This is a list of useful resources, links, and freeware. Most of the freeware is fairly accessible, although some may require mouse cursor navigation. I have tried to place more commonly requested types of applications at the top of the list. If anyone feels that there is something else worth listing, please inform me in a private message.
Resources:
Microsoft Disability Answer Desk
Phone:
800-936-5900
Website:
https://support.microsoft.com/en-us/answerdesk/accessibility
Apple Accessibility Support
Phone:
877-204-3930
Email:
accessibility@apple.com
Amazon Disability Help Line
Phone:
888-283-1678
Accessible World - Accessible Internet Resources
http://www.accessibleworld.org
Mystic Access - Podcasts and reviews specializing in accessibility
http://www.mysticaccess.com
Blind Planet - Audio tutorials, resources, and programs
http://blind-planet.com/
The Blind Geek Zone - Audio tutorials, gadget demonstrations, useful links, and programs
http://www.blind-geek-zone.net/
Cool Blind Tech - Latest In Assistive Tech! News, Reviews and Interviews
https://www.coolblindtech.com/
AppleVis - A community-powered website for blind and low-vision users of Apple's range of products
http://www.applevis.com/
The Erasing Blindness Blog - everything related to blindness and visual impairment all in one place
https://blindnesseraserblog.wordpress.com/
AudioGames.net - Accessible games for the blind
http://audiogames.net/
Entombed - RPG game for the blind and visually impaired
http://www.blind-games.com/entombed.aspx
Mailing Lists:
JAWS Users' List
Subscribe:
jaws-users-list-join@jaws-users.com
Post:
jaws-users-list@jaws-users.com
JFW Support List - A source for anything and everything related to JAWS for Windows
Subscribe:
jfw+subscribe@groups.io
Post:
jfw@groups.io
Talk - Window-Eyes Discussion List
Subscribe:
talk-request@lists.window-eyes.com
with the word "subscribe" in the subject line.
Post:
talk@lists.window-eyes.com
NVDA Users' List
Subscribe:
nvda+subscribe@groups.io
Post:
nvda@groups.io
Windows 10 and JAWS discussion list
Subscribe :
windows-10-and-jaws-subscribe@yahoogroups.co.in
Post:
windows-10-and-jaws@yahoogroups.co.in
Win10 - A central forum for blind and visually impaired users of Windows 10
Subscribe:
win10+subscribe@groups.io
Post:
win10@groups.io
Eyes-free Android
Subscribe:
eyes-free+subscribe@googlegroups.com
Post:
eyes-free@googlegroups.com
Vi Android
Subscribe:
vi-android-request@freelists.org
with the word "subscribe" in the subject line.
Post:
vi-android@freelists.org
iDevices
Subscribe:
idevices-request@gatewayfortheblind.com
with the word "subscribe" in the subject line.
Post:
idevices@gatewayfortheblind.com
Mac For The Blind
Subscribe:
mac4theblind-request@freelists.org
with the word "subscribe" in the subject line.
Post:
mac4theblind@freelists.org
BARDTalk - NLS BARD discussion list
Subscribe:
bardtalk+subscribe@groups.io
Post:
bardtalk@groups.io
Download Links:
Adobe Flash Player
https://get.adobe.com/flashplayer/
Adobe Acrobat Reader
This is the Adobe Reader Distribution page. Some consider it more accessible than the standard download page.
http://get.adobe.com/reader/enterprise/
Ninite - Install or Update Multiple Applications at Once
https://ninite.com/
Sonar - Accessible desktop Linux distribution
http://sonargnulinux.com/
Vinux - Accessible desktop Linux distribution
http://vinuxproject.org/
TalkingArch - Accessible command line Linux distribution
http://talkingarch.tk/
Freeware:
7-Zip - Extracts ZIP files and several other archive formats
http://www.7-zip.org/
AnyBurn - Portable disc burning utility
http://www.anyburn.com/
CDBurnerXP - Disc burning utility
https://cdburnerxp.se/
CDex - CD ripper/extractor
http://cdex.mu/
My CDex written tutorial
https://techtalk.groups.io/g/main/wiki/CDex-Tutorial
AVStoDVD - Convert/burn video files to DVD
https://sites.google.com/site/avstodvdmain/
CCleaner - Removes junk files, temporary files, and has several other useful system tools
Standard installer; Includes promotional software.
