Text-to-Speech Screen Readers and Software for Computers
Have your computer read to you.
Speech in Existing Standard Software
Text-to-speech Conversion in Microsoft Word
- Open a Word document.
- Click on Tools > Speech, and the Speech Toolbar will appear.
- Point your cursor where you want speech to begin.
- Click “Speak in the Language Toolbar.”
Text-to-speech Conversion for PDF Files
For PDF files, text-to-speech conversion is built into Adobe Reader 8.0 and later:
- Select Set up > Edit > Preferences > Reading > Read Out Loud Options.
- Then choose Activate in View > Read Out Loud > Activate.
Thumb Drives
Copy a book or any long document to a thumb drive, along with a screen reader, such as Browsealoud and SmartRead. Plug your thumb drive into any computer and it will be ready to read.
Text-to-speech in Mac OS X 10.5
- Press “Command” and “F5” at the same time to start voice cover.
Scan-to-Speech Conversion
- OpenBook: Convert your physical books to speech by scanning them into your computer.
- SARA (Scanning and Reading Appliance): This stand alone product scans and reads your documents aloud.
- Kurzweil 1000 and 3000 Professional: Learn about the built-in scanner and computer and watch a video of the author discussing his inventions.
- KNFB Reader: Take a photo of your book or document, and your cell phone will read the content to you. Read reviews of the KNFB reader: “Kurzweil develops first seeing eye cell phone” and “Cell Phone that Reads for the Blind."
- Voice Stick: Wave your voice stick over Braille text, and it will read aloud the content to you.
- An inexpensive alternative approach is to scan the document on any scanner. Buy one that can scan bound books. Make a picture of the document. Then run it thru OCR software such as IRIS, Kurzweil 1000 or FineReader, converting it to real text. Then read that file out loud with a screen reader.
Speech-to-Text Conversion
- Dragon Naturally Speaking Speech Recognition Software 9.0+: Control your computer with the sound of your voice -- no need for typing or controlling a mouse.
- Serotek: Get complete text-to-speech and speech-to-text software thru System Access software by Serotek.
- Microsoft Speech Recognition: This is part of the MS Word Speech Toolbar that must be taught to recognize your speech.
Mac Voice-Over Commands
See Mac OS commands for Universal Access and VoiceOver.
Speech Recognition for Macs
- Macintosh Dictate: Navigate and edit existing documents with the sound of your voice.
- Hack Attack: Make your Mac’s speech recognition work for you. Watch a video and read along as the author explains how to fully utilize this feature.
Learn more about technology and computer settings to aid users with low vision:
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