BCVI gets computer voice program

The Belize Council for the Visually Impaired has acquired a relatively recent computer program that helps blind students become computer literate. They don’t have to see the screen because a voice reads everything out loud for them, including all the computer’s own commands. The Belize Bank has provided a new computer for the program and today a volunteer from the Canadian National Institute for the Blind; Robby Dimeglio demonstrated how it works.

Robby Dimeglio, Volunteer

“A blind person would use the keyboard to read documents, spell check…the mouse is not used, because a blind person cannot use the mouse. You can go on the Internet, you can get your email, you can move files around and whatever anyone else can do on the computer, anyone.”

“I’ve been using it for three, three and a half years. And I started using it in high school it is a great tool and I wish I had found out about it before, but it was a very helpful tool for me. That’s why a wanted to volunteer in Belize, to show this.”

Legia Coyi, Belize Bank

“As we saw in the demo today, the program is being used to train visually impaired people to become computer literate, through the program JAWS, which utilizes a sound card in the computer and the memory. So visually impaired people can access the web, access spreadsheet programs, basic computer programs. And these are all functions that people need in today’s world.”

Robby Dimeglio is spending six months in Belize and is currently training three BCVI students how to use the computer. The JAWS for Windows program costs about 1,600 Belize dollars. Today’s demonstration is part of BCVI’s Young Adult Advocacy group workshop.