Fritschi's Assistive Technology Tools
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| bold words indicate features especially useful for people with disabilites |
| to search on this page hit CTRL + F keys |
| To print chart: set page orientation to landscape, set margins to lowest number possible, & print on 8" 1/2 by 14" paper |
| Email me if you know of a tool I should add. |
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COMMENTS |
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Written Expression |
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| Low Tech Tools: | |||||||
| school stamp kit | available in letters, (lower and upper case) numbers, different colors and sizes/may be adapted to facilitate holding | K-12 | N/A |
Educational Insights 800-995-4436 |
$10.00- $40.00 | http://www.edin.com | |
| colored pens i.e. Uni-ball neon pens | fine point pens that provide almost the same visual emphasis as highlighters | 3-12 | N/A | Eberhart Faber | $1.50 |
http://www.officedepot.com http://www.staples.com |
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| NiteWriter pen | ball point pen with a small flashlight built in the top barrel | 3-12 | N/A |
Cheif Supply Co. 800-733-9281 Indep. Living Aids 800-537-2118 |
$10.00 |
http://www.buyfiresupplies.com/Misc/pens.html http://www.independentliving.com |
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| 20/20 pen | extra wide tip with bold black ink, easy to read |
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800-537-2118 Maxi Aids 516-752-0521 |
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http://www.independentliving.com http://www.maxiaids.com |
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| pencil grips | stetro(indentations on 3 sides) triangular, round, and foam | K-12 | N/A | various manufactures | $7.50 |
http://www.officedepot.com http://www.staples.com |
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| Dr. Grip Pen | ergonomically correct pen or pencil/ the barrel of the pen is incurved for ease in holding and is made of rubberized, slightly tacky material for better gripping/flexible material to provide relief for students who hold pens too tightly | 3-12 | N/A |
Pilot Corp. of America Independent Living Aids 800-537-2118 |
$6.00 |
http://www.independentliving.com http://www.officedepot.com http://www.staples.com |
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| EvoPen | designed to reduce stress on fingers and to align pen within the hand/ fits naturally in the hand/ ideal for students who hold pens or pencils too tightly | 3-12 | N/A | EvoPen Corporation | $5.00 | http://www.evopen.com | |
| Magic Rub erasers | rectangular rubber erasers that erase pencil, colored pencils, and many inks | K-12 | N/A | Sanford/ Eberhard Faber | $2.00 |
http://www.officedepot.com http://www.staples.com |
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| correction & cover-up tape | removable tape that may be written on, comes in sizes ranging from 1/6" to 1" width | 3-12 | N/A | 3M | $3.0o |
http://www.officedepot.com http://www.staples.com |
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Low vision writing paper |
extra wide/thick lines, more space for large print |
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516-752-0521 Indep. Living Aids 800-537-2118 |
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http://www.maxiaids.com | |
| raised line paper | raised red and green lines/comes in stop and go(green and red lines), wide lined, or primary lined | K-12 | N/A |
Pocket Full of Therapy, Inc. 800-736-8124 |
$16.50 | http://www.pfot.com | |
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full page writing guide |
a stringed frame that holds an 8 1/2" x 11" piece of paper | K-12 | N/A |
Indep. Living Aids 800-537-2118 |
$16.00 | http://www.independentliving.com | |
| post-it notes | available in different sizes, colors, and with/without lines. | K-12 | N/A | 3M | $10.00 |
http://www.officedepot.com http://www.staples.com |
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| math grids | graph paper in 1/3" to 1" graphs for writing and spacing/may be printed in different colors | K-12 | N/A |
LoTTIE Kit Onion Mountian Technology, Inc. 860-693-2683 |
$10.00 | ||
| wipe on/wipe off board w/ markers or crayons | wipe on/wipe off board that allows markers to easily glide over, crayons drag slightly | K-12 | N/A | Learning Horizons | $2.00 |
http://www.officedepot.com http://www.staples.com |
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| Low Tech LoTTIE Kit | includes many low tech items, post it notes, math grids, talking calculator, pencil grips, special writing utensils etc. guide for implementation included |
