Our school uses a program called Read/Write Gold.  The students can set the text reader for however fast or slow they need it (for their understanding).  Text can be added as needed to help with the reading of tests; etc.

Date: Wed, 2 Apr 2008 17:22:56 -0700
From: bonniesophia at sbcglobal.net
To: technology at nifl.gov
Subject: [Technology 1594] Re: Access to text,  a social justice issue



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

>  

  
 
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subscription 
settings, 
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>  

  
 
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>

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> 

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> 

Create 
a 
Home 
Theater 
Like 
the 
Pros. 
Watch 
the 
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----------------------------------------------------
National 
Institute 
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