefully before the end of October. The Stream costs $440. It is available from Humanware on (02) 9686-2600.
NoteTab Pro Powerful Editing Software
(22 August 2007)
NoteTab is a text editor for Windows. When used in a most basic fashion, it is similar to Notepad supplied with Windows. However, it has the potential to be much more powerful.
The following is a brief description only. A more detailed description will be provided under Reviews, hopefully before the end of October. There are three versions of NoteTab. Light is free, Standard costs approximately US$20 and Pro costs approximately US$30. While Light and Standard offer proportional fonts, Pro uses fixed font sizes only, being geared towards such tasks as HTML and script editing. Pro is described here. See the NoteTab website for a comparison table.
There are some built-in facilities for HTML editing. Examples include converting a plain text document to an HTML page and inserting images and links. A great deal of NoteTab's power, however, resides in its Clipbook Libraries. These are scripted files and offer the potential to automate coding. Some clips are provided with the program when it is installed, many are available from the internet and users can write their own.
While powerful, access to NoteTab's Clipbook features via a screen reader requires some familiarisation. In particular, activating a specific library (or script) requires clicking on its name with the mouse. On the other hand, a setting under Options specifically improves readability with screen readers. NoteTab's scripting can also be of benefit to people requiring abreviation expansion. Options from the selected Library can be displayed on the screen, improving access for visual users.
There are many other features. these include a spell checker, bookmarks, a tabbed interface allowing multiple files to be opened at once and using NoteTab as a clipboard. This latter feature allows any number of text segments to be pasted.
Planning an Adaptive Computing Program
(26 July 2007)
EASI (Equal Access to Software and Information) offers information on a variety of accessibility techniques and issues. This includes online courses, some of which are free while others involve a cost.
EASI has produced a document entitled Planning an Adaptive Computing Program. It is specifically written for educators and has the evocative heading, "If You Fail to Plan, you Plan to Fail!". If you would like a copy (it is in Microsoft Word format), contact the SEO Adaptive Technologies.
Remapping a Keyboard to Create a Windows Key
(6 June 2007)
AutoHotKey is free scripting software for Windows. Among many of its powerful features is the ability to remap keys on the computer keyboard.
A colleague who uses a Cherry compact keyboard was finding the lack of a Windows key to be a problem. Apart from making activation of the Start Menu more difficult, this also denies access to some useful shortcuts. The solution was to write an AutoHotKey script which remaps the grave accent (`) key, conveniently placed to the left of the spacebar, to the Windows key.
When the script is run, a window appears. Radio buttons allow the remapping to be turned off and back on again as required. The script can also be "killed" from this window.
This script is a simple and effective example of the potential for remapping keys. For further information about it, contact the SEO Adaptive Technologies at the Centre for Learning Innovation. For information about the scripting language and to download the necessary file, goto the AutoHotKey website.
