read&write (v7) gold a literacy aid for everyone with learning disabilities / difficulties

Read&Write (v7) GOLD

A literacy aid for everyone with learning disabilities / difficulties

Format of presentation

• Aims and objectives

• Introduction to Texthelp Systems

• Introduction to Read&Write (v7) GOLD

• Overview of Features and Benefits

• Demonstration

Aims and Objectives

• Basic introduction to assistive technology

• Brief introduction to Texthelp Systems

• Familiarization with the functionality of Read and Write software

Assistive Technology?

“any item, piece of equipment or product system, whether acquired commercially off the shelf, modified or customized, that is used to increase, maintain, or improve the functional capabilities of children with disabilities.”

P.L. 101-476, IDEA:

For full text, etc., see www.nls.org

Texthelp Systems Ltd• Texthelp Systems Ltd. is a software

house based in Antrim, N. Ireland• Our range of software products are

designed to assist individuals improve their reading and writing.

• Texthelp has been one of the fastest growing companies in Ireland for the last 4 years running.

• Texthelp has ISO 9001:2000 certification.

Introduction to Read&Write GOLD

• Inclusion• Effective• Discreet• Intuitive• Fosters autonomy• Customizable

• Mainstream applications

• Speech feedback everywhere

• Logs errors

Read and Write Gold: From Stigma to Status

Spelling • Improved ordering of

spelling results.

- Easier to find correction.

• Expanded phonetic map.

- Catches more errors and creates better suggestions.

Word Prediction

• It is a writing tool that enables the user to select a desired word from a list.

• Each word is spelt correctly.

• Indicators beside each word show context accuracy.

• It incorporates a prediction database based on a 100 million-word corpus.

Word Prediction

• Expanded prediction data with 250,000 phrases.

• Use up to 32 different prediction files e.g. Arts, Beliefs and Leisure.

• Loads and predicts faster.• Homophone indicator.• Dictionary look up.

Dictionary

• New Basic definitions from Collins.

- better suited to younger users.

• New web look up

- increased range of definitions.

Homophone Support

• Choice of Basic or All homophones.

- Basic homophones will suit younger students better.

Speech Feedback

• All text can be read aloud.

• Compatible with Microsoft SAPI 4 and 5 speech technology.

• Human-sounding voices

• Auditory and visual

reinforcement

Speech • Adjust speed, pitch, and volume• Automatically reads next section• Addition of a character• Additionally…Web Highlighting• Aids concentration and comprehension.

Scanning

Save any scanned document into MS Word, Excel, HTML, PDF

Text can be read aloud

User can then edit document

Scan from file alsoUseful for taking text andpictures from text books

Fact Folder

• Organize thoughts more productively

• Add multiple pictures and files to one category.

• Create sub categories.

• Create web output.• Export facts to PDA.

Fact Finder

• New translation web sites.

• Able to add your own web pages to use to search.

• More effective results from web search engines

• Reduces spelling errors

Clipboard History

• Displays the last 10 clipboard items.

• Preview, Restore or Open.

• Drag and drop into many applications.

• Makes using the clipboard more effective and easier.

New Daisy Book Reader

• Access the wealth of Daisy books

• Highlights as it reads so increasing word recognition.

Teachers Toolkit

• Exam feature sets

• Unlimited number of Users

• Remembers personal settings

• Individual dictionaries. Word Prediction etc.

Other Features

• PDFaloudSpeech enable PDF documents

• Word WizardWant to find that word you’re looking for?

• Simple / Scientific CalculatorSpeech enabled calculator

• Speech Maker – MP3 playerConvert text to MP3 and others

• Pronunciation TutorGreat for speech therapist

• Speech InputYou speak – we type!

System Requirements• Read&Write (v7) GOLD System Requirements• The following are the minimum requirements needed to

operate Read&Write (v7) GOLD:• Pentium 350MHz Processor (500MHz recommended)• Windows 98, 2000, XP, ME or NT4 • Internet Explorer 6 or later (available on the Installation CD) • 128 MB RAM (256 MB recommended) • 400 MB Free Disk Space • CD ROM drive • Sound Card and Speakers

(NB. Previous versions of Read&Write must be uninstalled before installing Read&Write (v7) GOLD)

Thank You