If you have a physical disability that makes it difficult to use a traditional PC keyboard, or you look after someone who does, take a look at Click2Speak. It’s an on-screen keyboard, with predictive text that works like a mobile phone, that lets you create and store a library of sentences. You can then have the PC speak any of those sentences out loud, with a single click.

If you find yourself thinking that this is probably rather like the system that the late Professor Stephen Hawking famously used, then yes. You’re right. It’s just like that.

Click2Speak is free, and you’ll find it at https://www.click2speak.net/ .  It’s a 17 MB download, works with Windows 7/8/10, and is malware-free according to VirusTotal, and the download site is rated as reputable by Web of Trust.

Of course, you can drive it with a mouse if the user is capable of using one. If not, it will also work with any other device that can emulate a mouse, of which many are available for purchase in relevant stores. These include pointers, joysticks, headsets, foot pedals, and so on. Or if you are good at making things, you could probably even adapt an existing mouse into a custom system.