Microsoft is constantly improving its built-in screen reader, Narrator.Google has TalkBack for Android devices and ChromeVox for ChromeOS.Its development enabled people with visual disabilities to use the touch interface of the iPhone beginning with the iPhone 3GS. VoiceOver is the screen reader built into Apple operating systems including macOS, iOS/iPadOS, and Watch OS.

First released in 2006, NVDA usage is now rivaling that of JAWS.

Nonvisual Desktop Access (NVDA) is a free open source screen reader for Windows.

Freedom Scientific developed it first for DOS and then Windows.

Job Access With Speech, commonly known as JAWS, is one of the most popular screen readers.

IBM wasn’t the only group working on screen readers. In recognition of Jim Thatcher’s many contributions to accessibility, his family sponsors the Jim Thatcher Prize which is awarded to a person whose work has resulted in a technical advance in the development of a tool or tools that improve technology and information access and increase participation in learning, working, or civic engagement for people with disabilities. Richard Schwerdtfeger, former Chair of the Knowbility board, told the story about working on screen reader development with Jim and others at IBM in a Keynote speech at AccessU in 2017. Jim Thatcher was a longtime friend of Knowbility who passed away in 2019. Jim and his team continued development and released IBM Screen Reader/2 to work with graphical operating systems such as Windows 95 and IBM OS/2. It was initially only available within IBM. The IBM Screen Reader worked with the text-based Desktop Operating System (DOS). IBM Researcher and Accessibility Pioneer, Jim Thatcher, created the first screen reader in 1986. More keyboard commands provide additional features. There are ways to list and navigate to specific element types such as headings, links, major page sections (“landmarks”), and others. This includes alternative text provided for images and specialized accessibility information. The user hears the info and any metadata.

As the user navigates, the screen reader announces each piece of content. Common commands control navigation by character, by line, by paragraph, and by element. Users commonly navigate through a page or document using keyboard commands. It is software that interprets the information coded on a screen and presents it to the user in speech or Braille output. A screen reader is an assistive technology used by the blind, people with low vision, and people with cognitive or learning disabilities. Blind screen reader users have no problem navigating a web page that is coded correctly and follows basic accessibility guidelines. It is hard for a sighted user to imagine navigating the web without actually seeing a page or using a mouse.

What is a screen reader for blind