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860-693-2683 |
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| Word Processing: | |||||||
| The Amazing Writing Machine | creative writing/illustration/idea-generation program/ includes 5 writing projects: story,journal,essay,poem, and letter | 1-5 | Mac/ Win |
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$34.00 | http://www.broderbund.com/ | |
| Student Writing Center: | word processing, desktop publishing, organization, report writing, graphics. May substitute pictures for words | K8 | Mac/ Win/ Apple II |
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$100.00 | http://www.learningcompanyschool.com/ | DOS & Apple version called Children's Writing & Publishing Center |
| Kid Works Deluxe | writing/painting/reads stories back/add sounds etc./teacher feedback on screen/story starters/makes books/play stories back without Kid Works/ | 2-4 | Mac/ Win |
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$40.00 | http://www.knowledgeadventure.com/home/ | |
| StoryBook Weaver Deluxe | story starters/graphics/create books with illustrations | 1-6 | Mac/ Win |
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$26.00 | http://www.learningcompanyschool.com/ | |
| Write This Way | text to speech/highlights splg. and grammar | 4-12 | Mac |
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$70.00 | http://www.learningcompanyschool.com/ | |
| Dr. Peet's Talkwriter | . takes the nonreader from letter recognition to word processing, explore ABCs, the keyboard, and combining letters to form words | K-12 | Mac |
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$35.00 | http://www.learningcompanyschool.com/ | |
| My Words | choose words from bank/hear words/add sounds | K-12 | Mac/ DOS |
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$43.00 | http://www.learningcompanyschool.com/ | |
| Microsoft Word | word processing, organization, outline template,spell check/thesaurus/grammar check/incorporate graphics, Word '98 for a Mac has text to speech | K-12 | Mac/ Win/ DOS |
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$300.00 | http://www.microsoft.com | |
| I Can Write | teaches beginning writing by writing letter by letter or word by word. | K-3 | Mac/ Win |
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free | http://www.inspiration.com | may combine with IntelliTalk, Intellikeys, and Overlay Maker |
| Apple Works a.k.a. ClarisWorks & ClarisWorks for Kids | word processing, organization, outlining templates, telecommunication tools, spell check/thesaurus/incorporate graphics, Ruby Libs will read text aloud | K-12 | Mac/ Win |
800-MY-APPLE |
$70.00 | http://www.apple.com/applework/ | formely known as ClarisWorks |
| Writing with Symbols 2000 | as text is typed, symbols appear above and are read aloud/spell checker/ 3,800 Picture Communication Symbols and 4,000 Rebus symbols/ teacher can use to create reading material for students who need symbols with words to carry menaing | K-4 | Win |
01926 885303 (U.K) Don Johnston, Inc. 800-999-4660 |
$200.00 |
http://www.widgit.com/
http://www.donjohnston.com |
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| Clicker 3 | pictures are provided and when selected place picture with text into integrated word processor/ choices may be words, letters. or phrases/ choices are spoken when selected/ Works with other word processor too/ includes 250 pictures | K-5 | Win |
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$200.00 | http://www.donjohnston.com | Mac version is called Clicker Plus |
| Clicker Plus | pictures are provided and when selected place picture with text into integrated word processor/ choices may be words, letters. or phrases/ choices are spoken when selected/ Works with other word processor too/ includes 250 pictures | K-5 | Mac |
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$135.00 | http://www.donjohnston.com | Windows version is called Clicker 3 |
| Talking Word Processors | |||||||
| Type and Talk | reads text aloud, speaks suggested corrections to incorrectly spelled words, or homphones, to help the user construct words and sentences and includes word prediction |
Mac/ Win |
888-333-9907 |
$170.00 | http://www.texthelp.com/ | ||
| Write Outloud | talking word processor/hear letter, words, sentences as write/talking spell checker/ change formats of background, text color and font size | K-12 | Mac/ Win |
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$100.00 | http://www.donjonston.com | |
| IntelliTalk | talking word processor/ hear letter, words, and sentences/ adjust font size and background colors | K-12 | Mac/ Win |
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$150.00-$180.00 | http://www.intellitools.com | may combine with IntelliKeys, IntelliPics, and Overlay Maker |
