Adaptive Hardware
- The mission of Adapted Computer Technologies (ACT) is to be an industry leader and partner in the field of Assistive Technologies by meeting the educational and work-related needs of persons with disABILITIES. Since 1989, ACT has specialized in consulting, products, systems integration and the instruction in the use of computer assisted devices. These services are provided to all individuals with disabilities, vocational counselors, educators/specialists and employers of persons with disABILITIES.Contact Adapted Computer Technologies at:
14 Lynn Court
San Rafael, CA 94901
Telephone: 415 455-9700
Toll Free: 800 317-9611 (Canada and US)
Facsimile: 415 455-9801
E-mail: Contact Adapted Computer Technologies by clicking on this link. - American Printing House for the Blind, Inc. (APH) is the world’s largest nonprofit organization creating educational, workplace, and independent living products and services for people who are visually impaired. In 2008, APH celebrated 150 Years of Service to the blind community.
Contact American Printing House for the Blind, Inc. at:
1839 Frankfort Avenue
P.O. Box 6085
Louisville, Kentucky 40206-0085
Telephone: 502 895-2405
Toll-free: 800 223-1839 (Canada and US)
Facsimile: 502 899-2284 - For over 22 years, Aroga Technologies has strived to help its clients attain independence. Through partnerships with leading developers and innovators, they seek to help ensure that all people reach their maximum potential.
“Live. Learn. See. Communicate.” These words not only serve as their company motto, but also resonates with every one of their clients because it is our customers who represent the difference their products make in people’s lives.
Aroga Technologies is Canada’s largest independent distributor and retailer of assistive technology which helps people with disabilities perform tasks which they might be unable to do without assistance. Operating from four regional offices, Vancouver, Edmonton, Toronto and Montreal, their staff criss crosses the country evangelizing about new innovative technologies that can improve peoples lives.
Contact Aroga Technologies at:
107 – 3823 Henning Drive
Burnaby, BC V5C 6P3
Telephone: 604 431-7997
Toll Free: 800 561-6222
Facsimile:604 431-7995 -
Enabling Technologies (originally Triformation Systems, Inc. ) began in the late sixties in Rochester, New York, when three recent college grads decided to build a crude embosser to help out a blind classmate. “Crude” means, among other things, that the medium of choice was strips of paper tape. Joe Sullivan of Duxbury Systems recalls seeing this machine at a conference around 1969 as one of several of that era based on teletype machines.
By the early seventies, the three friends were in business in Stuart, Florida, as “Triformation Systems, Inc.” Their first enduring success was the LED-120 Braille printer, which was manufactured for over 10 years. An LED-120 could produce a page of Braille in about 8 seconds. Though not always user-friendly, these machines proved very durable and served out a long life at many major Braille publishing houses.
Over their history, they have created several embosser products including the Plate Embossing Device Model 30, which changed Braille production forever. Also to their credit is the Romeo Braille Printer, the Braille BookMaker, Juliet, with its reliable, high-quality interpoint, and TranSend, a control unit that places Braille and small or large print together, line by line, on Braille paper. They added Dynamic Braille Scaling to several of their embossers so customers can Braille in different popular sizes, such as Jumbo, California sign Braille, Japanese, or with extra line spacing, by keying in a simple command.
Their newest product in personal-sized embossers is the Romeo Pro 50–easily their fastest Romeo ever–with ET Speaks and Single Sheet Feed Tractors as standard equipment.
Contact Enabling Technologies at:
1601 N.E. Braille Place
Jensen Beach, Florida 34957
Telephone: 772 225-3687
Toll Free: 800 777-3687
Facsimile: 772 225-3299 Toll Free Facsimile: 800 950-3687
E-mail: For inquiries for purchases outside the US, click on this link.
E-mail: For inquiries for purchases within the US, click on this link. - eSight Eyewear may be helpful for people with:
- Macular Degeneration
- Diabetic Retinopathy
- Stargardt’s Disease
- Ocular Albinism
- Leber’s Hereditary Optic Neuropathy
- Cone-Rod Dystrophy
- Some forms of Glaucoma
- Other low vision conditions
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eSight Eyewear is currently recommended for those with visual acuity between 20/60 and 20/400. Unfortunately, eSight eyewear is not suitable for those with severe tunnel vision at this time. Visit the FAQ summary to learn more about eSight eyewear or listen/view the YouTube testimonials from actual users.Contact eSight Eyewear at:
Toll Free: 855 837-444 - Freedom Scientific has adopted and operates based on the following quality statement – “To develop, manufacture, and market technology-based products that provide equal access to information and computing for those with vision impairments or learning disabilities.”
