Screen readers speak text — Computing, 4–6
A screen reader turns written words and controls into speech or another output. It helps you use a digital page by listening instead of relying only on sight.
Words can be heard
A screen reader follows the words and controls on a digital page. It says text aloud and can tell you when it reaches a button or picture with a label. The page is still made of written information; the reader gives that information another way to reach you.
Why read a screen aloud?
Some people cannot see all the words clearly, and eyes can tire or be busy. A screen reader solves the problem of getting information by sight alone, while keyboard controls or gestures help move around. It comes from the idea that digital information should have more than one way to be used.
Listen to a button
Imagine a page with the words “Play song” on a button. First, the screen reader says “Play song” when you move to it. Next, you select the button with the keyboard or a gesture. Finally, the song starts. The reader did not press it for you; it told you what control you had reached.
Pictures need words too
You may think a screen reader can explain every picture because it can speak. It cannot know what an unlabelled picture means just by looking at the screen. A short description, such as “red ball”, gives it words to say; without one, it may announce only “image”.
A different route through information
Screen readers are used on websites, phones, books, and travel machines. Someone may listen to a message, move to its buttons, and answer without seeing the screen. Good labels matter, because a reader can only say what the digital page has been told about its controls and pictures.
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