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TALKING MAP SOFTWARE The American Printing House for the Blind (APH) and Sendero, developers of locationinformation systems for people with vision impairments, recently released the new APH Talking PC Maps. Designed to be used by individual consumers, orientation and mobility specialists, and teachers of persons who are visually impaired, the software provides spoken and on-screen map data and 12 million points of interest for U.S. states, territories, and Canadian provinces on one flash drive. It is designed to speak on any computer that uses the Windows XP or later operating system whether or not the computer has screen reading software installed. APH Talking Maps do not give information about a user’s physical location, since it is not a GPS system. Instead, it provides a verbal description of physical space and what it contains— the same information that is visually observable in the environment and on maps, street signs, and signage on buildings. As the first map package that tracks the side of street on which the virtual traveler walks, the software is designed to simulate actual travel: the students presses keys for appropriate turns and street crossings in the process of map exploration. Points of interest can be explored, searched, or announced as the student virtually passes them. In addition, the software is also designed to allow users to: