Windows-Based, Open Source, Assistive Technology

1.	ACollab 
http://www.atutor.ca/acollab/index.php
ACollab is a fully accessible, open source, multi-group, Web-based collaborative work environment. ACollab is available as a work groups addon for ATutor 1.4+ , and as a standalone collaborative work environment that will run on its own. ACollab is ideal for groups working at a distance developing documentation, collaborating on research, or writing joint papers, and ideal for online educators who wish to add group learning activities to their ATutor courses. 
2.	AComm
http://www.atutor.ca/acomm/index.php
ACOMM is an accessible Java-based Instant Messaging and Whiteboard tool. It has been designed to allow assistive technology users to participate in synchronous Internet-based communication activities that have traditionally been inaccessible to them. Features that set AComm apart from other similar systems are its full keyboard functionality, allowing users to draw without using a mouse; and peer descriptions, so a sighted user can type a text description of the whiteboard content that a blind person can listen to. 
3.	AForm
http://www.atutor.ca/aform/index.php
AForm is a utility used to create accessible online forms, tests, or surveys. Using this utility to create forms ensures that people with disabilities accessing the Web with assistive technologies will be able to read and use the forms as would any fully able individual. Use the demo to create your own accessible forms. Download AForm from the SourceForge Web site. 
4.	Accessible RSS News Feeds
http://www.webbie.org.uk/accessiblerss/index.htm
RSS is widely used by the weblog community to share the latest entries' headlines or their full text, and even attached multimedia files. In mid 2000, use of RSS spread to many major news organizations, including Reuters, CNN and the BBC, until under various usage agreements, providers allow other websites to incorporate their "syndicated" headline or headline-and-short-summary feeds. RSS is now used for many purposes, including marketing, bug-reports, or any other activity involving periodic updates or publications. 
5.	Accessible Podcatcher
http://www.webbie.org.uk/accessiblepodcatcher/
Accessible Podcatcher is a simple way for blind and screen reader users to use podcasts. Podcasting is a way to distribute audio files on the web. Accessible Podcatcher lets you access these podcasts. You can save them to disk, have your MP3 player transfer them for portable listening, and export and import lists of podcasts to send to other people. 
6.	Accessible Radio
http://www.webbie.org.uk/accessibleradio/index.htm
Accessible Radio is a way to listen to radio stations on the internet that is easy and simple to use and is designed to work with any screen reader. It lets you listen to any of the BBC Radio stations. 
7.	Amaya
http://www.w3.org/Amaya/Amaya.html
Amaya is a complete web browsing and authoring environment and comes equipped with a WYSIWYG style of interface, similar to that of the most popular commercial browsers. With such an interface, users do not need to know the HTML or CSS languages. 
8.	A-Prompt - Web Accessibility Verifier
http://www.aprompt.ca
Web authors can use A-Prompt to make their Web pages accessible to people with disabilities. The A-Prompt software tool examines Web pages for barriers to accessibility, performs automatic repairs when possible, and assists the author in manual repairs when necessary. These enhanced Web pages are available to a larger Internet audience.
9.	ATalker
http://www.atutor.ca/atalker/index.php
ATalker is a Web-based text-to-speech utility, based on the Festival Text-to-Speech system. With synthesized speech ATalker can read text out loud over the Web. With the ATalker Theme installed, the ATutor interface and feedback messages can be read out loud. 
10.	ATutor
http://www.atutor.ca/
Atutor is an Open Source Web-based Learning Content Management System (LCMS) designed with accessibility and adaptability in mind. Administrators can install or update ATutor in minutes, and develop custom templates to give ATutor a new look. Educators can quickly assemble, package, and redistribute Web-based instructional content, easily retrieve and import prepackaged content, and conduct their courses online. Students learn in an adaptive learning environment. 
11.	Big
http://www.big.com/
An accessible search engine 
12.	Click-N-Type Speech Package v. 1.0 by Lake Software
http://www.free2u.org/freeware/system_utilities/tools_for_disabled/click-n-type_speech_package.html
More than just fun, Typing Sounds provide audible feedback, you may select one of the "Spoken Keys" options, as well as normal typewriter sounds. The feature "speaks" the keys back to you, letting you know you've hit the correct key and documentation on how to create "Spoken Keys" is included with the Click-N-Type help file, so people can create their own. 
