I’m Leasey, What Would You Like To Do?

Leasey, (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 favourite 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 (and search for) 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, stream music on Spotify, use iTunes, surf the web, tweet on Twitter, friend people on Facebook, 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 by selecting them from a convenient list.
• LeaseyNotes. Create quick notes and store them under categories.
• 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 File Explorer all at once. Tagged files can also be used to create audio playlists.
• LeaseySearch. Quickly access over 80 news sources, seven-day hour-by-hour weather forecast, RSS feeds, podcasts, recipes, holiday dates, YouTube videos, Amazon and EBay.
• 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.
• 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. Listen to 80,000 radio stations. Set favourites and assign presets.
• LeaseySpotify. Listen to music with this popular streaming service, using the free or premium account. Hear songs or albums, create playlists, share music with friends, read artist information, and more.
• LeaseyTunes. Using Apple’s iTunes just got a whole lot easier. Select common tasks from a menu or use convenient shortcut keys to get to where you need to be. Stop worrying about the access and start enjoying the music, movies or podcasts instead!
• Elegance for ElBraille. Want enhanced access to apps such as WhatsApp, Twitter, Spotify and VLC Media Player? No problem.
• Utilities. Use utilities such as mapping folders to drive letters or the special Start Menu, completely configurable. Application windows can be automatically maximised. Do you often receive Windows or application notifications which are just too long? Leasey can help with that too.
• Social. Use the Mastodon Address Book to keep track of users you would like to write to, or use our set of JAWS scripts for Twitter and WhatsApp! Includes stacks of productivity features you will not find anywhere else!
• Want to easily create HTML or Markdown text? Leasey has you covered.
• Do you want to use Leasey on several computers? All settings can be synchronised through cloud storage. You can also make a backup of your JAWS settings to the cloud in the event you wish to upgrade JAWS in the future or install it again. Everything will be right there waiting for you.
• 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! Searching Hotkey Help is easy and quick.
• Internet Updating! Leasey is frequently and quickly updated via the internet. Select “Check for Updates” and she will take care of the rest!
• Great Documentation! At Hartgen Consultancy, we take pride in our thoroughly explained Product Documentation. We hope that people can use it for quick reference or full training!

We’ve only just scratch the surface in letting you know the productivity features and enhancements to applications Leasey offers.

What’s The Difference Between Leasey Total Package and Advanced?

It’s quite simple. Leasey Advanced contains everything the product offers, except the human narrated speech, menus for complete computer beginners and the DAISY book described below. If you like to learn through audio however, and you use Leasey advanced, consider reviewing our LeaseyBite Audio Tutorials. In summary, if you are a JAWS user already, you’ll almost certainly want Leasey Advanced.

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 30 years, in the workplace, educational settings and within organisations 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.

How Much Is Leasey?

Find the Current Prices for Leasey Here.