1. 1 Kyle Slough Sloughk09@ecu.edu Melissa Engleman englemanm@ecu.edu Irene Howell Assistive Technology Center http://www.ecu.edu/cs-educ/ci/sped/at/atlab.cfm Greenville, NC

2. 2 Presentation Overview From low-end to high-end, several text-to-speech applications are widely used. Deciding which to use is sometimes by what the disability services representative happens to know best, or by what is owned by the university. Decisions are better made based on the match between user needs and software features. In this presentation, features of a few application are compared, and a suggested protocol is presented that may assist in selecting the best software for users.

3. Features and Characteristics Cost Supported platforms Features: Voice quality & choices Devices you can use: mp3, DAISY, portability Controlling speed Highlighting capabilities (as it reads) Flexibility Built in support features 3

4. 4 Other reading software Tradeoff features and price Read and Write Gold $395; $645 Read Please (free) limited support Blio (free) (price will vary by book) Kurzweil 3000 $395; $1,095; $1,495 Natural Reader free-$299

5. 5 User Needs to Consider Platform used, budget, study support needs, if any Available technical support Voice Must practice using voice to become familiar with it Many voices available with varying quality Non-English voices are available Adjust speed Faster: light or familiar reading Slower: More complex passages

6. 6 User Needs to Consider Portability Listen to text-to-speech recorded to MP3 Strategies: 1. Student listens to reading while pacing in room 2. Student records study notes to listen to repeatedly while commuting

7. Some of the Major Players Kurzweil Read & Write Gold Natural Reader Blio 7

8. Kurzweil Cost Supported platforms Voice quality & choices Portability Speed controls Highlighting capabilities (as it reads) Flexibility Other features $395; $1095; $1495 Mac or PC (different versions) 8

9. 9 Kurzweil Select text to read Kurzweil highlights text being read

10. Read & Write Gold Cost Supported platforms Voice quality & choices Portability Speed controls Highlighting capabilities (as it reads) Flexibility Other features $395; $645 Mac or PC (different versions) 10

11. Read and Write Gold Select text to read Read and Write Gold highlights text being read 11

12. Natural Reader Cost Supported platforms Voice quality & choices Portability Speed controls Highlighting capabilities (as it reads) Flexibility Other features Free-$299 Mac or PC (different versions) 12

13. Blio reader Text to Speech or E-Reader? It is a free E-reader It was designed by Ray Kurzweil Blio reader is set to launched Septmember 28 th and a more accessable version is due in October Key features Color display of books Highlighting Function and Notes 13

14. Blio Reader Cost Supported platforms Voice quality & choices Portability Speed controls Highlighting capabilities (as it reads) Flexibility Other features Depends on book Windows only currently but more to follow 14

15. Blio Reader http://blioreader.com/ http://blioreader.com/about.html 15

16. The Low-Down Use a protocol based on application features and individual needs Pay attention to individual preferences Follow-up and follow-along training is vital to success 16

17. Link to Spreadsheet 17 http://spreadsheets.google.com/ccc?key=0AomYaPFK5E4QdFNCdG5MakZ1dzZZO GpzbzJ6dEQwX1E&hl=en

18. Questions? 18