13.	Click-N-Type virtual keyboard
http://www.lakefolks.org/cnt/
v. 3.0 by Lake Software Windows® 95/98/ME/NT/2000/XP
Click-N-Type is an on-screen virtual keyboard designed for anyone who needs help using a physical keyboard with special consideration for the severely handicapped. Full featured virtual keyboard, Word prediction and completion, Fully configurable including macros, AutoClick and Scanning Modes. Many language/keyboard packs available. Keyboard Designer and many user designed layouts included, Audible and visible feedback options, including Spoken Keys. Works with all pointing devices including head mouse and virtual mouse programs like Point-N-Click. Types into all programs including IE address boxes. Programs to administer user access available. 
14.	CNTDesigner v. 2.0.8 by Polital Enterprises
http://www.polital.com/cntd/
CNTDesigner is a keyboard layout designer designed to work in conjunction with Click-N-Type V3+ by Lake Software. The combination of CNTDesigner and Click-N-Type will give the user complete freedom to design their own keyboards, controlling size and placement of all keys as well as the overall size of the keyboard. If none of the standard keyboards provided by Click-N-Type suit your fancy, and the Custom Alphabet just doesn't have enough flexibility to meet your creative needs, then the keyboard designer CNTDesigner is the add-on you use to design your own keyboard layout. 
15.	Dasher (Speech)
http://www.inference.phy.cam.ac.uk/kv227/speechdasher/SpeechDasher.zip
A very unique speech recognition system bundled with Dasher 
16.	Dasher (Speech) Documentation
http://www.inference.phy.cam.ac.uk/dasher/download/papers/Manual.pdf 
17.	Dasher (Standard)
http://www.splasm.com/products/productdasher.html
Dasher is an information-efficient text-entry interface, driven by natural continuous pointing gestures. Dasher is a competitive text-entry system wherever a full-size keyboard cannot be used. Streaming video demonstration (1.5 mins asf). The eye-tracking version of Dasher allows an experienced user to write text as fast as normal handwriting - 25 words per minute; using a mouse, experienced users can write at 39 words per minute.  A $128.95 Headtracker for an eye gaze system. Voice Buddy Interactive Voice Control Version 3.0  $39.95. 
18.	Dependency Win95/98/Me/Win2K/XP
http://camtech2000.net/Programs/depncy10.zip
Most programs require the support of additional files sometimes not included in order to run properly.  Dependency will show you the dll's and ocx's as well as their size and location that the exe of the program is dependent upon.  
19.	Eventcorder
http://www.eventcorder.com/ec_downloads.htm
Eventcorder records and plays back Windows events. With Eventcorder, a sequence of keystrokes and mouse-clicks can be implemented at the touch of a single button. 
20.	EzMagnifier v. 1.2 by Ancient Software
http://www.ancientsoft.com/ezmagnifier.htm
EzMagnifier is a small utility to magnify a portion of the screen where you can choose the zooming factor and you can resize the magnified portion itself to suite your needs. You can capture the image of the magnified area and the program saves it in the same folder of the program and you can save multiple captures as the program save them sequentially. 
21.	FatBits
http://www.digitalmantra.com/fatbits/
Fatbits magnifies an area of the screen and paints the giant pixels into a new window, which may be useful if you have a visual impairment. To make the screen even more accessible, you can modify the colours it displays. 
22.	The Festival Speech Synthesis System
http://www.cstr.ed.ac.uk/projects/festival/
Festival offers a general framework for building speech synthesis systems as well as including examples of various modules. As a whole it offers full text to speech through a number APIs: from shell level, though a Scheme command interpreter, as a C++ library, from Java, and an Emacs interface. Festival is multi-lingual (currently English (British and American), and Spanish) though English is the most advanced. Other groups release new languages for the system. And full tools and documentation for build new voices are available through Carnegie Mellon's FestVox project (http://festvox.org) 
23.	Get Paths Win95/98/Me/Win2K/XP
http://camtech2000.net/Programs/getpth10.zip
Have you ever needed to get the full path to an exe or any other file?  Or maybe you have so many you've forgotten what they are and don't want to open them one at a time to find out.  'Get Paths' automatically copies the path to the clipboard and lets you quickly view both text based and image files.  Files types supported are txt, bat, log, diz, reg, frm, vbp, vbw, ctl, bas, bmp, gif, jpg, jpeg, ico, tif, tiff, wmf, emf, png, mix and exe.   