http://www.piriform.com/ccleaner/download/standard
Portable archive without installer; Does not include promotional software.
http://www.piriform.com/ccleaner/download/portable
Slim installer; Does not include promotional software. Note that update of the slim installer is often delayed by weeks. Therefore when the standard installer is updated, this download link may not be available for long periods of time.
http://www.piriform.com/ccleaner/download/slim
Filelister - Save a list of files in a folder
http://truehumandesign.se/s_filelister.php
LS - File List Generator
http://www.aplusfreeware.com/categories/util/miscutil.html
Copy Filenames - Context menu ad-on for copying paths and file names to the clipboard
http://www.extrabit.com/copyfilenames/
Path Copy - Context menu ad-on for copying paths and file names to the clipboard
https://pathcopycopy.github.io/
Freemake Video Downloader - Download and convert videos from YouTube and other similar websites
http://www.freemake.com/free_video_downloader/
Pontes Media Downloader - Download and convert videos from YouTube and other similar websites
http://www.pontes.ro/en/scripts/#pmd
Pazera Free Audio Extractor - Video audio extractor and audio format converter
Last completely accessible version.
https://my.pcloud.com/publink/show?code=XZUfdUZiIXbjJHGOk0EhAQ0L8T3Th7cfUt7
mp3DirectCut MP3 editor and recorder
Edits are performed without decoding/quality loss.
http://mpesch3.de1.cc/mp3dc.html
Note, for recording with mp3DirectCut, you will also need the LAME MP3 encoder. Just unzip the package and copy the file
lame_enc.dll
into the mp3DirectCut installation folder which is
C:\Program Files\mp3DirectCut
on 32 bit installations and
C:\Program Files (x86)\mp3DirectCut
on 64 bit installations. Make sure to download the 32 and not the 64 bit version of LAME. The LAME encoder package can be downloaded here.
http://www.rarewares.org/mp3-lame-bundle.php
MP3Gain - Modify MP3 gain without decoding
http://mp3gain.sourceforge.net/
Calibre - E-book manager and converter
Note that Calibre is not very accessible, but see below for a download link to my frontend for the converter.
http://calibre-ebook.com/
My WinPE images, example unattended installation script for Windows 7, frontend for the Calibre E-book converter, ETC
Thanks to Rob Hudson for hosting these files.
http://opopanax.net/download/
PDF to TXT - Convert PDF files to text files
Note, includes OCR support for scanned/image PDF files as well.
https://github.com/jamalmazrui/PDF2TXT/raw/master/PDF2TXT_setup.exe
VLC media player - Play DVDs and many video formats
http://www.videolan.org/vlc/
Explorer++ - File manager/Windows Explorer alternative
https://explorerplusplus.com/
FreeCommander - File manager/Windows Explorer alternative
http://freecommander.com/
FileZilla - FTP client
https://filezilla-project.org/
WinSCP - FTP client
https://winscp.net/eng/docs/free_ftp_client_for_windows
Recuva - Undelete, Unerase, File and Disk Recovery
http://www.piriform.com/recuva
Active@ Disk Image Lite - Disk imaging software
http://www.disk-image.net/disk-image-freeware.htm
Cobian Backup - File backup utility
http://www.cobian.se/cobianbackup.htm
Regbak - Backup and restore the registry
http://www.acelogix.com/regbak.html
7z NSE - Treats 7z, RAR, and other archive formats as folders
http://zabkat.com/blog/compressed-folder-shell-extension.htm
Adblock Plus - Blocks ads including YouTube video ads
https://adblockplus.org/
Bulk Rename Utility - Advanced file renaming tool
http://www.bulkrenameutility.co.uk/Main_Intro.php
Classic Shell - Emulate Start menu of other Windows versions
http://www.classicshell.net/
Free Download Manager _ Alternative download manager for several popular browsers
http://www.freedownloadmanager.org/
HotkeyP - Hotkey utility
http://sweb.cz/petr.lastovicka/others.html#hotkey
SoundVolumeView - Save and restore soundcard settings
http://www.nirsoft.net/utils/sound_volume_view.html
Unchecky - Automatically unchecks promotional software included in recognized program installers
http://unchecky.com/
Unlocker- Unlocks, deletes, renames, or moves files and folders which are in-use/locked by the system or other processes
http://www.emptyloop.com/unlocker/
WordWeb - Free thesaurus and dictionary
http://www.wordweb.co.uk/free/
Magical Jelly Bean Keyfinder - Retrieve product keys of Windows and other applications from the registry
https://www.magicaljellybean.com/keyfinder/
ProduKey - Retrieve product keys of Windows and other applications from the registry
http://www.nirsoft.net/utils/product_cd_key_viewer.html
SterJo Key Finder - Retrieve product keys of Windows and other applications from the registry
Note that this one will supposedly retrieve product keys for Office 2013, while the other similar utilities listed here will not. At least not for free. I recommend downloading the portable version.
