Our Employment Training Department was set up a year ago and runs courses throughout the year in Word Processing, Spreadsheets, Databases and Desk Top Publishing.

Clients sit the RSA Computer Literacy and Information Technology (CLAIT) Stage I examination at the end of their course. Integrated Business Technology (IBTII) Stage II is taken by more advanced students.

To enable blind people to use computers we have speech synthesisers and HAL5. Instructions are heard on a tape recorder and the screen is read by the speech synthesiser so the user can hear what they have typed. The speech synthesiser has many adjustments including seven voices and 9 speed settings, using Word Perfect for DOS.

For the partially sighted we have 21" and 17" screens running at low resolution to increase the size of anything displayed, plus Lunar (which enlarges the text up to 16 times). This enables a visually impaired user to work in Windows programmes because both the text and icons are all enlarged.

A complete Braile Unit with Alva Terminal, Computer, Scanner and Braille Printer is available.

CCTV machines for enlarging documents and a Kurtzweil Reader which will read a printed document/book to you (again with seven voice settings and speed adjustment).

Braille ‘n Speak and Audio Equipment are also available.

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