Read words or blocks of text aloud when highlighted or clicked

This feature involves a text-to-speech engine that reads the text on a web page aloud. This may be implemented in a number of different ways - as a built-in text-to-speech reader in the operating system, as downloadable screen reader software that operates on the user's machine, or as a remote text-to-speech service that receives text online and returns a spoken copy as an audio file.

The way that text is read may vary depending on the implementation and the user group. This approach reads words or blocks of text aloud when they are highlighted or clicked, giving people with cognitive disabilities and/or low vision control over the sections they would like to hear spoken aloud.

Discussion by Disabilities (Benefits & Preferred Behaviors)

Blind

  • Read text aloud, including alt texts for images.

 

Low Vision

  • Read text aloud, allow users with low vision to only listen to sections that are difficult to read directly.

 

Cognitive

  • Read text aloud, allow users with cognitive disabilities or low literacy to only listen to sections that are difficult to read or understand.

Existing Products

This listing includes a wide range of products, from screen readers, to simple text-to-speech utilities, to large literacy suites that include a text-to-speech application. Please note that these products are not necessarily endorsed by RtF, but represent the range of available options.

Many operating systems, including Windows Vista and Mac OS X, include limited built-in screen reading ability as well.

Open Source and free

These products are free and their source code may be modified with few restrictions.

Free, not necessarily open source

These products are free to use, but may have strict restrictions on viewing and modifying source code.

Commercial, with free trial

These products are free to try for a limited period of time or with limited functionality. They must be purchased for full functionality.

Commercial, no free trial

These products must be purchased to be used, and did not offer free trials at the time of posting.

Contributions & Discussion

Any corrections, suggestions, or additions to this page? Please let us know by emailing Contribution@RaisingTheFloor.net with [MasterList] in the subject line. 

You can also join the discussion on the Access Feature Master List Google Group.