24.	Google Desktop
http://desktop.google.com/index.html
Google Desktop gives you easy access to information on your computer and from the web. It's a desktop search application that provides full text search over your email, computer files, music, photos, chats and web pages that you've viewed. By making your computer searchable, Google Desktop puts your information easily within your reach and frees you from having to manually organize your files, emails and bookmarks. It makes searching your computer as easy as searching the web with Google. 
25.	G-TalkSearch 
http://desktop.google.com/plugins/i/gtalksearch.html
G-TalkSearch is a plug-in for Google desktop search. It is an innovative piece of binary (.Net CLR Binary) written to enable people with disabilities to use Google desktop search. Well not only people with disabilities, but a lot of ohter fun loving people who want to talk with Google desktop search can use this. Use Google desktop search with your voice. Command it and it takes you to webpages, cache files etc...  To use it you MUST download all of the following, additional, files or else Program does not work. Net Framework 1.1; Speech SDK 5.1; from http://www.microsoft.com/speech/download/sdk51/; Google Desktop Search; MS Agent Components and Tools including:
-MSAgent.exe
-Microsoft Agent character files : Genie.acs
-Text-to-speech engines: http://activex.microsoft.com/activex/controls/agent2/tv_enua.exe
-SAPI 4.0 runtime support: Spchapi.exe
-Speech recognition engines: actcnc.exe
-Speech control panel: Spchcpl.exe
All of the above are available in the Microsoft page
- http://www.microsoft.com/MSAGENT/downloads/user.asp 
26.	HELP Read™: the Freeware Reader Project
http://www.helpread.net/
Freeware. Full functioned screen-reader 
27.	HiCaption
http://www.hisoftware.com
A new captioning tool (Windows only). 
28.	iZoom Screen Magnifier
http://www.issist.com/index.asp?page=iZoom
Redefine your computing experience with iZoom, a Professional Grade Screen Magnifier and Reader built into a single application. Magnify your screen anywhere from 1.5 to 16 times while having it read out to you, all ready with color/cursor enhancements and image smoothing. 
29.	Joystick 2 Mouse 3
http://www.freewareweb.com/cgi-bin/archive.cgi?ID=1625
Joystick 2 Mouse lets you control your mouse and keyboard using your joystick or gamepad. 
30.	MAGpie 1.0
http://ncam.wgbh.org/webaccess/magpie
The original Web-based media captioning tool (Windows only). 
31.	MAGpie 2.0
http://ncam.wgbh.org/webaccess/magpie
Create captions or audio descriptions for Web media with this free tool from NCAM (Windows or Mac OSX). 
32.	MathPlayer
http://www.dessci.com/en/products/mathplayer/
MathPlayer converts mathematical expressions embedded in web pages into speech. Text-to-speech generators (which are useful if you want to use the computer but cannot read) may not always recognise mathematical expressions, but MathPlayer will speak them in a meaningful way. 
33.	Microsoft Producer for Microsoft Office PowerPoint 2003
http://www.microsoft.com/downloads/details.aspx?familyid=1B3C76D5-FC75-4F99-94BC-784919468E73&displaylang=en
Microsoft Producer 2003 for PowerPoint 2003 is the next release of this very popular add-in for PowerPoint 2003 and PowerPoint 2002. Producer 2003 provides users with many powerful new features that make it easier to synchronize audio, video, slides, and images to create engaging and effective rich-media presentations. Producer 2003 gives content and media professionals, as well as everyday PowerPoint users a host of new content authoring features. 
34.	Mouse Smoothing Software
http://www.alphaworks.ibm.com/tech/mousesmoothing
Mouse Smoothing Software is assistive software for people with hand tremor. It is intended primarily for individuals with Essential (non-specific) Hand Tremor who have difficulty using a computer mouse. Significant improvement has been found for people who can basically control their hand, apart from a moderate degree of tremor. 
