"I'm Leasey, What Would You Like to Do?"

Leasey© version 8, (which functions in conjunction with the JAWS for Windows screen-reader from Freedom Scientific), is the world’s first application ideal for people wishing to learn computing through to the power user. From everyday simple tasks such as writing a letter or Email, to tools for study or leisure reading, from searching for (and listening to) books, to hearing your favorite music or the radio, Leasey has a host of tools, utilities and services to offer the computer beginner to the advanced user. Every JAWS user should have Leasey!

Leasey uses mainstream applications, adapted to make them accessible for everyone, no matter your computing ability. You’re not restricted to using a specially designed interface, making it possible to use a computer belonging to family and friends. If your computer knowledge expands, you do not need an alternative technology product. Leasey is right with you, every step of the way!

What is Leasey Basic?

Have you just purchased your first computer and don’t know where to start? Don’t worry, computing doesn’t have to be complicated! Leasey makes it easy for new computer users to access (and work with) frequently used programs.

• Through a simple and easy-to-use menu system, with Leasey you can write documents, manage your Email, read your talking books, hear radio stations, talk to your friends on Skype, work with an address book, keep track of appointments, hear music files and CD’s, surf the web, tweet on Twitter, and much more! Leasey makes tasks simple!
• Now We’re Talking! Leasey’s female guidance voice is human and not synthetic. She is your friend and will talk you through the menus and give you help when you need it most, introducing you to synthetic speech gradually.
• I Need Some Help! No problem. Not sure what to do at any time? Help is always at hand. Press a keystroke and Leasey will tell you what to do next.
• One key to go forward, another to go back. When in a program, through her menu system Leasey will give you the options you are likely to need most. Press Enter to go into a menu, Escape to go back. In Leasey’s menus, when writing text, apply bold or underlining, Find and Replace, insert today’s date, and more. You can even create a letter with address templates. When composing Email, create or reply to a message, read it or send.
• Where do I Start! Leasey’s Getting Started audio DAISY guide teaches you how to use Leasey from the time you switch on your computer.

I’m Already a JAWS User – Why Would I Need Leasey?

Meet Leasey Advanced! Leasey Advanced provides you with a sophisticated set of tools to use your computer efficiently, saving you time and making life easier. So, as you grow in confidence, there’s still a lot she can do for you.

• Leasey Select. Easily select (or highlight) text within our supported computing applications without the need to continually hold down a number of Keys on the Keyboard including the Shift Key.
• LeaseyTexts. Reproduce phrases or paragraphs within seconds, either by selecting them from a list or create your own shorthand!
• LeaseyCuts. Locate folders, web pages and documents with incredible speed.
• LeaseyConnect. Your fully featured address book from where you can Email contacts, talk with them on Skype, tweet them on Twitter or simply type their postal address.
• Leasey Points. Easily find those important passages in documents or web pages.
• LeaseyAlerts. Do you find locating parts of websites difficult? Set a LeaseyAlert to set focus to them automatically.
• LeaseyTags. Move, copy or delete files and folders in Windows Explorer all at once. Tagged files can also be used to create audio playlists.
• LeaseySearch. Want to read the latest best-selling novel? Find books quickly and easily including those from RNIB Overdrive, Bookshare and Audible.
• LeaseyDiary. A simple, easy-to-use calendar that just works! You’ll never miss an appointment again.
• LeaseyClock. Comprehensive stopwatch, countdown timer and alarm functions, plus high quality (and fully customisable) Westminster chimes which can be heard throughout the day.
• LeaseySkype. Talking to your friends and family has never been easier. With Leasey, Skype is now so accessible! Easily find contacts to see if they are online,. Hear who is signing in and out of Skype, Quickly set your Mood Text, and much more!
• LeaseyAudio. Create playlists of songs from your music collection, arranging them in the order you want. Listen to them from start to finish or just a small selection. Go directly to your audio library. Play or stop the audio, adjust the volume, shuffle the playing order or skip through the music from any application! With CD’s, you can listen to them or even create them yourself.
• LeaseyRadio. Choose from hundreds of stations in 10 categories. Set favourites, assign presets and find out what’s in the LeaseyRadio top 10! You can also have your favourite stations added, read the currently playing song title and control playback from anywhere!
• Shortcut Keys. All options for the advanced user have logical shortcut keys which are quick and easy to press. If you have trouble remembering them, learn them from Hotkey Help or simply activate them from it! Leasey anticipates the kind of help you need or she will remember the task you were previously doing.
• Internet Updating! Leasey is frequently and quickly updated via the internet. Select “Check for Updates” and she will take care of the rest!

What Would You Like to Do? The Leasey Audio tutorial for Computer Beginners

It doesn't matter how easy a piece of software is to use. If you've never worked with a computer before, you will be concerned that you might make a mistake. You will not know even basic concepts such as how to edit text, what the subject line of an Email message means, or why web pages contain links and headings.

