This may be a stupid question, as I am visually impaired. I don't however need a text reader, but use a screen magnifier not enabled with voice, though I could use it if I ever needed to. I direct the Writing Center at a university and last year, though we lack an LD specialist, it was determined that the student could receive accommodation by enabling the text reading software in Windows. She primarily needed the speech application for writing. Other text readers would aud other kinds of print material, much as a CCTV does for the visual aspect?
Thanks for the clarification.
Bonnie Odiorne

----- Original Message ----
From: David J. Rosen <djrosen at comcast.net>
To: The Technology and Literacy Discussion List <technology at nifl.gov>
Sent: Wednesday, April 2, 2008 4:17:32 PM
Subject: [Technology 1593] Re: Access to text,  a social justice issue

Hello Len,

This is Glenn Young's idea, not mine, although I think it has merit and 
should be tested. As I understand it, the idea is to help adults who 
have specific reading disabilities to get access to information by 
providing text readers, not by changing the text. A text reader -- as I 
am using the the term -- is a piece of software that reads printed or 
digital text out loud. In many versions of this kind of software the 
rate can easily be controlled by the user; in some there are tools that 
allow the user just to hear a difficult word here and there, or a word 
at a time, or a sentence at a time or a paragraph at a time.

David J. Rosen
djrosen at comcast.net.

Lendoak at aol.com wrote:


> David Rosen and Cathy Jenner,

>  

> Regarding technology text readers (text converters) for people with 

> limited reading skills:

>  

> Congratulations for your initiatives.  Could you help us with answers 

> to a few questions?

>  

> -  Since text is often written in a more formal style compared 

> to conversation, it may be harder to understand when this formal 

> style is auded.  Do you rewrite the formal style to a more 

> conversational style text before converting it to speech? 

>  

> -  What rate (words per minute) is used in the spoken text?  Reason 

> for this question:  In Tom Sticht's book "Auding and Reading" 1974, 

> page 104, shows that information retention by marginally literate men 

> falls off sharply for spoken rates much faster than 128 words per minute.`

>  

> best wishes,

> Len and Ceci Doak

>  

>  

> In a message dated 4/1/2008 8:43:45 A.M. Pacific Daylight Time, 

> AnnPk at olis.ri.gov writes:

>

>     Could you tell what screen readers you use and what they cost. I

>     am looking good screen readers at a reasonable cost. Thanks.

>      

>     Ann Piascik

>     Library Program Specialist III

>     RI Office of Library and Information Services

>     One Capitol Hill - 4th Floor

>     Providence, RI 02908

>     Tel: 401-574-9314

>     Fax:401-574-9320

>     annpk at olis.ri.gov <mailto:annpk at olis.ri.gov>

>

>

>     >>> cjenner at rtc.edu 3/31/2008 12:50 PM >>>

>

>     We are doing something like that with our Universal Design for

>     Learning Project.  Screen readers and other assistive technologies

>     are in our participating classrooms (we have several ESL and ABE

>     instructors participating) for ANY student to use.

>

>     The project looks at the progress of the students who have gone

>     through our LD diagnosis process and get accommodations or use

>     learning strategies and/or assistive technologies.  We don't track

>     the non-disabled or non-disclosing student, but the AT is still

>     there for anyone to use and instructors encourage it.

>

>      In one of our classrooms, the instructors actively teach with

>     Wynn Reader which is assistive technology for dyslexia (but it

>     helps everyone in this ESL classroom).

>

>      

>

>     Cathy Jenner, Project Coordinator

>     Universal Design for Learning Project

>     Instructional Improvement

>     Renton Technical College

>     (425) 235-2352 x5639

>     cjenner at rtc.edu <mailto:cjenner at rtc.edu>

>     http://www.rtc.edu/AboutUs/DSDPGrant/

>     http://webs.rtc.edu/ii/dsdp.html

>

>     From: technology-bounces at nifl.gov

>     [mailto:technology-bounces at nifl.gov] On Behalf Of David J. Rosen

>     Sent: Saturday, March 29, 2008 6:45 AM

>     To: Women and Literacy Discussion List The Poverty Race; The

>     Technology and Literacy Discussion List

>     Cc: Glenn Young

>     Subject: [Technology 1585] Access to text, a social justice issue

>

>      

>

>     Colleagues,

>

>      

>

>     On the Learning Disabilities discussion list this past week there

>     has been a fascinating discussion initiated by Glenn Young. He has

>     proposed that it is time to focus on helping adults with learning

>     disabilities learn to read -- get meaning from text -- using

>     technology, i.e. having computers and hand-held devices read text

>     out loud, focusing on getting meaning, not on learning how to

>     decode text. The archives of the discussion will be found at 

>

>     http://www.nifl.gov/pipermail/learningdisabilities/2008/date.html

>

>      

>

>     Glenn wants to see his idea piloted and evaluated.  I think that's

>     a good idea -- not that I think we should stop teaching reading,

>     but that we should help learners get access to information from

>     text, especially when learning to read text well may take a very

>     long time, or when it might not be possible. Inexpensive

>     electronic text readers can help those with learning disabilities

>     get access to the meaning of text that might not otherwise be

>     available to them. I think this is an issue of social justice.

>

>      

>

>     I wonder what readers on this discussion list think of Glenn's

>     idea. For example, should adult basic literacy programs routinely

>     help basic literacy learners get access to electronic text

>     readers, as they also help them to learn to decode text?

>

>      

>

>     David J. Rosen

>

>     djrosen at comcast.net <mailto:djrosen at comcast.net>

>

>      

>

>      

>

>      

>

>     ------------------------------------------------------------------------

>

>     This E-mail was scanned for viruses before being accepted by

>     Renton Technical College and verified to be virus-free with McAfee

>     Secure Internet Gateway.

>

>

>

>     ----------------------------------------------------

>     National Institute for Literacy

>     Technology and Literacy mailing list

>     Technology at nifl.gov

>     To unsubscribe or change your subscription settings, please go to

>     http://www.nifl.gov/mailman/listinfo/technology

>     Email delivered to lendoak at aol.com

>

>

>

>

> ------------------------------------------------------------------------

> Create a Home Theater Like the Pros. Watch the video on AOL Home 

> <http://home.aol.com/diy/home-improvement-eric-stromer?video=15&ncid=aolhom00030000000001>.

>

>------------------------------------------------------------------------

>

>----------------------------------------------------

>National Institute for Literacy

>Technology and Literacy mailing list

>Technology at nifl.gov

>To unsubscribe or change your subscription settings, please go to http://www.nifl.gov/mailman/listinfo/technology

>Email delivered to djrosen at comcast.net

>


----------------------------------------------------
National Institute for Literacy
Technology and Literacy mailing list
Technology at nifl.gov
To unsubscribe or change your subscription settings, please go to http://www.nifl.gov/mailman/listinfo/technology
Email delivered to bonniesophia at sbcglobal.net



-------------- next part --------------
An HTML attachment was scrubbed...
URL: http://www.nifl.gov/pipermail/technology/attachments/20080402/30ed57fb/attachment.html