35.	Mouse Wrap
http://www.ex-d.net/products/utils/mousewrap/default.asp
This software makes the mouse pointer circulate around the screen instead of stopping at the edges, therefore moving the pointer requires less movement by you. 'Movement pattern recognition' also gives you access to custom actions e.g. cut and paste. 
36.	MouseCam v. 1.0 by Camtech Software
http://camtech2000.net/Programs/mouscm10.zip
Have you ever been to a web site or tried to read documents where they used a font so small you had to really strain your eyes to read it?  Or have you ever wanted to get greater detail of a graphic?  MouseCam is a free small utility that magnifies anything your cursor is over up to 20x normal size.  Win95/98/Me/Win2K/XP 
37.	MQA Spell Checker
http://www.quinion.com/mqa/spell.htm
Spell Checker checks the spelling of any edit control in almost any application under Windows 3.1/95/98. The program was designed to run under Windows 3.1. Though it will operate under Windows 95/98, it is not compatible with later versions (2000, ME, XP). 
38.	NaturalReader
http://www.naturalreaders.com/
NaturalReader is software that converts any text into incredibly clear, high-quality, natural sounding voices. Integrated with the latest One-Click technology, NaturalReader reads text directly from other applications, without copying or pasting. Unique powerful output function can easily convert very large text files into MP3 or WAV files for use on portable devices like iPod, CD players and PocketPCs.      
39.	Neosmt
http://www.neosmt.com/eng/index.php
neosmt is a free, advanced, instant messaging client with the following features: 
40.	New Folder Here Win95/98/Me/Win2K/XP
http://camtech2000.net/Programs/nwfldr10.zip
Create new folders anywhere on your PC with a simple right click.  New Folder Here will add the command 'New Folder Here' to the menu that pops up when you right-click on a File, Folder, Drive, Start button, Programs menu or Favorites menu.  Windows does have the command 'New/Folder' although very limited on where you can create a folder and it usually takes a while for the 'New' menu to expand.   Create them anywhere instantly with this little utility.
41.	NexTalk
http://www.nextalk.net/
As a member of "NexTalk.net", you have many state-of-the-art text-based communication features available at your fingertips, and best of all--its FREE! 
42.	Opera Browser
http://www.opera.com/products/desktop/
The most full-featured Internet power tool on the market, Opera includes pop-up blocking, tabbed browsing, integrated searches, and advanced functions like Opera's groundbreaking E-mail program, RSS Newsfeeds and IRC chat. And because we know that our users have different needs, you can customize the look and content of your Opera browser with a few clicks of the mouse. 
43.	Please Read
http://www.readplease.com/
ReadPlease 2003 (Free Edition) offers full support for all Microsoft voices, reads text via Windows clipboard from any program, Adjustable voice speed (rate) and more. 
44.	Plone
http://plone.org/
Plone is ideal as an intranet and extranet server, as a document publishing system, a portal server and as a groupware tool for collaboration between separately located entities. Plone carefully follows standards for usability and accessibility. Plone pages are compliant with US Section 508, and the W3C's AA rating for accessibility, in addition to using best-practice web standards like XHTML and CSS. 
45.	Point-N-Click v. 2.4.18 by Polital Enterprises Windows® 95/98/NT4.x/Me/2000/XP
http://www.polital.com/pnc/
Point-N-Click is a FREE stand-alone on-screen virtual mouse designed for anyone with a disability that makes it difficult or impossible to click a physical computer mouse. As long as they can move a mouse, trackball or other pointing device, they can send mouse clicks to virtually any Windows application or DOS application that can run within a window and even many that are full screen. 
46.	Power Talk
http://fullmeasure.co.uk/powertalk/
PowerTalk automatically speaks any presentation or slide show running in Microsoft PowerPoint for Windows. You just download and install PowerTalk and while you open and run the presentation as usual it speaks the text on your slides. The advantage over other generic 'Text To Speech' programs is that PowerTalk is able to speak text as it appears and can also speak hidden text attached to images. Speech is provided by the standard synthesised computer voices that are provided with Windows. 