Obtaining quality computer training for many people is simply out of reach financially. But that does not lessen the need for a person to have it. That is why Leasey Total Package contains an audio tutorial which aims to encourage people to get to grips with computing concepts within the context of Leasey!

Co-Designer of Leasey Brian Hartgen has been teaching visually impaired people how to use the computer for close to 20 years, in the workplace, educational settings and within organizations concerned with rehabilitation. This is especially important since the concept of this audio tutorial is all about encouraging people to learn computing with a screen-reader for the very first time.

Brian gently guides listeners through the tasks many people will want to achieve with a computer. The guide, (containing over 4 hours of training), is divided into 15 chapters with sub-headings. Using a DAISY talking book player, it can be worked through systematically or used as a reference tool.

The DAISY book is ideal for playing in Voice Dream Reader, and many hardware and software digital talking book players. DAISY means it’s easy to set bookmarks in the book to come back to things you want to check out again.

The free FSReader that is built into JAWS will also play the DAISY book. FSReader (which interacts directly with Leasey) is an ideal tool to use if you want to follow along with the book on your PC. It’s universally accessible play/pause feature, accessed by pressing Control+P, means you can pause the tutorial without leaving the application in which you are working.

Purchasers of Leasey Total Package will have access to this useful resource which has 64 headings and two levels of navigation, so you can easily search for what you want quickly!

Table of Contents

1. Introduction.
2. Introducing the screen-reader, Leasey and the computer keyboard.
3. Getting to Know Leasey. Includes switching on the computer for the first time, what's on the Main Menu, moving through menus, locating menu items quickly, getting help.
4. Creating a Document. Includes moving in and out of menus, naming a document, changing the rate of speech, typing text, moving through a document, basic screen-reading commands, changing the typing echo, working with the Leasey Application Menu, saving the document and closing down the computer.
5. Working with Documents. Includes Opening a document, deleting a document, inserting text, deleting text.
6. Selecting Text. Includes selecting text ready for deletion, cut, copy and paste.
7. Final Word Processing Features. Includes changing the font style, printing a document, find and replace, inserting the date, spell checking, creating a letter based on a home address.
8. LeaseyConnect. Includes creating LeaseyConnections, modifying LeaseyConnections, deleting LeaseyConnections.
9. Using Email. Includes managing your mail, composing a new message, creating a new message from LeaseyConnect, keeping the Email program running while working with other tools, creating a LeaseyConnect entry based upon an Email you have received, closing down the Email program.
10. The LeaseyClock. Includes the Stopwatch, the Countdown Timer, setting the alarm and customising the Westminster Chimes.
11. The LeaseyDiary. Includes creating an appointment, viewing appointments, deleting appointments.
12. LeaseyRadio. Includes listening to a station in a LeaseyRadio category, working with LeaseyRadio Favourites, managing LeaseyRadio presets, the LeaseyRadio top 10.
13. LeaseyAudio. Includes creating a LeaseyPlaylist, listening to songs in a LeaseyPlaylist, adding to a LeaseyPlaylist, deleting a LeaseyPlaylist.
14. Using the Internet. Includes an overview of the World Wide Web, searching for a website using Google, tips for navigating web pages, saving a webpage as a Leaseycut, browsing to a website directly, relocating web pages with LeaseyCuts.
15. Getting Help. Includes Leasey Central, remote support, Check for Updates, what's new in Leasey, Leasey documentation.




Leasey Audio Demonstrations!




16. Hear audio demonstrations of the product;




Leasey Demo!





Please download any one of the demonstration copies of Leasey below. You can evaluate the product for up to 15 times of restarting JAWS for Windows.

We strongly encourage you to read the Leasey documentation(download below) very carefully first prior to downloading the demo. There are a number of setup requirements you need to make and it is essential that you follow every aspect of the documentation through thoroughly.

• Leasey Total Package
• Leasey Advanced




Leasey Documentation!

17. Read Leasey's documentation;
18. Download the Leasey Documentation in HTML format;
19. Download the Leasey Documentation in RTF text format;
20. Download the Leasey Documentation in DAISY format, text only;
21. Hear the LeaseyBite Audio Tutorials;
22. Find programs which work well alongside Leasey;

How Much Is Leasey?

• Leasey Total Package: $100, includes menus and help spoken by Leasey together with full Getting Started DAISY Talking Book for computer beginners. Ordering link at bottom of page.
• LeaseyAdvanced, $62. Contains access to all of Leasey’s tools, utilities and services, but Leasey will not speak using her own voice. The DAISY Getting Started guide is also not part of this package. Ordering link at bottom of page.

The Leasey Email list is designed to allow users of the product to discuss any problems they may be having, together with suggesting ideas for features and improvement!

To join the list, simply send an Email message to leaseylist-subscribe@hartgen.org, without enterting any text into the Subject line or message body fields. That is all you need to get started!

To send a message to the list when you have joined, please send an Email to leaseylist@hartgen.org.

Thank you for joining the Leasey Email list!