Ebooks for the Visually Impaired

Modern technology has opened up so much for people who are visually impaired. With computers and adaptive software, people who are totally blind or have only limited vision can access everything from newspapers to the Bible, from cookbooks to Shakespeare.

While there are programs that allow access even to people who are totally blind to such unlikely documents as spreadsheets, ebooks and their accompanying reading devices or free software allow even people whose vision is just starting to show some signs of age to read with greater comfort.

Magnification and text-to-speech adaptations

As I explained in an article (here), people who are totally blind need what is called a screen-reader, that is software which can convert text to speech. People with some degree of usable vision may be able to use magnification software, software that increases the size of what is seen on the screen. Ebooks can be accessed by a computer on which either kind of adaptive software is installed.

Besides, ebook software has a variety of options that, while perhaps not sufficient for people who are legally blind, can help people who just need a little help. (Aging baby boomers, take note!)

Adobe Reader (for .pdf ebooks)

Adobe Reader (which used to be called Acrobat Reader) is free software to access the .pdf (Personal Document File) format, which is perhaps the original ebook. The Reader has built in magnification, from 10% to 6400%. One trick that many users do not know about is that you are not limited to the magnification values shown in the drop-down menu. You can use 98% or 153% to fine-tune your magnification. Truthfully, 6400% is not usable; you can barely see a single letter at that magnification. In fact, if you need magnification much above 400%, you probably need full adaptive software.

Perhaps the biggest surprise for many users of Adobe Reader is that it has a speech to text option. Just click on "View," then "Read Aloud," then "Activate Read Aloud." Then, go back and select the options for reading you want. (This option does not work for all .pdf ebooks.) You can download Adobe Reader (although you probably have it) here.

Calibre (for .epub and .mobi ebooks)

I have written already about using the free software Calibre to obtain free magazines and newspapers (here). But, Calibre has many uses and features. It has a built-in reader that allows you to access both .epub (the format for Nook and its software (more) and .mobi (the format for Kindle and its software (more). Although it has no sound, it has fifteen levels of magnification. You can download the free Calibre software here.

Kindle software and device (for .mobi ebooks and Amazon's proprietary Kindle ebooks)

Going along with the Kindle reading device from Amazon is free software, which you can download to read (and buy) Kindle books on your computer, iPad, iPhone, IPod Touch, Android, Blackberry, or Windows 7 Phone. The device and the software each have distinct advantages. Find out which free Kindle software you need to download here.

The Kindle reading device has several degrees of magnification and even has text-to-speech capabilities for some (but not all) of its ebooks. Because of difficulties with navigating, the device is not intended to be fully adaptive for the visually impaired, although Amazon continues to work on this issue, as you can tell in a thorough FAQ here.

While the free Kindle software does not have speech-to-text functions, it actually has some visual settings that the device itself does not have. Like the Kindle device, it has varying degrees of magnification, but it also has a setting for brightness and, best of all, for the color of the background, including black with white letters.

That may seem odd, but in fact, it is a very effective mode for people with some degrees of visual impairment, since when you focus on white letters, you are focussing on light itself. On standard print on paper or text on a computer monitor, we have to focus on the black letters with the glare of the white background all around them. If I am working for some time on a computer with magnification software such as ZoomText, which allows for changing the background color, I will change the background for a while, simply to rest my eyes.

Ebooks and people who are visually impaired

Again, if someone you know has a serious visual impairment, that person may need appropriate adaptive software, which will allow access to any ebook on your computer, as well as the Internet (with all that it has to offer) and email. But, if you are just finding yourself buying reading glasses with a somewhat higher magnification or find yourself moving nearer to the computer monitor at times, you may get all the help you need with free software such as Adobe Reader, Calibre, or Kindle.

Check this index to my articles on "How to Read Ebooks for Pleasure and Convenience."