Don Johnston Launches OutLoud 6 Text Reader

Don Johnston, a provider of assistive technologies, released its new Read:OutLoud 6 accessible text reader. 

Read:OutLoud 6 is an assistive technology software that makes it easy for students with disabilities to navigate the latest eBooks and comprehend text in a multimodal digital learning environment. The software makes the Internet accessible and includes a robust set of reading tools to support below-grade level readers. A new human sounding speech engine provides the latest Acapela voices to read text aloud to support auditory learners.

In today’s schools, general education curriculum is not readily available in accessible formats for students with cognitive, physical or print disabilities, or for a student with a reading disability, such as dyslexia. This makes it nearly impossible for these students to read and comprehend paper-based textbooks and required education materials. As digital textbooks and eBooks become more widespread in schools and homes, text readers will be required to download and read a variety of digital formats.

Read:OutLoud 6 supports a broad range of digital formats. It is the only top text reader in the education marketplace that can open NIMAS, (National Instructional Materials Accessibility Standard), DAISY, Bookshare, and PDF files without conversion; it also fully supports RTF, TXT, XML and HTML files.

“Making curriculum accessible for students with disabilities doesn’t have to be difficult,” said Ben Johnston, director of marketing for Don Johnston, Inc. “Printed textbooks have made the curriculum inaccessible for decades. School administrators are now evaluating their American Recovery and Reinvestment Act (ARRA) funds to make their curricula accessible and there is clear support from our government to use these funds to purchase assistive technologies. An accessible curriculum can make all the difference for these students.”