| HELPRead | talking word processor/ speaks clipboard contents/ speaks web pages | K-12 |
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free | http://www.pixi.com/~reader1/. | ||
| Ultimate Reader | adds spoken voice and visual highlighting to any electronic text. Text may be input fromkeyboard, scanned text, or imported from a text file | K-8 | Mac/ Win |
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$200.00 | http://www.donjonston.com | Don Johnston also |
| Screen Reader | ScreenReader is a text to speech package which will read text in any window based application. | Win |
888-333-9907 |
$44.00 | http://www.texthelp.com/ | may download demo | |
| HELPRead | text to speech/ speaks word processors, clipboard contents and web pages | k-12 |
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free | www.pixi.com/~reader1/. | ||
| Read and Write | text to speech/thesarus/highlights words/homonym and spelling support | 1-12 | Win |
888-333-9907 |
$250.00 | http://www.texthelp.com/ | may download demo |
| Word Predictors: | |||||||
| Co-Writer | text to speech/predicts words/large dictionaries/customize new words | K-12 | Mac/ Win |
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$290.00 | http://www.donjonston.com | |
| Type and Talk | reads text aloud, speaks suggested corrections to incorrectly spelled words, or homphones, to help the user construct words and sentences and includes word prediction | K-12 | Mac/ Win |
888-333-9907 |
$170.00 | http://www.texthelp.com/ | |
| Electronic Reference: | |||||||
| Spelling Ace | portable spell checker using Merriam-Webster. Verification of spelling, vocabulary enrichment, and sound alike activities | K-12 | N/A |
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$25.00 | http://www.franklin.com | |
| Speaking Homework Wiz | handheld spelling corrector and dictionary with speech output//pronounces words and definitions/ displays print and cursive letters for handwriting assitance/ phonetic/ store and practice weekly vocabulary words/ 40,000 basic definitions | K-6 | N/A |
800-525-9673 |
$70.00 (speaking) $30.00 (non-speaking) | http://www.franklin.com | also available from Don Johnston Inc. |
| Bookman Speaking Dictionary | portable reference with built-in book/ability to add different cartrideges/83,000 word dict./41,000 thesaurus/ speech output for pronunciation/ may customize word lists | 2-12 | N/A |
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$130.00 | http://www.franklin.com | |
| Webster Spelling Corrector Plus (model NCS-101) | portable spell checker using Merriam-Webster. Verification of spelling, vocabulary enrichment, and sound alike activities | 1-8 | N/A |
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$24.95 | http://www.franklin.com | |
| Graphic Organizers: | |||||||
| Inspiration | software that facilitates mapping, webbing, organization, planning, brainstorming, and outlining/ easily transfer ideas represented graphically into an outline/ great kickstart for students with difficulty writing | K-12 | Mac/ Win |
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$70.00 | http://www.inspiration.com | may download free demo or call to have it mailed |
| Writing Motivators: | |||||||
| Imagination Express | storytelling/story starters/add text,narration,animation, and music/print into books/customize to different levels/create page or book | K-8 | Mac/ Win |
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$40.00 | http://www.edmark.com/ | |
| Hollywood High | use characters,scenes,and action to create live shows based on written script | 5-12 | Mac/ Win |
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$30.00 | http://www.theatrix.com | preference school edition to add writing and rdg.activities |
| Opening Night | use actors,costumes,stage props, lighting and script writing tools to create on screen plays | 3-12 | Mac/ Win |
800-624-2926 |
$30.00 | http://www.learningcompanyschool.com/ | |
| Authoring Software: | |||||||
| Hyperstudio | use of pictures, sounds, and animation to create multimedia reports . Provides linkage to live video, videodisc, and the internet/ requires training/ use to create tests/ large font/ high contrast/ can create auditory cues | K-12 | Mac/ Win |
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$115.00 | http://www.hyperstudio.com/ | free demo available |
| Kid Pix | use of pictures, sounds, and animation to create multimedia reports . | K-5 | Mac/ Win |
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$40.00 | http://www.broderbund.com/ | |
| IntelliPics | use of pictures, sounds, and animation to create multimedia reports . | K | Mac/ Win |
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$100.00 | http://www.intellitool.com | may combine with Intellikeys, IntelliTalk and Overlay Maker |
