New Product Makes the Internet World Wide Web Usable by the Visually
Impaired

Trenton, New Jersey, 12th February, 1996 -- A New Jersey based consortium
of business, education and accessibility experts announced today the
availability of a new product, pwWebSpeak, a speaking Internet browser.
pwWebSpeak gives the visually impaired, for the first time, direct access
to the wealth and breadth of information and services available on the
World Wide Web.

pwWebSpeak is the result of a collaborative effort among The Productivity
Works who designed and developed the software, De Witt & Associates who
were involved in defining and refining the user interfaces and Thomas
Edison State College.

"Today these users are blocked from information on the Web since the basic
design of most Web pages precludes the use of current text to speech
reading devices. The explosive growth of the Web is in danger of leaving
visually impaired persons without the benefit of this worldwide
information resource. We are correcting this situation with the pwWebSpeak
project," Mark Hakkinen, Senior Vice President of The Productivity Works,
stated. "With pwWebSpeak over 27 million visually impaired individuals in
the USA and Europe can now have direct access to the largest library of
information in the world. As the Library of Congress and other major
institutions move to put their vast knowledge bases into digital form on
the Internet, pwWebSpeak's value becomes even more apparent," noted Mark
Hakkinen.

"Our consortium's unique approach to this explosive new market is to design
for consumer needs from the start, not as an afterthought," said John De
Witt, President of De Witt and Associates, consultants on accessibility
based in Glen Rock, New Jersey. "With pwWebSpeak, a broad range of users,
not only those with disabilities, will have enhanced choice, convenience,
and control in accessing the information age."

"Thomas Edison State College is well known for reaching out to those who
are often overlooked in their pursuit of learning. We have sought
non-traditional techniques in bringing information and educational
resources to adults interested in expanding their knowledge. I believe
this effort and pwWebSpeak fit our pattern of innovation. We are pleased
to be part of this project," stated Mr. Drew Hopkins, Director, Office of
MIS for Thomas Edison State College.

"The pwWebSpeak project incorporates development of software, accessible
design guidelines, and the creation of tools and courses for World Wide
Web site developers. The guidelines incorporate original research as well
as information from several universal design projects currently under way
across the world," noted Ray Ingram, Executive Vice President of The
Productivity Works. "We will make pwWebSpeak available to visually
impaired users for personal use at a nominal charge, and work with the
Libraries for the Blind, and other libraries and organizations, to provide
access to the Internet in their facilities," Ray Ingram explained.

Software Engineering's office in Geneva, Switzerland, will be carrying out
the product's introduction into Switzerland, Germany and France. Gerald C.
Levine, Managing Director of Software Engineering, Switzerland, noted "the
introduction of pwWebSpeak technology into the information access arena
opens many new opportunities for both the visually impaired and the
disabled." He continued by noting that "the underlying technology will be
evolved in several different directions to provide an overall benefit to
all information consumers." Software Engineering will be offering the
product, design, support and Internet services as well as design
workshops. They will be actively participating in the evolution of the
product to ensure that it meets the needs of the European community.

The Productivity Works is an Internet software company based in Trenton,
New Jersey, that is noted for its significant expertise in user interface
design, software design and engineering and Internet related development
work. It has a specific concentration on design and implementations that
incorporate universal access for people with disabilities.

FOR ADDITIONAL PRODUCT AND RELEASE INFORMATION, PLEASE CONTACT:

MARK T. HAKKINEN
Senior Vice President
The Productivity Works, Inc.
hakkinen@dev.prodworks.com
http://www.prodworks.com

ADDITIONAL INFORMATION ON THE RESPECTIVE ORGANIZATIONS MAY BE OBTAINED
FROM:

Gerald C. Levine
Managing Director
SEE Software Engineering S.A.
2, chemin du Pavillon
Case Postale 242
1218 Le Grand-Saconnex
Switzerland

Tel: +41 (0)22 717 6400
Fax: +41 (0)22 717 6401

email@software-engineering.ch
http://www.software-engineering.ch

Thomas Edison State College
101 West State Street
Trenton, NJ 08608-1176 USA

Tel: (609) 984-1100
Fax: (609) 633-6463

info@tesc.edu
http://www.tesc.edu
John De Witt
President
DeWitt & Associates
62 Oak Knoll Road
Glen Rock, NJ 07452 USA

Tel: (201) 447-6500
Fax: (201) 447-1187

dewitt@village.ios.com
 
 =========================================================
 From the 'New Product News' Electronic News Service on...
 AOL (Keyword = New Products) and Delphi (GO COMP PROD)
 =========================================================
 This information was processed from data provided by the
 company/author mentioned. For additional details, please
 contact them directly at the address/phone# indicated.
 Trademarks are the property of their respective owners!
 =========================================================
 All submissions for this service should be addressed to:
 BAKER ENTERPRISES,  20 Ferro Dr,  Sewell, NJ  08080  USA
 Email:   rbakerpc@aol.com   --or--   rbakerpc@delphi.com
 =========================================================
