To clarify my original question, my old scanner is Epson, and it's driver was completely inaccessible, so I was unable to install it, and back then I didn't have anyone sighted to help me - so no matter what OCR program you're using, without a driver it's not going to work. So this time I would like to check that the driver is accessible first and foremost.

On 5/21/2020 9:21 AM, Brian Vogel wrote:

On Thu, May 21, 2020 at 10:59 AM, Gene wrote:

It used to be that at least some scanners came with accessible OCR programs.  I don't know enough about this to generalize, but it is my impression that not as many do now.

Gene, since you asked for comment, this is precisely the opposite of my experience, still ongoing.  I don't know of a single home or office grade flatbed scanner or multi-function that doesn't include OCR as part of its "scan to PDF" function.  They've all been doing this for years now.

I have a personal preference for Canon multi-function machines, which definitely include OCR functionality, but mostly because they still sell a number of models with separate ink tanks, which are less expensive in the long run, and infinitely less expensive if you buy automatic reset chip (ARC) tanks that you can refill.

A dear friend of mine who's my mother's age, and has been totally blind since birth, has been using a now-out-of-production Canon multi-function that I recommended to her for somewhere around 5 years or so now.  She does have scanning software other than that which comes with the multi-function, though, and I'm not sure which software she's using with it.

I have to admit that I am at least a bit confused by the original question, as I have not directly interfaced with a scanner driver, whether with a sighted or blind client, in years.  The application software that comes with or that you can use with the device is the user interface.
 
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Brian - Windows 10 Pro, 64-Bit, Version 1909, Build 18363  

Science has become just another voice in the room; it has lost its platform.  Now, you simply declare your own truth.

      ~ Dr. Paul A. Offit, in New York Times article, How Anti-Vaccine Sentiment Took Hold in the United States, September 23, 2019