They are the largest worldwide manufacturer of assistive technology products for those who are blind or have low vision. Freedom Scientific is also the only company with a complete line of products for those with vision impairments. All of these products are tested and guaranteed to work together.
Freedom Scientific has been in business for over ten years and its products are sold in 55 countries and translated into 24 languages. They have a close relationship with their customers and they incorporate many user suggestions into future products.
Contact Freedom Scientific at:
11800 31st Court North
St. Petersburg, FL 33716-1805
Telephone: 727-803-8000 Toll-Free: 800 444-4443
Technical Support: 727 803-8600
E-mail: For sales inquiries to Freedom Scientific, click on this link. -
Frontier Accessibility is a complete sales and service provider of assistive technology products for vision loss, learning disabilities, communication aids and physical access. They offer a number of associated services which create independence and life long knowledge for their valued customers.
Contact Frontier Accessibility at:
1929 Bayview Ave,
East York, ON M4G 0A1
Telephone: 416 489-6690
toll-free: 888 480-0000
Technical Support: 888 269-8180
Facsimile: 416 489-6693
Contact: For sales inquiries to Frontier Computing, click on this link. - For over 25 years, HumanWare, Inc. Has had an inspirational vision which has resulted in a range of highly intuitive and intelligent solutions that empower people with visual impairment and learning disabilities by giving them the independence to participate effectively within a sighted world.
HumanWare is a pioneer in mastering rapid advancements in digital technology to create and deliver humanized solutions that help people with blindness, low vision, and learning disabilities. Their highly advanced technology will never lose its human touch.
HumanWare products have a profoundly positive impact on the lives of visually impaired and learning disabled people of every age. From advanced Braille products and electronic magnifiers to digital talking book players and beyond, their tools help end-users to live independently and compete effectively in today’s world.
With marketing, production and R&D operations in Canada, and sales offices in the United States, the United Kingdom, Europe and Australia, along with distribution networks throughout North America, Asia and the Middle East, Europe and Australasia, HumanWare is truly a global company.Contact HumanWare, Inc. at:
1800 Michaud street
Drummondville, Quebec J2C 7G7
Telephone: 819 471-4818
Toll free: 888 723-7273
Facsimile: 819 471-4828
E-mail: For inquiries to Humanware, click on this link. - Magnifying Choices – Pending information from company
- Microcomputer Science Centre Inc. has been serving the Canadian Special Needs Community since 1980, providing Adaptive technology, Consulting, Training, Service and Support.
Contact Microcomputer Science Centre Inc. at:
26 – 5155 Spectrum Way
Mississauga, Ontario L4W 5A1
Telephone: 905 629-1654
Toll Free: 800 290-6563
Adaptive Software
- The mission of Adapted Computer Technologies (ACT) is to be an industry leader and partner in the field of Assistive Technologies by meeting the educational and work-related needs of persons with disABILITIES. Since 1989, ACT has specialized in consulting, products, systems integration and the instruction in the use of computer assisted devices. These services are provided to all individuals with disabilities, vocational counselors, educators/specialists and employers of persons with disABILITIES.Contact Adapted Computer Technologies at:
14 Lynn Court
San Rafael, CA 94901
Telephone: 415 455-9700
Toll Free: 800 317-9611 (Canada and US)
Facsimile: 415 455-9801
E-mail: Contact Adapted Computer Technologies by clicking on this link. - Ai Squared has been a leader in the assistive technology field for over 20 years. Their flagship product, ZoomText, is the world’s best magnification and reading software for the vision impaired. They pride themselves on delivering the highest quality software products and superior technical support.
Located in the heart of Vermont’s green mountains, in the picturesque village of Manchester Center, they’ve grown from a one-man operation into a team dedicated to providing accessibility solutions for all low vision computer users.Their products are available in 20 languages and are sold in 45 countries through their network of over 350 dealers across the globe. They’ve helped over 100,000 individuals with early vision loss, computer vision syndrome, and visual impairments such as macular degeneration and glaucoma.The family of Ai Squared products includes ZoomText, ZoomText Mac, ZoomText USB, ZoomText ImageReader, the ZoomText Large-Print Keyboard, ZoomText Express, and their mobile apps – ZoomReader and ZoomContacts.Contact Ai Squared at:
130 Taconic Business Park Road
Manchester Center, Vermont 05255
Telephone: 802 362-3612
Facsimile: 802 362-1670
Support: (802) 362-3612 option #3 - American Printing House for the Blind, Inc. (APH) is the world’s largest nonprofit organization creating educational, workplace, and independent living products and services for people who are visually impaired. In 2008, APH celebrated 150 Years of Service to the blind community.
