Anyone familiar with speech synthesis software, commonly known as screen readers, should know that text-to-speech is not a fail-proof technology despite all the improvements that have been made over the years. Even if most of the time content on the PC is conveyed effectively, glitches of one form or another are bound to occur. Even for the more experienced user, finding your way around a poorly designed website or software application can be a project in itself. So, before taring your hair out, spending hours on the phone with tech support or doing something you shouldn’t to your computer, take a deep breath and remember that a wealth of experience from other users like you is waiting “just a click away.” User lists of all sorts exist for the very purpose of helping each other solve problems encountered with the products we use. Here are a few lists specifically dealing with the accessibility of computers via screen readers, namely JAWS and Window-Eyes..

User Groups

• Blind Email List: http://www.hicom.net/~oedipus/blist.html
   — a good reference even if it is outdated.
• GW Micro User Groups: http://www.gwmicro.com/Support/Email_Lists/
• JFW User groups: http://www.freedomscientific.com/support/user-groups.asp