Speech as a means of accessing information
Speech offers a means for blind and partially sighted people to access information, through making the information audible. This is usually achieved by someone reading information aloud, either directly to the blind or partially sighted user, or by recording their speech into an audio recorder.
Personal readers
Personal readers are sighted people who read printed information to a blind or partially sighted person. A personal reader is usually a friend or family member, although may also be an employee (for example, a personal assistant) or a volunteer.
Whilst personal readers are very helpful, many blind and partially sighted people feel they would prefer to access information independently (in a format they can read), and this is particularly important for personal or confidential information.
Recorded speech
Much audio information is available as recorded speech, having been narrated by a sighted person and then distributed to audio users. Recorded speech is provided in a range of formats.
Synthetic speech
Synthetic speech is computer generated audio, which means there is no reliance on a sighted person to read the information for you. Synthetic speech is used in various ways, such as on talking products and computer screen readers, and can be a quick way to convert a print document into audio.
For further information on how blind and partially sighted people use synthetic speech (published November 2008):