| Speaking Dynamically Pro | direct selection | ||||||
| Claris Works slide show | an additional feature to the program that creates multimedia slides | k-12 | Mac/ Win |
800-MY-APPLE |
$70.00 | http://www.apple.com/applework/ | |
| PowerPoint | use of pictures, sounds, and animation to create multimedia reports . Provides linkage to live video, videodisc, and the internet | 6-12 | Mac/ Win |
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$400.00 | http://www.microsoft.com | |
| Keyboarding: | |||||||
| Five Finger Typist | typing lessons for right or left hand/ Qwerty keyboard/allows to print progress reports | 2-12 | Mac/ Win |
800-588-4548 TASH 800-463-5685 |
$70.00 |
http://www.mayer-johnson.com http://www.tashint.com |
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| Half-Qwerty | a program that allows a user to use the left or right hand to enter keystrokes by creating a virtual half of the keyboard within reach |
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416-749-3124 |
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http://www.matiascorp.com | may download free demo |
| All the Right Type | teacher can customize program for indiv./view progress/ enhanced record keeping/print certificates | 4-12 | Mac/ Win/ DOS |
800-663-7731 |
$50.00 |
http://www.ingenuityworks.com http://www.didatech.com |
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| Type to Learn | teaches keyboarding, reinforces splg.,grammar, composition,astronomy, and geography/can customize to rdg. level/varied teacher options/reads instructions | 2-12 | Mac/ Win |
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$30.00 | http://www.sunburst.com |
$20 for home version but teachers guide is not included |
| Typing Tutor 7 | includes interactive video clips | 5-12 | Mac/ Win |
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$30.00 | http://www.knowledgeadventure.com/home/ | |
| Kid Keys | presents text in large print/printable certificates/teaches accuracy over speed/ teaches alphabetic sequencing | PreK-5 | Mac/ |
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$42.00 | http://www.knowledgeadventure.com/home/ | |
| Key Words | can customize to different levels/16 levels/student records provided | 3-12 | Mac/ Win |
Humanities Software 541-386-6737 |
$35.00 | http://www.humanitiessoftware.com | can specify elem/sec/ or spec.ed versions |
| Portable Note Takers: |
Portable Note Takers Comparison chart |
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| Alpha Smart | connects to printer/spell check/300hr. Battery/full size keyboard/stores 64 pages/4line by 40character/ 3yr.warranty/ connect via infrared | K-12 | Mac/ Win |
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$250.00 | http://www.alphasmart.com/ | |
| Laser PC 6 |
full size keyboard/ 4 line by 40 char. or 8 by 80char. display/ text to speech/ infrared transfer/ spell check/ Typing Tutor/ calculator/ connects to printer/ Sticky keys/ thesaurus |
1-12 | Mac/ Win |
800-726-7086 |
$290.00 speech + $135 |
http://www.perfectsolutions.com/ | |
| Dream Writer | connects to printer/spell check/ teaches typing/dictionary/calculator/ 100pages/4 line by 40 or 8 by80/save to disk | K-4 | Mac/ Win |
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$175-$265 | http://nts.dreamwriter.com/ | |
| QuickPad | prints/spell check/400hr.battery/full size keyboard/stores 64 pages/4line by 40 character/3yr.warranty/infrared transfer/10 folders hold 10 files each | 1-12 | Mac/ Win |
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$200.00 | http://www.h45.com | |
| Qwerty Calcuscribe | connects to printer/ connect via infrared/ calculator is part of keyboard/ spell check/ unlimited files and folders/ sticky keys/ long battery life |
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415-923-1024 |
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http://www.calcuscribe.com | |
| Brother | desktop publisher that prints directly, large display area, incentives and extras included, somewhat portable | 1-12 | N/A |
800-276-7746 Independent Living Aids 800-537-2118 |
$300.00 |
http://www.brother.com/ http://www.independentliving.com |
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| Link | reads letters,words, paragraphs/ abbreviation expansion/ stores 8 files/ can modify pronounciations/ different voices/ can change speeech/ uses DECtalk | k-12 | N/A |
800-588-4548 |
$1,395.00 | http://www.mayer-johnson.com | optional: keyguard moisture guard or wheelchair mount |
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Reading/Language Back to Top |
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| Low Tech Tools | |||||||
| large print materials/books |
