I haven't a clue about the scanner, but if you don't want to use the AOL software, the only other program that I know of which supports the AOL protocol is Netscape 6.0 and above (I do not have OS X yet, so I am using this now, and it works fine).
When you register for AOL, you automaticaly get a Netscape.net e-mail address. I used to use AOL, but when I found out about this, I switched over. I have Netscape 7.0 set to check my AOL e-mail address too, so I haven't logged into AOL on my Mac for about two months now.