Contact American Printing House for the Blind, Inc. at:
1839 Frankfort Avenue
P.O. Box 6085
Louisville, Kentucky 40206-0085
Telephone: 502 895-2405
Toll-free: 800 223-1839 (Canada and US)
Facsimile: 502 899-2284 - this Apple Accessibility Resource provides third party solutions to accessibility software for Mac product users (employing OSX) who are blind, sight-impaired and/or hard of hearing.
- AppleVis is a community-powered website for vision-impaired users of Apple’s range of Mac computers, the iPhone, iPad and iPod Touch. Apple includes assistive technology in these products as standard features, whilst 3rd-party developers have seen the potential of OS X and the iOS platform in particular to create and deliver solutions specifically for the blind and those with low vision. The result has been a convergence of mainstream and assistive technologies onto single devices that are accessible to the vision-impaired. This is why they have been adopted in such large numbers by the community, and why the need for a resource such as AppleVis arose.
AppleVis is a rich resource that strives to empower the community by offering multiple pathways to access and share relevant and useful information. With this information, the vision-impaired become more informed consumers of these extremely popular mainstream products, and are better-equipped to access and enjoy the features and functionality that most sighted users take for granted.
AppleVis endeavors to further raise awareness of the added value that these products can offer to vision-impaired users, and to encourage and support people in exploring the many ways in which they offer opportunities for personal enrichment, independence and empowerment.
In addition to providing members of the community with multiple ways to connect and engage with each other, AppleVis has a strong commitment to further improving the accessibility of the OS X and iOS platforms and the 3rd-party applications that are available. This is achieved by creating relationships with developers of applications, raising awareness of the needs of vision-impaired users, actively campaigning for improved accessibility, and recognizing those developers who have demonstrated a firm commitment to making their products accessible to the vision-impaired.
AppleVis is the primary resource for vision-impaired users of Apple products. It is independent, highly valued by the community, and has an established commitment to accessibility advancement and consumer information and empowerment. - For over 22 years, Aroga Technologies has strived to help its clients attain independence. Through partnerships with leading developers and innovators, they seek to help ensure that all people reach their maximum potential.
“Live. Learn. See. Communicate.” These words not only serve as their company motto, but also resonates with every one of their clients because it is their customers who represent the difference their products make in people’s lives.
Aroga Technologies is Canada’s largest independent distributor and retailer of assistive technology which helps people with disabilities perform tasks which they might be unable to do without assistance. Operating from four regional offices, Vancouver, Edmonton, Toronto and Montreal, their staff criss crosses the country evangelizing about new innovative technologies that can improve peoples lives.Contact Aroga Technologies at:
107 – 3823 Henning Drive
Burnaby, BC V5C 6P3
Telephone: 604 431-7997
Toll Free: 800 561-6222
Facsimile:604 431-7995 - Founded in 1998 and headquartered in Terrassa/Barcelona, Spain, Code Factory is the global leader committed to the development of products designed to eliminate barriers to the accessibility of mobile technology for the blind and visually impaired. Today, Code Factory is the leading provider of screen readers, screen magnifiers, and Braille interfaces for the widest range of mainstream mobile devices including Symbian-based and Windows Mobile-powered Smartphones as well as Pocket PC phones and PDA’s. Its product line is the only one to support phones working on the GSM, CDMA and WCDMA networks. Code Factory’s success lies in giving excellent customer support and in responding immediately to the needs of its end users.
Among Code Factory’s customers are well known organizations like ONCE, and carriers such as TMN, Vodafone, SFR, Bouygues Telecom and AT&T. The company also collaborated with leading TTS providers and Braille manufacturers, thus enabling Code Factory to provide excellent text-to-speech technology in many languages for Mobile Speak products, and to incorporate support for over twenty wireless Braille devices into the software.
