There are two different kinds of applications for reading aloud on the  
computer.  A "text reader" is generally thought of as a program that  
reads the contents of electronic documents (email, word processor, web  
browser, etc.), but does not voice the program controls.  As such,  
they are often useful for the person who can operate the controls of  
the computer without assistance, but needs help with understanding the  
printed word.

A screen reader will read any text on the screen (but may have  
difficulty with pictures of text), including the program controls  
(menus, buttons, dialog boxes, etc.)  Screen readers are necessary for  
a person who has difficulty seeing the computer screen, but are not  
generally needed by a person with a learning disability.

One feature that many people with learning disabilities find  
particularly helpful is having the current sentence and word  
highlighted as they are spoken.  This matching of visual and auditory  
stimulus seems to improve comprehension.

There are many free and low-cost programs in both categories.  Thunder  
(http://www.screenreader.net/) is an example of a free screen reader.   
It does not have all the bells and whistles of a full blown program  
like JAWS, but may well be enough for many users.  Read Please (http://www.readplease.com/ 
) is an example of a free text reader.  Again, commercial products  
provide more features, and you can add high-quality voices to Read  
Please for a price.

Mac OS X has the ability to read text aloud from any application built  
in.  Just go to the preferences panel for Speech, and use the Text to  
Speech tab to set up the controls.  Microsoft Office 2003 also has  
text to speech built in, though they have removed that capacity in  
Word 2007 for no obvious reason.  Only Excel 2007 retains text to  
speech.

Denis Anson

Denis Anson, MS, OTR
Director of Research and Development
Assistive Technology Research Institute
Misericordia University
voice: 570-674-6413
fax: 570-674-8054

danson at misericordia.edu



On Apr 2, 2008, at 8:22 PM, Bonnie Odiorne wrote:


> 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 tohttp://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

>

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

> 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 danson at misericordia.edu


-------------- next part --------------
An HTML attachment was scrubbed...
URL: http://www.nifl.gov/pipermail/technology/attachments/20080403/2cd5f68a/attachment.html