Software Tools

People with ALS often have a lot of problems working on a PC and communicating. You can find a lot of websites on the internet that offer software that allow you to work more easily and to make a computer talk. Please find an overview below. 

 

SPEACH PROGRAMS

Speak It

Is a voice application with which you can enter your own text for iPad and iPhone. It allows pALS to keep communicating with their family and friends in an easy way. Very suitable. This app costs 1.79 euro and can be downloaded via iTunes. Once you have bought your app you can buy extra voices for other languages in the application for 0, 89 euro. For the Dutch voices you can choose Femke and Max.

 

ClickTalk

With the ClickTalk app, ALS-patients can continue to communicate with family, friends and healthcare people via their iPad. Dialogues are predetermined, and you can go through them in a multiple choice way. ALS people can select the sentences by means of one switch. This app costs 4, 99 euro and can be downloaded via iTunes.

 

Click to talk

Click to talk – Click Here

 

pVoice

pVoice is a software program for people with a disability that cannot speak and in addition, very limited in their ability to operate a computer. pVoice allows to speak via the computer by selecting symbols or photo’s.

http://www.oatsoft.org/Software/pvoice

 

CHIP Speaking

CHIP Speaking is a program that allows the user to record about 99 messages. You can record the messages yourself or you can have them recorded by someone else or by a computer voice.

www.chipspeaking.com 

 

Sitepal

Sitepal is a program that allows you to talk in different languages.

It is a demo however, you can use it up to 15 times, but when you close the application and open it again it is again available

http://www.oddcast.com/home/demos/tts/frameset.php?frame1=talk

 

EYEBALL NAVIGATION FOR PC

Optikey

Optikey guides the mouse and keyboard of a Windows computer. To type, the user must fix his eyes on a letter for one and a half second. With Optikey, the written words can moreover be read out.

https://github.com/JuliusSweetland/OptiKey/wiki

Requirements

 

WORD PREDICTION SOFTWARE

ENA-letter cards

What is the speediest way to build words in Flemish by means of scanning (row-column) via a letter card? On an ENA-card letters are arranged in such a way that you can quickly spell words with it.

http://modem.kinsbergenvzw.be/materiaal/168-letterkaarten.html

 

MultiMail

Multimail is an electronic e-mail program that also includes word prediction.

www.oatsoft.org/Software/multimail/?searchterm=multimail

 

Let-Me-Type

LetMeType is a word prediction program completely free of charge. It can work with word pairs and has a lot of settings.

www.clasohm.com/lmt/en/

 

READING SOFTWARE

Sayz Me

Sayz Me is text-to-voice software. This means that the program reads typed text aloud.

http://sourceforge.net/projects/sayzme/

 

Deskbot

Deskbot is also text-to-voice software. The program helps you to read texts on the computer aloud. The texts can be in any possible program (Word, PowerPoint, internet,…). A self-chosen figure, the Agent, reads the text for you aloud.

www.bellcraft.com/deskbot/

 

HELP Read

HelpRead is text-to-voice software. You can introduce few changes to the voice and you have few additional features, but it’s a product free of charge.

http://www.ldpride.net/helpread.htm

 

Narrator

Narrator is text-to-voice software. The program works under Windows 98, 2000 or XP.

www.microsoft.com/enable/training/windowsxp/narratorturnon.aspx

 

Word Agent

Word Agent consists of a template within MS Word, where an additional toolbar is provided. Via this toolbar you can have a Word document read aloud directly by a self-chosen figure. (=’Agent’). You can have read aloud the complete text, only the selected text or starting from the cursor. A pause button is foreseen. Word Agent only works together with MS Agent.

http://hendrike.home.xs4all.nl/Gebruik/Word_agent.html

 

COMPUTER ADJUSTMENTS TO ORDINARY MOUSE

Enable Viacam (free download)

Software using head movements to operate the mouse cursor. It can be installed on a normal pc equipped with a webcam.

www.eviacam.sourceforge.net

 

Dwell Clicker

With this program, mouse clicks can be simulated.

https://thinksmartbox.com/product/dwell-clicker/

 

Joystick to mouse

This program ensures that each game joystick reacts as a computer mouse.

atzitznet.no-ip.org/Joy2Mouse3/Joy2Mouse3.htm

 

IconArt

A good, free of charge, user friendly program to make and manipulate animated mouse cursors.

www.conware-pro.com/products/ia/about.php

 

Stereopsis

Makes it possible to quickly go forward (to the next browser page) and backward (to the previous one) by moving or bumping the mouse pointer respectively to the right and to the left against the edge of the screen. This is very helpful for people who move coarse.

www.stereopsis.com/bumper/

 

COMPUTER ADAPTATIONS: KEYBOARDS ON THE SCREEN

Click-N-Type

Click-N-Type is a keyboard on the screen with word prediction and macro’s. The selection of the letters can only be done through the mouse or a mouse alternative, not by scanning!

www.lakefolks.org/cnt/ more comprehensive : members1.chello.nl/~p.kavelaars/screentoets.htm

 

SAW

SAW is a keyboard on the screen that can be operated with the mouse as well as with 1 function key. Several keyboards are supplied. Own keyboards can be created.

www.ace-centre.org.uk/

Click on RESOURCES, then on SOFTWARE and finally on SAW5

 

Clavicom

Clavicom is an original French keyboard on the screen. You can click letters on the screen. The software package also contains a French word prediction (that is to say, you type the first letter of the word and the program provides a series of words that start with this letter, this way you can type a message with less keystrokes).

http://guillaumergo.free.fr/clavier2.htm

 

Virtual Online Keyboard

This is a keyboard on the screen. It functions well under Windows 2000, but not under Windows XP.

imtranslator.net/keyboard.asp

 

Screen keyboard of Microsoft

This is a keyboard that is standard available on your PC. Via “All Programs” under the “Start”-button of your pc, you go to desk accessories. Here you click on “Accessibility” and then on “Keyboard”.

http://windows.microsoft.com/en-US/windows-vista/Type-without-using-the-keyboard-On-Screen-Keyboard

 

OnScreenKeys

OnScreenKeys offers a highly advanced, but nevertheless easy way to use a virtual keyboard that makes it possible for everybody who has a disability to quickly and easily type text in any text field on a computer screen only by moving the mouse pointer over the keys of the virtual keyboard. This software can be used free of charge during 30 days.

http://www.onscreenkeys.com/nl/index.htm

 

Overview multiple programs and installations:

For a number of the above programs you can find some practical explanation on members1.chello.nl/~p.kavelaars/gratissoft.htm on how to install and to use them.

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