Framework for the Blind and Visually Impaired.

Sales and support information

Window 95/98/ME/NT/XP/2000 and Windows 3.1 Compatibility


Framework is especially suitable for use with vocal interface providing productivity and usability for visually impaired and blind computer users beyond mere vocalization.

Framework provide both text and graphic modes under Windows. In text mode DOS and Windows vocalizers are supported while sharing the Windows screen. Framework advantage for the visually impaired goes beyond a vocalizer usage allowing conceptualizing of information and data in ordered consistent layouts that can be navigated with confidence using consistent predictable commands. Its fundamental organization and interface design improves productivity, organization, orientation, and control than the vocalizer alone.

The same significant ergonomic advantages that seeing users are getting from the Framework's user selection based interface and unified data organization architecture are even more significant to visually impaired users using vocalizers.

Actions taken such as typing, moving in a text, choosing a menu, navigating between frames, or saving a frame, automatically updates a number of detailed message and indicators at permanent screen locations, reflecting all changes, the current status, and actions taken, pending, as well as possible available actions.

Even more significant for control and orientation is the organization of Framework's documents and objects in chained lists. The selectable positions of documents, as all other objects, is depending on their order in a list. Navigation in the list is independent of their's coordinate position on the display. As an example, to select the 42nd document on the desktop the user can safely press the Home key to go the first document, than Ctrl-41 and, DnArrow to advance the cursor to the 42nd document.

Framework inherent non-linear access and its three dimensional navigation provide a unique memorization of positioning and selections. An outline document in Framework remembers the cursor position in each sub outline and provide transparent navigation between them while maintaining all these positions. This capabilities are available just the same in spreadsheets, databases, and when performing file management on disk.

All framework actions are selection based and keyboard specific. There are no dialog box per say and multiple responses always correspond to keystrokes.

The Framework desktop display is divided into a number of fixed-position areas. The bottom line, referred to as the message line, is constantly updated with information describing action taken, potential actions, status information such as the number of columns and record in a database or a spreadsheet, the results of database filtering, searches, calculations, etc.

The second line from the bottom, referred to as the editing line, is used to edit cells, footnotes, menu items, or programming input, it is expendable to a full screen editing mode.

The third line from the bottom, referred to as the status line, is divided into three areas, each with a constant width. With every keystroke the status line is updated. The center area contain the current document name and its position in the Framework hierarchy which include spreadsheet cells name or coordinates. The right area contain positioning information in text and documents as well as cells. The left area contain printing font informations and formulas which may be attached to every document and cell.

Framework customized keyboard dedicate all Alt-Key combination to user defined macros which can be used to trigger the vocalizer. More then that, Framework provide text-aware hot-keys which can send to a vocalizer the current selection text, without actually selecting a block, sending the current character, word, line, to line's beginning, to line's end, sentence, paragraph, whole document or screen to the vocalizer.

Automatic keystrokes in Framework provide block selections of all the above, forward and backward.



Windows 95/98/2000/ME/NT and Windows 3.1 compatibility. Go to top of page.
Framework VII runs under Windows and Windows and include a wide range of export and import exchange capabilities with the latest Windows products.


More about Framework VII.

Framework provides a unified, productivity-oriented, Windowing environment, which unlike any other product, uses a single data object with a single set of interface commands to provide word processing, spreadsheets, databases, telecommunications, virtually unlimited depth of outlining and document nesting, file management, programming language and other business functionality such as printing, export and import.

Framework selection capabilities with its memorization of selections and locations, non linear access, clustering of documents allows absolute predictability of keystroke results. Block selections and navigation can be performed with absolute predictability and confirm with non ambivalent response.

Significant actions results are transparently recorded with the objects acted on. Once a document frames is loaded to the desktop or saved to a directory it can be saved to this directory at any time with a single keystrokes. Framework VII will not alter the original name under any circumstances. It will however report any discrepancies and locks that may prevent the save operation allowing the user to choose the appropriate response. The last selection in a document, a block of text, a character, or a cell, are preserved and will be saved with the document. It will be automatically restored upon moving back into the frame.

The relying on vocalization can be made even easier in spreadsheet by switching from the standard cells-coordinates reference to name reference. A cell named A1 can be referred to by a name consisting of text entered at its top row and left column. It allow identifying of cells on the status line and while navigating by names such as January.Sales. Reference names can be used in formulas just as standard coordinates names. When entering formulas in a spreadsheet, cursor-pointing mode which is triggered by pressing the arrow key, allow retrieval by navigation of cell's references coordinate name or reference name.

The Framework interface presents the user with a solid context-based "Desktop" like environment. The cabinet-based filing system present directories and files as physical objects that can be selected, then moved or copied, deleted or loaded to the desktop. DOS directories are created using the same Create menu which is used to create frames.

A document frame can contain any number of other frames which may be related to the same project, such as Word processing frames, Spreadsheets, Databases, dBase-Linked files, macros and programs and can be saved to disk as a single dos file.


Framework is fully text-aware, Arithmetic and program expressions typed in text can be calculated and the result automatically typed: selection 2+2 and calculating it types "=4", calculating @sqrt(225) types "=15.00".

Even proportional font formatting and information is described at a constant location on the screen. Through access to a fixed location ruler paragraph margins are provided in inches from the paper left edge without changing the cursor position. Tab table can be red as a numeric list if distances.

To prepare Framework VII for use with a vocalizer use Framework VII text-based FWSETUP.EXE program to install a text-based screen driver such as the VGA text 50 lines by 80 columns. Use the opportunity to verify that the mouse is turned off.


Sales and support information

Framework is sold directly to end users. Support and help in installation and learning the product are available. Text-base tutorial programs are provided. Call us at (781)545-3327.