Reading

This feature allows students to have text on the web or computer read aloud to them by the computer. Students have a choice of voices, speech rate, and other preferences to create a voice that they can listen to and access grade level content.

Text to speech engines will highlight words while they read content to users. This allows students to follow along with the reading. This feature has been shown to help improve focus on encourage deeper comprehension.

Allows students to decrease distractions such as ads and other visual clutter when reading on the web.

these features help students keep visual focus when reading on the computer. It can help students who may be visually distracted when they reengage with the screen to continue where they left off.

An OCR (Optical Character Recognition) or PDF reader is able to read text that is scanned using OCR. OCR documents can be created using copy machines or apps that us a tablet camera to create a document. This can allow access to text that can be read aloud from a paper material that may be handed out in class.

Display controls allow the user to make changes to the text on the screen based on their own preferences. These may include: font, character spacing, word spacing, line spacing, color, text size etc.

Digital dictionaries can allow students access to text to speech to hear definitions read aloud. Some tools also allow for pictures to be associated with definitions for additional support.

Formerly Readings for the Blind and Dyslexic, Learning Ally is a membership organization that produces and maintains a library of educational accessible audiobooks for people who cannot effectively read or access standard print due to a print disability. The text provided by Learning Ally features human readers.

Bookshare is an online library of accessible eBooks and educational materials for people with qualifying print disabilities. Anyone with a print-based disability that makes it difficult or impossible to read printed materials, including blindness or low vision, a physical disability, or a reading disability can join Bookshare. Titles provided to users are accessed using a text reader and a synthesized computer voice. Bookshare is provided free of charge to qualifying students.

Changing the color of the page from black text on white paper to another color can help students with reading difficulties better track text, reduce frustration when reading, and improve clarity and eye movement control.

Use these transparent colored strips to highlight text while reading and keep place as you move throughout the text.