47.	pVoice 2.1
http://www.pvoice.org/showpage/en/pvoice
pVoice is an application for Augmentative and Alternative Communication (AAC).Disabled people who cannot speak and have very little possibilities to operate a computer can use pVoice by selecting photo's or symbols to generate speech output. Common symbol languages like PCS, Bliss or 'Vijfhoek' can be used with pVoice. You need to purchase these symbol-libraries from the respective manufacturers though. If you want a cheap solution, you can download symbols from the Picto-archive (dutch) For your convenience I created a zipfile of the pictos from this site, which you can also download from the download page.  pVoice 2.1 is available in English, Dutch, French, German, Spanish, Italian, Croatian, Turkish, Brazilian Portuguese, Swedish, Danish, Norwegian, Russian, Traditional Chinese and Simplified Chinese (the free Text To Speech 'engine' is not available for all of these languages, see the link to the Microsoft Agent page at the Support page) and is distributed with an emtpy database. You'll have to define your own Themes (categories) and symbols representing words within these themes. This however is an easy task. It's also possible to import data from previous pVoice versions into pVoice 2.1. 
48.	PW Cache Win95/98/Me
http://camtech2000.net/Programs/pwche10.zip
This is a password protected program that retrieves all the passwords that Windows stores for you.  Shows what it's for, type, user name and password.  Ability to save and print the list.  Will not decrypt passwords that are encrypted by Windows.  
49.	Rapidkeys v. 2003 by Lucian Velea
http://rapidkeys.netfirms.com/en/index.htm
RapidKeys intelligent virtual keyboard is an application intended to replace the keyboard by using a pointing device (mouse, trackball or similar device). Virtual keyboards are ideal for people with physical disabilities or for systems without a keyboard. RapidKeys is a virtual keyboard with some special features - it learns from what the user types and contextually suggests words that can be typed with a single click to obtain a greater speed of typing. It has user-defined autoexpandable abbreviations & a similar mechanism is used for names. An optional AutoCaps mechanism detects the end of sentences and temporarily switches for one capital letter. 
50.	Reader's Pal 3.1
http://www.magnifiers.org/cgi-bin/links/jump.cgi?ID=307
Intended to ease reading on a computer monitor by displaying text in large fonts in foreground an background colors of the user's choosing. Works with Microsoft's Text-to-Speech, reads web pages from the Internet and let you browse text-only. 
51.	RefreshEm Win95/98/Me/Win2K/XP
http://camtech2000.net/Programs/refrsh10.zip
You may have noticed that sometimes the Desktop and Windows Explorer start to display the wrong Icons for some file types. Running RefreshEm when they do repairs the Windows Icon Cache so that the proper ones are immediately displayed. It does not stay in memory, immediately terminates after using it and has no visible Window. Just click or double click the Icon each time you want to refresh the icons.  
52.	RemoteKeys
http://www.freewarehits.de/RemoteKeys.htm
RemoteKeys can automate complex control systems, but also simple jobs like inserting text passages into Word and Emails. Automation allows complex sequences of keystrokes and mouse clicks to be carried out at the touch of a button. 
53.	SABLE: A Synthesis Markup Language (version 1.0)
http://www.bell-labs.com/project/tts/sable.html
The draft SABLE specification is an initiative to establish a standard system for marking up text input to speech synthesizers. The current draft (version 1.0) is being circulated for comment by users, developers and researchers of speech synthesis.
54.	ShortKeys Lite
http://www.shortkeys.com/lite.htm
Shortkeys Lite allows you to set up replacement text or paragraphs for any given number of user defined keystrokes. If you type a few characters, ShortKeys Lite will replace them with up to 3000 characters. If you find typing difficult then Shortkeys will make it more automatic. 
55.	SIPcon1
http://sourceforge.net/projects/tipcon1/
SIPcon1 is a standards-compliant soft phone using text and voice with accessibility features. 
56.	Skype
http://www.skype.com/
Skype is a little program for making free calls over the internet to anyone else who also has Skype. It’s free and easy to download and use, and works with most computers. 
57.	Super Magnify v1.2 
http://www.softlookup.com/display.asp?id=9955
Super Magnify allows you to magnify portions of your screen up to 15 times. The program includes a special interpolation routine to maintain details when magnifying, as well as the ability to magnify the mouse cursor. In addition, Super Magnify displays your (x, y) pixel coordinates on the screen, and the RGB values corresponding to the cursor's position. 