Contact Code Factory at:
C/ Major, 19, 2-3 08221 – Terrassa
Barcelona, SPAIN E-mail: For information inquiries to Code Factory, click on this link. - Duxbury Systems leads the world in software for braille. The Duxbury Braille Translator (DBT) and MegaDots, are used by virtually all of the world’s leading braille publishers. No one supports more languages than Duxbury Systems — DBT supports grade 1 and grade 2 translation in English, Spanish, French, Portuguese, Arabic, Malaysian, Swedish, and other languages. Their software can produce contracted and uncontracted braille, mathematics, and technical braille.
Contact Duxbury Systems at:
6 – 270 Littleton Road
Theystford, MA 01886-3523
Telephone: 978 692-3000
Facsimile: 978 692-7912
E-mail: For information inquiries to Duxbury Systems, click on this link. - The award-winning Firefox web browser has security, speed and new features that will change the way you use the web.
Mozilla is a proudly non-profit organization dedicated to keeping the power of the web in people’s hands. They’re a global community of users, contributors and developers working to innovate on your behalf. When you use Firefox, or any Mozilla product, you become a part of that community, helping us build a brighter future for the web. r mission is to promote openness, innovation & opportunity on the web.
Contact Firefox at:
300 – 650 Castro Street
Mountain View, CA, 94041-2021
Telephone – Vancouver: XXX
Telephone – Toronto: XXX -
Freedom Scientific has adopted and operates based on the following quality statement – “To develop, manufacture, and market technology-based products that provide equal access to information and computing for those with vision impairments or learning disabilities.”
They are the largest worldwide manufacturer of assistive technology products for those who are blind or have low vision. Freedom Scientific is also the only company with a complete line of products for those with vision impairments. All of these products are tested and guaranteed to work together.
Freedom Scientific has been in business for over ten years and its products are sold in 55 countries and translated into 24 languages. They have a close relationship with their customers and they incorporate many user suggestions into future products.
Contact Freedom Scientific at:
11800 31st Court North
St. Petersburg, FL 33716-1805
Telephone: 727-803-8000 Toll-Free: 800 444-4443
Technical Support: 727 803-8600E-mail: For sales inquiries to Freedom Scientific, click on this link. -
Frontier Computing is a complete sales and service provider of assistive technology products for vision loss, learning disabilities, communication aids and physical access. They offer a number of associated services which create independence and life long knowledge for their valued customers.
Contact Frontier Computing at:
406 – 2221 Yonge Street
Toronto, ON M4S 2B4
Telephone: 416 489-6690
toll-free: 888 480-0000
Technical Support: 888 269-8180
Facsimile: 416 489-6693E-mail: For sales inquiries to Frontier Computing, click on this link. - Since 1990, GW Micro has listened to screen-reader users and incorporated many of their suggestions into one powerful product: Window-Eyes. The result? A wide variety of speech features and the flexibility needed for running many of today’s most advanced Windows applications.
GW Micro has strived to find the ideal combination of flexibility and automaticity. That’s just a fancy way of saying that they want you, their customer, to have a screen reader that is adaptable to your specific needs and likes, and yet work automatically enough for you to focus attention on your application program, not so much on operating the screen reader. After all, the purpose for having a screen reader in the first place is to gain access to computers, not to use computers to operate the screen reader.
Effective January 14 2014, GW Micro and Microsoft Corp. have partnered to make Window-Eyes available to users of Microsoft Office at no cost. Eligible customers, using Microsoft Office 2010 or higher, will be able to download a full version of Window-Eyes for Office. The website provides download instructions as well as additional details about this offer.
Contact GW Micro at: 725 Airport North Office Park
Fort Wayne, Indiana 46825
Telephone: 260 489-3671
Facsimile: 260 489-2608
E-mail: For sales inquiries to GW Micro, click on this link. - Kurzweil Educational Systems, Inc. was founded in 1996. The roots of the company extend back to 1976 and the introduction of the world’s first reading system, the Kurztweil Reading Machine. Today, the company is recognized as the leading developer of reading technology for people with learning difficulties and those who are blind or visually impaired. They offer products that bring the power and pleasure of reading and learning to the lives of users.
Kurzweil Educational Systems currently offers Kurztheyil 1000, Kurzweil 3000 for Windows and Kurzweil 3000 for Macintosh. All products incorporate the most clear, human-like synthesized voices available coupled with a robust set of easy-to-use features for accessing, reading, managing and creating text and images.
In 2005, Kurzweil Educational Systems was acquired by Cambium Learning®, now known as Cambium Learning Group.
