Speech-Enabled Computers as a Tool for Serbian-Speaking Blind Persons

This paper is a review of speech applications and innovative systems in human-machine communication applied for visually impaired persons in Serbian-speaking areas. Three examples are described in more detail: a text-to-speech synthesizer providing independence in computer access to the visually impaired, an audio library for the visually impaired and a speech-enabled web site. These speech applications are predecessors to many commercial user services within areas where south-Slavic languages are spoken, such as voice portals and interactive voice response telephone services.