http://www.sterjosoft.com/key-finder.html
AOMEI Partition Assistant - Disk partitioning software
http://www.extend-partition.com/free-partition-manager.html
PartitionGuru - Disk partitioning software
http://www.eassos.com/partitionguru-free.php
Mozilla Firefox - Web browser
https://www.mozilla.org/en-US/firefox/new/
WebVisum - Mozilla Firefox plug-in for solving captchas
Note that an invitation is required to create an account for the service and you cannot use the plug-in without an account. You can request an invitation either from an existing member or the homepage itself, but lately they are slow to respond if they respond at all. You may be better off requesting an invitation from existing members on Tech Talk.
http://www.webvisum.com/
Updated version of the WebVisum plug-in which has been signed so that it will work with newer versions of Firefox
https://addons.mozilla.org/en-US/firefox/addon/webvisum/
Mozilla Thunderbird - E-mail client
https://www.mozilla.org/en-US/thunderbird/
NVDA - Screen reader
http://www.nvaccess.org/
NVDA Tutorials
http://nvda-kr.org/en/
Send to Braille - Translate documents to braille from the "Send to" menu
http://tech.aph.org/lt/
WinBT 2.0 - Open source Windows braille translator
https://my.pcloud.com/publink/show?code=XZPsSAZ5vG20jYbupQLg8DszyVTAzPORM5y
AdwCleaner - Removes adware, toolbars, hijackers, and other similar unwanted promotional software
Be aware that this is not a malware scanner.
https://toolslib.net/downloads/viewdownload/1-adwcleaner/
Avast - Antivirus for PC, Mac & Android
https://www.avast.com/en-us/index
AVG - Antivirus & Malware Protection
http://free.avg.com/us-en/homepage
Avira - Antivirus scanner
http://www.avira.com/en/avira-free-antivirus
Emsisoft Emergency Kit - Portable on-demand malware scanner
https://www.emsisoft.com/en/software/eek/
ESET - Online virus scanner
http://www.eset.com/us/online-scanner/
Junkware Removal Tool - Removes promotional toolbars and software
Be aware that this is not a malware scanner. Also note that it will close down all processes including your screen reader. Just restart it using the associated keyboard shortcut.
http://thisisudax.org/
Malwarebytes - Anti-Malware Detection & Removal Software
https://www.malwarebytes.org/antimalware/
Microsoft Safety Scanner - On-demand virus scanner
http://www.microsoft.com/security/scanner/en-us/default.aspx
Microsoft Security Essentials - Virus scanner
http://www.microsoft.com/en-us/download/details.aspx?id=5201
VIPRE Rescue - On-demand virus scanner
http://www.vipreantivirus.com/support.aspx#vp-Rescue
1by1 - MP3 and multiformat audio directory player
http://mpesch3.de1.cc/1by1.html
AltaCast 3 - Broadcast streamer
Available as Winamp/Foobar plugins and standalone version.
