Tools for Life - Bookshare Webinar

Bookshare.org

There is a continuum for the quality of assistive technology text to speech software for reading; the price differs based on the quality as well.  The biggest issue that most students have is the type of voice and the level of robotic cadence that it uses to read the text. The more robotic the voice is, the more difficult it is to comprehend the passage it is reading; fluency aids comprehension.

Shonda Golden (AT Specialist from Fulton County Schools) presents an excellent presentation about the potential uses for Bookshare and text readers.  Her presentation is a useful guide for special educators and reading specialists on how Assistive Technology can enhance children's reading and writing experiences.

The first useful distinction is that text readers and screen readers are different.  Text readers are for students with reading disabilities who need support with reading a document or an application.  Screen readers are for visually impaired students and these programs read everything on the monitor.

This presentation focused on Bookshare.org, which is a free service for K - 12 students and institutions that qualify based on their disability.  The great thing about Bookshare is not only its price tag, but the fact that the digital resources that is has usually aren't found on other sites and it also has text readers (Don Johnson - Read Aloud Bookshare edition and Humanware's Victor Reader Soft Bookshare Edition) that can be downloaded for free.  

Ms. Golden also went into detail about other text reading software like Kurzweil.  Kurweil and programs like it are great, not only because of the higher quality of voices (Acapella - usually with names that start with a "V" but Heather and Ryan are also fine) but also because these programs have pre made outline guides that can convert into book reports and other useful projects. These programs are great alternatives to pricey programs like WYNN and Kurzweil.