# Understanding screen reader technology

Screen readers are software programs designed to navigate through a website and read the web content aloud. Visually impaired users often rely on this technology. Those viewing your Captivate movies must have Flash Player 6 or later, and Internet Explorer on Windows 2000 or later.

JAWS, from Freedom Scientific, is one example of a screen reader. You can access the JAWS page of the Freedom Scientific website at www.hj.com/fs_products/software_jaws.asp. Another commonly used screen reader is Window-Eyes, from GW Micro. To access the latest information on Window-Eyes, visit the GW Micro website at www.gwmicro.com. For Windows users, Microsoft provides a free, downloadable product called Microsoft Reader that contains a text-to-speech component. For more information, visit the Microsoft website at www.microsoft.com.

Because different screen readers use varying methods to translate information into speech, the way your content is presented to users will vary. As you design accessible projects, keep in mind that you have no control over how a screen reader will behave. You have control only over the content, not the screen readers. You cannot force screen readers to read specific text at specific times or control the manner in which that content is read. It is very important, therefore, to test your movies with a variety of screen readers to ensure that they perform as you expect.