The Study of Foreign Languages by Students Who Are Blind Using the JAWS Screen Reader and a Refreshable Braille Display

In this article, the authors contend that the effectiveness in studying foreign languages by students who are blind can be greatly increased with the use of a properly configured screen reader, Job Access With Speech (JAWS), and a braille display. They assert foreign language instruction should not be limited to auditory input from an instructor and JAWS alone, since being able to read and write the language is also of paramount importance. As a consequence, it is vital that a refreshable braille display should be included in the array of technology used by a foreign language student who is blind. The procedures described are most appropriate for use with English-speaking students who are studying second and third languages. The authors describe two major approaches. The first focuses on the language-detection facility found in JAWS. The second focuses on the inclusion of a foreign language synthesizer. The advantages of both approaches are detailed.