READING and LITERACY SUPPORT
The following Free or Low Cost Assistive Technology software programs are available for anyone to use. The following programs, software, websites, and apps focus on different forms of Reading and Literacy Support.
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Natural Reader
- Text-to-Speech software which converts Microsoft Word, Webpages, PDFs, and Email into spoken text
- Customize reading voice and speed for your readings
- Floating toolbar to read text in other applications
- Online Text-to-Speech program with options to input text from various sources on your computer
- More Information:
- Cost: Free
- Compatibility: Windows; Mac OS; Online Resource
Rewordify
- Rewordify replaces higher-level vocabulary with words that are
- easier to understand
- Help build understanding within readings and builds vocabulary
- Difficult words are replaced and highlighted
- Click on the words that were replaced to see the original word in
- the text
- More Information:
- Cost: Free
- Compatibility: Online Resource
Balabolka
- Text-to-Speech program using the voices installed on your computer
- Save online text as mP3, mP4, WAV, OGG or WMA file for portable or later listening
- Reads documents from the clipboard or file types such as DOC, EPUB, HTML, PDF, RTF, and more
- Customize the background color, font size, and reading options including pitch and rate
- More Information:
- Cost: Free
- Compatibility: Windows
Voice Dream Reader
- Text-to-speech app to read books with the ability to customize your screen for preferred reading options
- Read by listening to the text, visually or both at the same time
- Supports PDF, Word Docs, EPUB, DAISY, eBooks, Web pages and more with the ability to integrate your Bookshare books or books in Dropbox, Evernote, Pocket, Gutenberg and more
- Includes multiple language options along with various fonts, including Open Dyslexic font, and voices, including the option to purchase additional voices
- Highlight information in the reading and export it to other programs and apps
- More Information:
- Cost: $9.99; VoiceDream Reader Lite(Free)
- Compatibility: iOS; iPad, iPhone, iPod touch
Spritz
- Test your reading speed using Spritz to find your optimum reading speed to use in partnership with Readsy
- Increase or decrease the test reading speed to find your balance of speed and comprehension
- Spritz custom interface called the Spritzlet, adjusts word position and red letter placement for increased focus, attention and comprehension
- Various website and apps have the Spritz Spritzlet embedded in it
- More Information:
- Cost: Free
- Compatibility: Web; iOS; Android
Readsy
- Use Readsy to focus your eyes on one word at a time without having to move them while reading
- Upload a PDF, txt or copy and paste text into the website to have it read in their Readsy interact
- Use Readsys Redicle, or interface adjusts position of word for optimum viewing in your eyes and highlights one letter of each word in red to help focus your eyes
- Increase reading speed and comprehension using Readsy
- Use Spritz to test yourself to find optimum reading speed
- More Information:
- Cost: Free
- Compatibility: Online Resource
Beeline Reader
- Monochrome color text reader with Open Dyslexie Font
- Read PDF files, webpages and convert ebooks to PDF files to be read with this program
- Monochrome color text helps eyes to track lines of text for easier, faster reading by eliminating “line transition errors.”
- Various monochrome color schemes for personalized use
- More Information:
- Cost: $1.99 -iOS app; browser extensions free
- Compatibility: Browser Extension: Chrome & Foxfire; iOS: iPad, iPhone, Desktop
vBookz PDF Reader
- Read PDF files with this app
- Interactive cursor allows readers to follow along with text
- Use annotation tools such as highlighting, text, notes, and bookmarks to help support your reading
- Read books in text mode with the option for Dyslexie Font
- Import PDFs using email, Dropbox, or through iTunes
- More Information:
- Cost: $4.99
- Compatibility: iOS: iPad; iPhone, iPod touch
ABBYY TextGrabber and Translator
- Using the camera of your device, capture text and translate it using OCR
- Easily extract text from books, magazines, newspapers, ads, etc.
- Use VoiceOver (iPad only) to listen to your document in a text-to-speech format
- Captured text can be edited and/or copied to another source
- More Information:
- Cost: $9.99
- Compatibility: iOS: iPad; Android
Prizmo
- Convert documents and webpages into text-to-speech
- Upload documents from Dropbox, Google Drive, Clipboard, Instapaper, or Web Browser
- Listen to document immediately or save it to your playlist for future listening
- Adjust speech rate along with the choice of built in voices; additional voices for purchase
- More Information:
- Cost: Free
- Compatibility: iOS: iPad, iPhone, iPod touch; Windows and Mac Browser Extensions
Adobe Acrobat Reader
- Free PDF reader if PDF documents are readable PDFs
- Listen to readings instead of reading them yourself
- Tagged PDFs are read in order in structure tree, untagged are read in logical inferred reading order
- Tagged PDFs will read alternative text descriptions
- More Information:
- Cost: Free
- Compatibility: Windows; Mac OS
Book Share
- Largest online library of accessible reading materials for people with print disabilities
- Accessible books, textbooks, newspapers and magazine are available
- Individuals with Print Disabilities can sign up for a membership
- Books available for download can be read on DAISY players, with Screen Readers, Refreshable Braille Displays, and other Assistive Technology Programs
- More Information:
- Cost: Free with Print Disability
- Compatibility: Online Resource
Go Read
- Download and listen to your Bookshare books on your Android device
- Read DAISY and EPUB books with voice navigated and text-to-speech
- Connects directly to online libraries, and Bookshare for quick download
- Optimized for visually-impaired readers but usable for anyone
- More Information:
- Cost: Free
- Compatibility: Android
Read2Go
- Browse over 190,000 books for have access all of your Bookshare books on your mobile device
- Easy use app to read text or turn on the text-to-speech mode
- Control the text layout of the page for easier visual reading including font size, color, background and reading options such as reading speed, and voice options
- Connect via Bluetooth to a braille display to read in Braille
- More Information:
- Cost: $19.99
- Compatibility: iOS: iPad, iPhone, iPod touch
NaviDys
- Adapt and adjust webpages to your own reading preference settings
- Adjust the font to one of 10 available fonts including Dyslexie font
- Adjust font size, letter spacing and line spacing of the webpage you’re reading
- More Information:
- Cost: $2.99
- Compatibility: iOS: iPad
ER Brower
- Adapt and adjust webpages to your own reading preference settings
- Choose your font from options such as OpenDyslexic
- Customize the background color of the webpage to decrease visual stress and improve reading ability
- Adjust font size and letter spacing
- Bookmark your favorite websites or search your stored history
- More Information:
- Cost: $0.99
- Compatibility: iOS: iPad, iPhone, iPod touch
Yuzu (formerly Nook Study
- Read your textbooks on the go – anywhere
- Annotate your readings with highlights, sticky notes, and flags in your textbooks
- Filter your notes and highlights onto one screen
- More Information:
- Cost: Free
- Compatibility: iPad: Web App; Windows App
Fokus
- Highlight only the text you want to read while Fokus dims and darkens the rest of your Chrome or Firefox window with an overlay
- Highlights the paragraph you’re reading with the ability to change the opacity of the background overlay
- Easy to install extension with the ability to turn the feature on or off
- More Information: or
- Cost: Free
- Compatibility: Chrome and Foxfire Add-On
CamScanner
- Use your camera phone to scan documents, notes, whiteboards, business cards or any other document
- Use the Optical Character Recognition (OCR) feature to convert images to readable text
- Add annotations to your scanned documents
- Sync documents across devices
- More Information:
- Cost: Free
- Compatibility: iOS: iPad, iPhone; Android; Windows Phone 8