http://www.altacast.com/
Anvide Seal Folder - Hide/password protect folders
http://anvidelabs.org/download/AnvideSealFolder.zip
ASIO4ALL - Universal ASIO Driver
http://www.asio4all.com/
Audacity - Audio editor and recorder
http://www.audacityteam.org/
Audio Switcher - Switch audio devices using hotkeys
http://audioswit.ch/er
AutoHotkey - Hotkey scripting language
http://ahkscript.org/
AutoIt - Automation scripting language
https://www.autoitscript.com/site/autoit/
Awesome Password Generator - Generate random passwords
http://code.google.com/p/awesome-password-generator/
Balabolka - View and convert several eBook formats to speech
http://www.cross-plus-a.com/balabolka.htm
Bat To Exe - Convert batch files to executable files
http://www.f2ko.de/en/b2e.php
Belarc Advisor - Create detailed HTML hardware profile
http://www.belarc.com/free_download.html
Blat - Command line E-mail sender
http://www.blat.net/
BurnCDCC - Standalone utility for burning ISO images to CD
http://www.terabyteunlimited.com/utilities.html
CD2ISO - Standalone utility for extracting the contents of a CD to an ISO image
http://www.dubaron.com/cd2iso/#download
cdrtfe - Disc burning utility
http://cdrtfe.sourceforge.net/cdrtfe/index_en.html
CLCL - Clipboard extender
http://www.nakka.com/soft/index_eng.html
CipherShed - Disk encryption software
https://www.ciphershed.org/
CueListTool - Extract cue points from wav files
http://www.tonbandstimmen.de/cuelisttool/index_e.htm
CueMaster - CUE sheet editor
http://cuemaster.org/
Debut - Video Capture Software
http://www.nchsoftware.com/capture/index.html
Ditto - Network enabled clipboard extender
http://ditto-cp.sourceforge.net/
Directory Compare - Folder synchronization utility
http://tp.lc.ehu.es/jma/win32/dirco.html
Directory Monitor - Monitor folders for changes and perform actions
https://directorymonitor.com/
DiskCryptor - Disk encryption software
https://diskcryptor.net/wiki/Main_Page
DM2 - Minimize windows to the system tray with a hotkey
https://sourceforge.net/projects/dm2/?source=typ_redirect
DSynchronize - Folder synchronization utility
http://dimio.altervista.org/eng/
Enigma Virtual Box - Pack applications into single executables with virtualization
http://enigmaprotector.com/en/aboutvb.html
epCheck - Track and view TV series data
http://skwire.dcmembers.com/fp/?page=epcheck
Ext2Fsd - ext3/4 Linux file system driver for Windows
http://www.ext2fsd.com/
FastCopy - File copy/synchronization utility
http://www.ipmsg.org/tools/fastcopy.html.en
FileTypesMan - Create and manage file types/associations
http://www.nirsoft.net/utils/file_types_manager.html
fSekrit - Save notes in encrypted self-contained program files
http://f0dder.dcmembers.com/fsekrit.index.php
grepWin - Search and replace text using regular expressions
http://stefanstools.sourceforge.net/grepWin.html
Hanso Recorder - Audio recording utility
http://www.hansotools.com/hansorecorder/
Hardlink Shell Extension - Context menu add-on for creating hardlinks, junctions, and symbolic links
http://schinagl.priv.at/nt/hardlinkshellext/hardlinkshellext.html
HFS - HTTP based file server
http://www.rejetto.com/hfs/
HTTrack - Copy entire websites
http://www.httrack.com/
IgorWare Hasher - Calculate SHA-1, MD5 and CRC32 hash
http://www.igorware.com/hasher
ImDisk Toolkit - Create dynamic RAM disks
https://sourceforge.net/projects/imdisk-toolkit/
Inno Setup - Create installation packages
http://www.jrsoftware.org/isinfo.php
iReboot - Select an operating system to boot from the system tray
http://neosmart.net/iReboot/
Kid3 - Audio tagger for several popular formats
Note that the interface of this program is not very accessible. I am including it because it can also be used from the command line. A tagger which supports so many audio formats and command line operation is somewhat rare in Windows.
