Perhaps the greatest quests for blind people is for accessible information such as news, books and magazines. One of the greatest breakthroughs in computer technology in the 1980s was the development of the screen reader and speech synthesizer. This breakthrough allowed the blind to affordably access information long denied them because they couldn’t read conventional print and braille and recorded information is often outdated by the time it reaches the blind student. In addition, braille is expensive both to transcribe and publish. You will learn what a screen reader is, what a screen reader does, how a screen reader assists a blind student, and what developers need to do so that screen readers works optimally. (May 3, 2019)

See https://wcatradio.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/05/Prayer-Connection-5.01.2019.pdf for the visual.

About the Presenter:
Ben Watson is a facilitator with iTEE Global International where he trains pastors and church leaders so they can multiply generations of trainers, making discipleship and leadership training both affordable and accessible to third world leaders and pastors. Ben teaches online using Screen Reader technology and does occasional face to face training overseas.

For this webinar Ben will draw much from his experience of living through the development of the screen reader beginning with its use in the PC and MS Dos environments and on to Windows and even the iPhone and iPad. He will approach his subject from the viewpoint of a user rather than the viewpoint of a developer

Ben is a graduate of Calvary University, where he graduated with a BS in Bible. In addition, he has done work toward his masters at Luther Rice Seminary in Atlanta, Georgia. He has been either an assistant or solo pastor in churches in Kansas and Michigan. He was director of international ministries at Source of Light Ministries International in Madison, Georgia and helped move Source of Light’s publication of their bible correspondence courses into large print, braille and audio.

In 2012 he retired from Source of Light Ministries International and in 2014 he began his work with iTEE (Internet Theological Education by Extension) Global. He has been married to his wife Gladys for 44 years. They have no children of their own, but have spoiled the children of many of their friends.