Library Guides: Screen reading resources for study: Tools for screen reading

Tools for screen reading

This list of devices and software recommended for screen reading has been developed for computer users who are unable to view screen content.

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Job Access With Speech (JAWS)

Provides speech and Braille output for the most popular personal computer applications.

Find out more about JAWS.

Non Visual Desktop Access (NVDA)

A free screen reader which works with Microsoft Windows to read text on the screen.

To find out more about the NVDA screen reader, including system requirements and to download, go to NVDA screen reader home.

TextAloud

Text to speech software for Windows which converts Word documents, Emails, web pages and PDF files into natural sounding speech. Recommended for reading journal articles in PDF file formats. Download TextAloud.

VoiceOver for macOS

Learn more about this built-in accessibility feature including gesture control, Braille display, audio descriptions and International natural speaking voices VoiceOver for Mac.

Adobe Digital Editions

Adobe Digital Editions is free software which enables you to download and manage digital publications such as ebooks and files in PDF and EPUB formats. This software allows you to organise your eBooks into your own custom library and effectively annotate pages.

Adobe Digital Editions is compatible with screen reading software, JAWS, NVDA or Window-Eyes on Windows and VoiceOver on Mac.

Please note: Windows-based screen reading software must be installed separately on your computer.

Download Adobe Digital Editions.

Adobe Reader

Adobe Reader is free software which enables you to read the information contained in PDF files particulary using Windows and Mac operating systems.

To download Adobe's latest version of Adobe Reader and a screen readers users guide, go to, Adobe Reader and user's guide .

Adobe Reader 6.0 or later has a Read Out Loud text to speech tool for Windows and Macs.

To activate this tool, open your PDF file in Adobe Reader, from the tool bar select View > Read Out loud > Activate Read Out Loud. Keyboard shortcut: Shift + Ctrl + V (Windows) or Shift + Command + E (Mac OS).

Find out more about other Adobe Reader accessibility options.

Tip: Use the TextAloud Toolbar to read your journal articles online.

Assistive online tools - weblinks

Ginger software
Language software includes grammar checker, sentence rephraser and text reader.
MyStudyBar
Free Windows app to assist students with organising and planning study.
Dropbox
A cloud based service which stores, shares and synchronizes your files across various devices including computers, tablets and smart phones.
OneNote by Microsoft
A digital note taking app for use on various devices which allows you to collaborate, collect and share information.
Balabolka
A free text to speech program which you can save files in WAV, MP3 or WMA formats.
WordTalk
Windows text to speech plugin for Microsoft Word.
NaturalReader
Convert Word documents, PDF and emails into natural sounding voices with adjustable speed and speaker.
Microsoft Windows Speech Recognition
Find out how to open Speech Recognition to use your voice to dictate text to your computer.
iBooks for iPads
View, sync, save, and print PDFs with your iOS device.
Cisdem - Mac software
PDF converter to OCR and PDF to Word converter.
MathPlayer 4
Free browser plug-in for speaking and navigating math in documents and presentations.
DAISY playback devices
From Vision Australia: devices which play back audio books, easy to navigate and access, produced using the Digital Accessible Information System "DAISY".

Web browser accessibility extensions - weblinks

Google Chrome
List compiled by DIGITAL A11Y.
Firefox
List compiled by Access Firefox.

Computer accessibility guides

Apple accessibility guide
A guide for locating accessibility features on Mac devices including VoiceOver and Zoom.
Microsoft guide - magnify your computer screen
Tips to increase the text and pointer size, adjust contrast and resolution for Windows.
Keyboard skills and shortcuts
A guide for keyboard shortcuts using Windows and OS X.

Free assistive mobile tools - weblinks

NaturalReader - Text to Speech
From iTunes this app converts PDF, word documents and ebooks into spoken words.
Virtual Voice
An Android app designed to use the text to speech and the speech recognition features to enable communication without the need for sign language or lip reading.
Voice Recognition
A Google Chrome app which transform speech into text to write essays, emails and export the file to your Dropbox or Google Drive account or send as an email.
Dragon Search
Speak your search queries into an iPhone to search online with this app from iTunes.
Kindle
Free iOS app to download and read ebooks, PDFs and magazines on iPhone, iPad and iPod touch.
Go Read
Free android eBook reader for people with print disabilities. Text to speech which reads DAISY 3 and EPUB2 formats.
TapTapSee
Designed to identify objects by double tapping the screen to take a photo of anything, at any angle, and hear the iTunes app speak the identification back to you.
Quip
A place for groups/teams to create, share and collaborate by combining chat, docs, task lists, and spreadsheets in one iTunes app.

Library

Screen reading resources for study

The NVDA screen reader - video clip

Adobe Digital Editions - video clip