Contact Kurzweil Educational Systems, Inc.> Cambium Learning Technologies
Kurzweil Educational Systems
24 Prime Parkway
Natick, MA 01760
Toll Free: 800 894-5374 - New Designs Unlimited is a manufacturer of assistive technology for the blind and sight-impaired. Their mission is to make technology more accessible by increasing affordability while reducing complexity. Their primary product is Speak Easy Media System – a simple-to-use screen reader as well as some android apps.
New Designs Unlimited at: Toll Free: 888 868-6159
- NV Access is a free, open source screen reader that is just a download away.
NV Access was established in early 2007 as a result of the increasing support needs of the NVDA project. NV Access develops and supports free and open source software that facilitates access to technology for blind and vision impaired people. They do this by employing developers, providing technical resources such as internet hosting and development tools, and facilitating attendance at conferences and events. As they are a non-profit organization, their work is funded primarily through grants and donations.
The purpose of NV Access is to lower the economic and social barriers associated with accessing Information Technology for people who are Blind or Vision Impaired. The company is thus dedicated to the ideal that accessibility and equitable access is a right and should not come as an extra cost to a person who is Blind or Vision Impaired. In a world where information and technology are an increasingly important part of daily living, this ideal facilitates greater participation and independence in all facets of life , most importantly within the areas of education and obtaining employment. In order to carry out this purpose, the company’s objectives include, but are not limited to:- To facilitate the development of open-source assistive technologies for blind and vision impaired people that are free of charge to the end user;
- To provide low cost information technology solutions which enhance accessibility for blind and vision impaired people;
- To act as a fundraising body to support the various projects encompassed by the organization;
- To encourage and facilitate contributions to the overall effort of the organization
- To contribute to existing and future efforts aimed at improving accessibility for blind and vision impaired people;
- To raise awareness and promote the importance of accessibility.
NVDA now comes with its own talking installer, which allows you to install NVDA with out the use of another screen reader or sighted assistance. NVDA now supports English, French, Portuguese, Brazilian Portuguese, Spanish, Finnish, German, Hungarian, Italian, Slovak, Traditional Chinese, Swedish and Czech. It also supports SAPI4, but most importantly now comes with the E-Speak synthesizer built in to NVDA itself. This means that NVDA can now be used on any Windows operating system.
Contact NV Access at:
19 Broadview Place
Robina, Qld 4226
Australia
Telephone: +61 7 5667 8372 Note business hours: UTC+10:00 Brisbane Australia) E-mail: For information inquiries to NV Access, click on this link. - OperaInternet browser is a free browser that can be acquired through a simple download from the web site. In addition to the computer-based Opera application, individuals can download Opera Mini for their mobile phones.
Opera is an independent Scandinavian company that’s been in the business of making web browsers since 1994. Their founders saw the internet as a way of making information free and available to everyone in the world, regardless of where they lived or how they got online.
Ever since then, one of the primary driving forces behind their work has been to make web browsers that run on computers, phones or any other device, from TV’s to tablets to game consoles. Today, they’re proud to say that their products and services connect more of the unconnected than ever before, from people in the biggest cities to the most remote villages and places on the planet.
- Sendero Group are the developers of the first accessible GPS and talking map software. GPS products “Powered by Sendero” software provide access to detailed street and business location information. The blind traveler can now be a co-pilot , not just a passive passenger in a car. He or she can keep the taxi driver honest, enjoy hearing about the sites and businesses being passed and know independently when to get off the bus. Students can also chart custom routes across campus or hikers can do the same in the woods.
Sendero staff, most of whom are visually impaired, know from personal and professional experience that orientation and mobility skills and tools for blind folks are key to enjoyment and success in all walks of life.
- Serotek was founded in 2001 by a blind entrepreneur who wanted to create products that were powerful, intuitive, affordable, and extremely easy to use for the beginner computer user who is blind or visually impaired. While Serotek’s products, including System Access have evolved over the years to meet the demands of professionals in a growing list of industries, the company remains true to its mission of building tools inspired by the community it serves. Serotek is committed to accessibility anywhere for blind and visually impaired people around the globe.
Serotek features a premier line of software products to help you achieve maximum productivity and optimal entertainment. Mix and match their software solutions in a way that matches your budget and lifestyle. Products include:ContactSerotek at:
Toll Free: 866 202-0520
Support: 650 249-1000
E-mail: Contact Serotek by clicking on this link.