I was interested to read inSetting sites on Section 508 about an accessibility tool built into Windows XP: "There is a decent screen magnifier in Windows XP, which also includes a text-to-speech tool called Narrator. It is pretty limited and is only available in English, but it provides a useful tool in Notepad, Wordpad, Control Panel and Internet Explorer, as well as the Windows desktop and Windows setup." You can launch Narrator easily by pressing the Windows logo key and the U key, which also lets you start and stop the tool.
I was interested to read inSetting sites on Section 508 about an accessibility tool built into Windows XP:
"There is a decent screen magnifier in Windows XP, which also includes a text-to-speech tool called Narrator. It is pretty limited and is only available in English, but it provides a useful tool in Notepad, Wordpad, Control Panel and Internet Explorer, as well as the Windows desktop and Windows setup."
You can launch Narrator easily by pressing the Windows logo key and the U key, which also lets you start and stop the tool. The disappointing thing was that I could not figure out how to get the Narrator to read the content of a web page; only system menus and page titles.
In general, I've found that non-disabled web users are fascinated to see and hear how a text browser works, and it makes the whole issue of accessibility much more real and personal.
I'm planning to install a commercial text browser on my laptop so I can regularly include this in demonstrations. Narrator will be a nice demonstration tool when I'm in a meeting and need to demo what it's like to have a screen read to you -- and how difficult it is to understand a page when accessibility measures are not taken.

Maui's Vacation Rental Debate Turns Ugly
Verbal attacks, misinformation campaigns and fistfights plague a high-stakes debate to convert thousands of vacation rentals into long-term housing.

Planetizen Federal Action Tracker
A weekly monitor of how Trump’s orders and actions are impacting planners and planning in America.

Chicago’s Ghost Rails
Just beneath the surface of the modern city lie the remnants of its expansive early 20th-century streetcar system.

Bend, Oregon Zoning Reforms Prioritize Small-Scale Housing
The city altered its zoning code to allow multi-family housing and eliminated parking mandates citywide.

Amtrak Cutting Jobs, Funding to High-Speed Rail
The agency plans to cut 10 percent of its workforce and has confirmed it will not fund new high-speed rail projects.

LA Denies Basic Services to Unhoused Residents
The city has repeatedly failed to respond to requests for trash pickup at encampment sites, and eliminated a program that provided mobile showers and toilets.
Urban Design for Planners 1: Software Tools
This six-course series explores essential urban design concepts using open source software and equips planners with the tools they need to participate fully in the urban design process.
Planning for Universal Design
Learn the tools for implementing Universal Design in planning regulations.
planning NEXT
Appalachian Highlands Housing Partners
Mpact (founded as Rail~Volution)
City of Camden Redevelopment Agency
City of Astoria
City of Portland
City of Laramie