http://kid3.sourceforge.net/
loopMIDI - Virtual MIDI port driver for newer versions of Windows
http://www.tobias-erichsen.de/software/loopmidi.html
ln - Command line version of Hardlink Shell Extension
http://schinagl.priv.at/nt/ln/ln.html
Machete Video Editor Lite - Edit AVI and WMV video files without decoding/quality loss
http://machetesoft.com/home/about-machete-video-editor-lite.html
MadAppLauncher - Unusual hotkey program launcher
http://madapplauncher.sourceforge.net/
Makeitone - Join MP3 albums into one file
http://www.makeitone.net/
Mem Reduct - Real-time memory management application
http://www.henrypp.org/product/memreduct#download
Metapad - Notepad replacement
http://liquidninja.com/metapad/
Mini Recorder - Audio recording utility
https://sourceforge.net/projects/minirec/
MJ Registry Watcher - Monitor registry keys for changes
http://www.jacobsm.com/mjsoft.htm
Mp3tag - ID3 Tag editor and organizer
http://mp3tag.de/en/index.html
Merge MP3 - Merge MP3 files
http://www.shchuka.com/software/mergemp3/
mpTrim - Trim silence from MP3 files
http://www.mptrim.com/
MultiHasher - File hash calculator
http://www.abelhadigital.com/multihasher
NirSoft - Free password recovery tools, browser tools, network tools, all kinds of useful tools
http://www.nirsoft.net/utils/index.html
NSSM - Run some applications as services
http://nssm.cc/
NUtils - Hotkey-controled window manager/hider
http://www.arbalon.com/downloads/
OpenMPT - Music making tracker based software with VST support
http://openmpt.org/
PhraseExpress - Automatically expand abbreviations while typing to insert text
http://www.phraseexpress.com/
PlayTime - Calculate the total play time of a list of music or movie files
http://skwire.dcmembers.com/wb/pages/software/playtime.php
PopSel - Create customizable pop-up menus to launch programs/URLs, open folders, and so on.
http://www.horstmuc.de/wpop.htm
POP Peeper - E-mail checker/notifier
Works with POP3, IMAP, and several different types of web-based E-mail accounts.
http://www.poppeeper.com/
Private Folder - Hide and or password protect folders
http://www.emingsoftware.com/products/private-folder/
PSPad - Free text and HTML editor
http://www.pspad.com/en/
Purrint - Screen capture directly to image files
http://www.bcheck.net/apps/purrint.htm
QWS - Accessible MIDI sequencer
http://www.andrelouis.com/qws/
RadioSure - Internet station player and recorder
http://www.radiosure.com/
Registry Commander - Alternative to the windows registry editor
http://aezay.dk/aezay/regcmd/
Rufus - Write ISO images to flash drives
https://rufus.akeo.ie/
RunWithParameters - Context menu add-on to run executable files with parameters
http://sourceforge.net/projects/rwparam/files/latest/download
SharpKeys - Keyboard remapping utility
http://www.randyrants.com/category/sharpkeys/
Silver Key - Encrypt files from the context menu
http://www.kryptel.com/products/silverkey.php
SMARegisTry Backup - Backup registry keys selectively
http://smartregistry.tk/
SoftPerfect RAM Disk - RAM disk utility
https://www.softperfect.com/products/ramdisk/
Spybot Anti-Beacon - Disable tracking features in Windows 10
https://www.safer-networking.org/spybot-anti-beacon/
TapinRadio - Internet station player and recorder
http://www.raimersoft.com/tapinradio.aspx
TreeComp - Folder synchronization utility
http://lploeger.home.xs4all.nl/TreeComp.htm
Types - Create and manage file types/associations
http://izt.name/apps/types/
VB-CABLE - Free virtual audio driver
http://vb-audio.pagesperso-orange.fr/Cable/index.htm
VeraCrypt - Disk encryption software
https://veracrypt.codeplex.com/
Virtual Recorder - Simple utility for recording what you hear or sound card inputs
http://opopanax.net/download/
VSTHost - Small VST host which supports loading/saving of FXP presets and FXB banks, VST chaining, MIDI input/output, MIDI player, wave player/recorder, ASIO, and input from the PC keyboard.
http://www.hermannseib.com/english/vsthost.htm
WebMon - Monitors web pages for changes
http://www.cmcode.co.uk/webmon/
Wget and cURL Windows Binaries - Command line file download utilities
http://opensourcepack.blogspot.com/p/wget-and-curl.html
Win Updates Disabler - Disable/enable updates in Windows 10
http://www.site2unblock.com/win-updates-disabler/
Wireless Network Watcher - Monitor connection of devices to your network
http://www.nirsoft.net/utils/wireless_network_watcher.html
WSUS Offline Update - Update Microsoft Windows and Office without an Internet connection
http://www.wsusoffline.net/
XVI32 - Hex Editor
http://www.chmaas.handshake.de/delphi/freeware/xvi32/xvi32.htm#download
yaP - Application portablizer
http://rolandtoth.hu/yaP/