Introduction to Jaws

 

Jaws (Job access with speech) is a Computer screen Reader Software for Microsoft Windows that allows low vision and blind persons to use Computer either through a Text-to-Speech output or through a Refreshable Braille Display. JAWS has risen to meet the challenge to allow blind and low vision computer users to use programs without standard Windows controls, and programs that were not designed for accessibility. It is part of a family of products designed for low vision and blind Computer Users such as Screen Magnification Software, Scanning and Reading Software, a PDA for the blind, Braille Display and Notetaker etc. according to a May 2012 screen reader users survey by WebAIM, (A Web accessibility company) Jaws is a most popular screen reader throughout the world; 49.1% of survey participants use it as primary screen reader, while 63.7% of participants use it often.

 

History of Jaws

 

JAWS was first released in 1989 by Ted Henter, a former motorcycle racer who lost his sight in a 1978 automobile accident. In 1985, Henter, along with an $180,000 USD investment from Bill Joyce, founded the Henter-Joyce Corporation in St. Petersburg, Florida. Joyce sold his interest in the company back to Henter sometime in 1990. In April 2000, Henter-Joyce, Blazie Engineering, and Arkenstone, Inc., merged to form Freedom Scientific. JAWS were originally created for the MS-DOS operating system. Ted Henter and Rex Skipper wrote the original JAWS code in the mid-1980s, releasing version 2.0 in mid-1990. Skipper left the company after the release of version 2.0, and following his departure, Charles Oppermann was hired to maintain and improve the product. Oppermann and Henter regularly added minor and major features and frequently released new versions. Freedom Scientific now offers JAWS for MS-DOS as a freeware, can be downloaded from their web site. In 1993, Henter-Joyce released a highly modified version of JAWS for people with learning disabilities. This product, called WordScholar, is no longer available. In 1992, as Microsoft Windows became more popular, Oppermann began work on a new version of JAWS. A principal design goal was not to interfere with the natural user interface of Windows and to continue to provide a strong macro facility. Test and beta versions of JAWS for Windows were shown at conferences throughout 1993 and 1994. During this time, developer Glen Gordon started working on the code, ultimately taking over its development when Oppermann was hired by Microsoft in November 1994. Shortly afterwards, in January 1995, JAWS for Windows 1.0 was released.

 

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