Tools to Provide Access to Reading Materials

Kelly Key's Top Picks Using Text to Speech & Additional Tools to Provide Access to Reading Materials

Did you know you can have any reading material on the iPad or MacBook Air read out loud regardless of what format it is in? Yes, even if it is a locked PDF or a picture of a text!

This month I will feature reading tools available on the iPad. Next month I will share tools for MacBook Air laptop reading supports.

Text-to-Speech in Settings

If you have not seen this feature in action, you MUST check out this video demonstration! Click here

This is a terrific tool for reading text on the iPad out loud. You can select text to be read out loud (i.e., reading a digital book, website, editing a writing draft, etc.), press Speak and it will read it to you.

There is also an option to hear what you are writing as you type (each letter or word) by adjusting the typing feedback.

To turn this on, go to Settings > General > Accessibility > Speech > Speak selection - On, to have it highlight text as it reads, go to Highlight Content - On and choose words, sentences, or both. You can also choose the type of highlight, (underline or background) as well. Click here to see a video on how to set this up.

I highly recommend choosing Alex as the voice! He takes a deep breathe when there is punctuation and he sounds very natural. 

Claro PDF Pro App
If you only have a paper copy of a document or if it is digital in the form of a locked PDF, you can use Claro PDF Pro to make it accessible!

This app will convert (OCR, optical character recognition) a picture/scan of text to text and will read the document out loud. It also has an annotate feature to type, write, draw, or highlight on the document and share it back to the teacher. Click here for step by step directions on how to use the app.

To obtain this app, it must be noted in accommodations on the student’s 504 or IEP that they benefit from text read out loud. Then, the special services app request form must be completed for each student. The app request form can be found here: bit.ly/220ATapps

Learning Ally App & Site
Your student must qualify for this resource: they must have an IEP or 504 plan and qualify for a print disability, i.e., reading disability/ goals, physical disability, vision impairment or written in their plan as a reading accommodation. Once they qualify, I will register the student to have access to audio and digital books through Learning Ally. The majority of the books have the text, as well as a natural voice, that reads the text out loud. Once the student has an account, they can download the app from self-service and sign in.

Did you know you can change the look of a website? 

The iPad has a feature built in that allows a student to "de-clutter" a website, change the background color, and even change the font size and type!

Clean Up/De-clutter a Website
When on the site, press on the 4-line icon left of the search bar, and it will clean it up for easier reading! NOTE: there must be text (vs just links) on the site for the lines to appear).

Change background color and font on a Website
When on a site, press on the 4-line icon left of the search bar (as described above to put it in reader mode). Then press the AA tool. This will allow you to change the background color, font, and font size.

Please contact me with any questions or if you would like to learn more about these or additional features to support your students! I am happy to train staff and students on these amazing tools. kkey@barrington220.org