View a PDF file for this press release TextAloud is an easy, budget-conscious PC software program that enables its users to listen to their reading anywhere they go, whether by iPhone, iPod, laptop, or Compact Disc. The program exports almost any computer text, from e-mails, websites, documents, and even PDFs, into natural and very human-sounding speech, and unlike prohibitively priced gadgets or eReaders, TextAloud doesn't require special hardware of any kind. Bordeaux calls his use of TextAloud his way of "beating dyslexia artificially." Bordeaux had begun to experiment with Text to Speech as a potential solution a few years back, working with a few different programs in conjunction with Windows 95, and then he eventually settled on TextAloud. "It was simply the most user-friendly option for dyslexics," he comments, explaining, "You have to remember that most dyslexics are not going to want extremely detailed instructions or methods for making the system work. TextAloud was immediately easy to use and work with, while still giving me the options I needed. Compared to the other programs, TextAloud was a walk in the park, addressing key issues, and combining simplicity with something that users can still utilize constantly for many things." TextAloud proved especially useful to Bordeaux in improving his reading speed and comprehension, always a struggle for dyslexics. "Using TextAloud, the dyslexic can read along with the software because of the way it highlights each word spoken," he comments. "In addition to giving sentences real structure so they're understood, reading in conjunction with TextAloud also enables the dyslexic to focus on each word as it really appears." Bordeaux soon began working with the software with other dyslexics, as well. "Most of the dyslexics I've worked with via TextAloud have, like me, improved their reading skills from about 15 to 20 words a minute (and with little comprehension), to reading and over 200 words a minute with excellent comprehension," he adds. In describing his experiences, Bordeaux also highlights how vulnerable dyslexics often feel when it comes to written information. "Dyslexics can have extremely high IQs, yet because of their disability they're too often not taken seriously, or, worse, are seen as targets for scams. Regrettably, there are a lot of people in this world who see dyslexics this way," he comments. "But with TextAloud, there is no reason to ever be targeted again. Utilizing an OCR scanner software in conjunction with my Text to Speech, I have now come to the point where I sign nothing without running it through TextAloud first so I can read, comprehend, and know exactly what I'm signing and what I'm doing." He has also acquired a multitude of scanners to allow him to scan extensive amounts of text easily, "and this means that, wherever text is concerned, there's virtually nothing that I can't scan and read," he adds. Bordeaux uses TextAloud on his laptop, as well as on his Acer Netbook, in conjunction with a variety of mobile devices once he exports his text to MP3. He emphasizes the program's combination of simplicity and sophistication as the key to its success for dyslexics. Using the simplest of TextAloud's tools for copying, pasting, and listening to text, along with such easy elements as 'pause' or 'resume,' Bordeaux found that the program delivers text in a way dyslexics can follow, retain, and use in practice to improve their skills even further. Ultimately, he emphatically recommends the program to others battling dyslexia and other reading disabilities. "Quite simply if you can get text into your computer, whether by scanning or over the Internet, you can get the meaning you need out of it with TextAloud," he comments. "TextAloud takes the dyslexic from the Dark Ages and into a world where they can read without impatience."
About TextAloud NextUp.com also offers TextAloud with optional premium voices from AT&T Natural Voices™, Nuance®, Acapela® and Cepstral® for the most natural-sounding computer speech anywhere. Available languages include U.S. English, U.K. English, Indian Accent English, Scottish Accent English, Arabic, Cantonese Chinese, Mandarin Chinese, Czech, Danish, Dutch, Belgian Dutch, Faroese, Finnish, French, Canadian French, German, Greek, Icelandic, Italian, Japanese, Korean, Norwegian, Polish, Brazilian Portuguese, European Portuguese, Russian, Castilian (European) Spanish, Latin American Spanish, Mexican Spanish, Swedish, and Turkish.
About NextUp.com
Note to Editors: |