58.	Switch Access To Windows
http://ace-centre.hostinguk.com/index.cfm?pageid=83216478-D613-62F1-C85EEB3021CA6B57
Software that enables Windows to be controlled by one or two switches,a joystick, a trackerball or a headpointer. This new upgraded version of SAW has many additions and feautures to make creating interfaces easy for those who use alternative inputs. 
59.	Table Reader
http://www.dvlop.nl/exsoft/pages/tablerdr.htm
eXsoft is proud to launch a program that will make life much easier for visually impaired people: Table Reader! Table Reader is a first-of-it’s-kind program that allows visually impaired people to read even the most extensive tables in Excel, without time-consuming and laborious scrolling or searching. Simply select what you need from the top row and the first column and you’ll have the corresponding value in a flash. This program is practically unlimited – as long as the basic idea of a table is being used! This will give blind or visually impaired people  possibility’s never experienced before, when using the Table Reader they can participate in economy, geography, science, physics, math, and so on, for the table part – this solution takes one of the biggest obstacles away for the blind! 
60.	Talking Messenger
http://www.talkingmessenger.com/
Always wanted to hear your Windows Messenger™ messages out loud? Talking Messenger will do just that! It even notifies you when your friends are on- or offline. 
61.	TouchCD - Switch CD Player
http://fullmeasure.co.uk/TouchCD/
A very simple switch controlled CD player 
62.	VideoSync
http://www.edcenter.sdsu.edu/disted/vidsync.html
A free captioning tool for QuickTime. 
63.	Virtual Magnifying Glass
http://magnifier.sourceforge.net/
Virtual Magnifying Glass is an easy-to-use screen magnification tool for Windows. 
64.	VirtualDub
http://www.virtualdub.org
Freeware (Open Source). Linear Video Editing System with captioning capabilities. 
65.	Vischeck
http://www.vischeck.com/
Vischeck is a way of showing you what things look like to someone who is Colorblind. 
66.	VobSub
http://www.afterdawn.com/software/video_software/subtitle_tools/vobsub.cfm
Freeware (Open Source). Plug-in for VirtualDub for Closed Captioning manipulation. 
67.	Web Access Gateway
http://www.cl.cam.ac.uk/~ssb22/access.html
This is an online ``browser within a browser''; it gives you more control over how websites are displayed, regardless of which browser you have to use.  The gateway currently has two main purposes: To make the Web easier to access for print-disabled users (such as users with low vision or dyslexia);  To allow speakers of other languages to view Web pages written in them, when the encodings are not supported by their browsers.  
68.	Web Adaptation Technology
http://www.alphaworks.ibm.com/tech/wat
Web Adaptation Technology makes the Web easier to navigate and read for seniors, people with disabilities, and special-education students. This is accomplished by making transformations and adaptations, according to personal preferences, during Web browsing. Specifically, Web Adaptation Technology assists users by enabling them to magnify the contents on a Web page and adjust font, image, and page layout to improve readability. Web Adaptation Technology also enables selected text to be read aloud, using a "text-to-speech" feature, and eases the typing of people who have difficulty with a keyboard (such as those with tremors or arthritis or who are recovering from a stroke) in part by detecting these errors and automatically adjusting the keyboard sensitivity to accommodate the typing. Available in nine languages, this software is in use by nonprofit organizations and schools around the world. 
69.	Webbie
http://www.webbie.org.uk/
WebbIE is a web browser for people who are blind and visually-impaired... especially those using screen readers. It is based on Microsoft's Internet Explorer to ensure that a maximum of sites work with it. It allows you access to the vast majority of webpages and tries to present all the information there simply and easily so you can explore and use the web fully. 
70.	x Chat 2.8 and 2.9
http://www.topshareware.com/x-Chat-download-4048.htm
x Chat is a private one-on-one real time intranet chat program. It is simple to use but with powerful features. You don't need to setup a server or configure your setting. Once you install properly, it's done and resides in the system tray. It uses peer to peer connection, no interruption from server down. Encryption, away password protection and IP blocking enhance the security issues of your private chat session. Combined with network resolving and view utilities,  file transfer, drawing board, screen capture,  auto-connect/notify, instant shortcut messages, alert ring, chat saving/reader, drag and drop support, URL history, chat request auto popup, and many customized features, x Chat is most flexibility, functionality, customizable and user-friendly chat client.