large print books or normal books that are sent away to be enlarged may be helpful for students with visual impairments |
1-12 | N/A |
Indep. Living Aids 800-537-2118 Amer. Printing House for the Blind 800-223-1839 |
$25.00+ |
http://www.independentliving.com http://www.aph.org |
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| books on tape |
full versions of books on cassette tapes |
K-12 | N/A |
Amer. Printing House for the Blind 800-223-1839 |
varies |
http://www.aph.org http://kathyz.home.mindspring.com/r_brooks.htm |
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| text & background modifications |
manipulation of text colors and contrasting backgrounds within applications can improve visability for people with disabilities |
K-12 | Mac/Win |
built in feature for most applications |
no cost | ||
| colored overlays |
using colored transparencies over text being read may help students with by reducing glare, providing contrast, and improve stability and clarity of print |
K-12 | N/A |
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$1.50 |
http://www.officedepot.com http://www.staples.com |
file folders |
| Highlighters | available in different barrel shapes/sizes and colors. Also dry highlighters that are erasable for use in textbooks | K-12 | N/A | Avery Dennison, Sanford, TomBow 800-835-3232 | $1.50-$7.00 | dry highlighters: http://www.tombowusa.com/monodry.html | also available at Office Depot |
| Quicktionary | a pen that scans a word at a time, displays the word on the pen's screen, reads aloud the word, spells the word aloud, stores scanned words, 200,000 definitions given |
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877-344-4040 |
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http://www.readingpen.com | |
| Scanning Software | use in conjunction with screen reader | ||||||
| Omnipage 9.0 | OCR software that converts scanned text into and editable product for manipulation and to be read by a screen reader | K-12 | Win/ Mac |
800-535-7226 |
$100.00 | http://www.caere.com/ | |
| TextBridge Pro | OCR software that converts scanned text into and editable product for manipulation and to be read by a screen reader | K-12 | Win/ Mac |
800-535-7226 |
$70-$100 | http://www.scansoft.com/ | |
| Visioneer Paperport | OCR software that converts scanned text into and editable product for manipulation and to be read by a screen reader | K-12 | Win/ Mac |
888-229-4172 |
$60.00 | http://www.visioneer.com/ | |
| Wynne | ocr and screen reader/ many options include a dictionary, break words into syllables, highlight important passages, insert bookmarks, add written or spoken notes, easy to follow buttons | K-12 | Win |
800-444-4443 |
$1,000.00 | www.arkenstone.com | |
| Kurzweil 3000 | ocr and screen reader/ reads the web and contains built in study skills like highlighting and a built in dictionary/ text editor allow for typing text to have read back/ includes spell check and word prediction/comes with scanner | K-12 | Win |
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$2,000.00 | www.kurzweiledu.com | |
| Omniform 4.0 | converts paper forms to electronic forms to edit, design, or fill out forms, manage information databases, and print and mail forms | K-12 | Win/ Mac |
800-535-7226 |
$100.00 | http://www.caere.com | |
| Screen Readers | see text readers in Written Language section | ||||||
| JAWS | text to speech package which will read text in any window based application | K-12 | Win |
800-336-5658 |
$800.00 | http://www.hj.com/ | |
| OutSPOKEN | text to speech package which will read text in any windows or Mac based application | K-12 |
Win/ Mac |
Group, Inc. 510-923-6280 |
$700-$800 | http://www.aagi.com | |
| Screen Reader | ScreenReader is a text to speech package which will read text in any window based application. | K-12 | Win |
888-333-9907 |
$44.00 | http://www.texthelp.com | may download demo |
| Window Eyes | adds voice access to windows programs | K-12 | Win |
219-489-3671 |
$600.00 | http://www.gwmicro.com | |
| Wynne | ocr and screen reader/ many options include a dictionary, break words into syllables, highlight important passages, insert bookmarks, add written or spoken notes, easy to follow buttons | K-12 | Win |
800-444-4443 |
$1,000.00 | www.arkenstone.com | |
| Kurzweil 3000 | ocr and screen reader/ reads the web and contains built in study skills like highlighting and a built in dictionary/ text editor allow for typing text to have read back/ includes spell check and word prediction/comes with scanner | K-12 | Win |
800-894-5374 |
$2,000.00 | www.kurzweiledu.com | |
| Kurzweil 1000 |
scans, converts text(OCR) to speech for visually impaired users, switch access, voice recognition |
8-12 | Win |
800-894-5374 |
$1,000-$1,300 | www.kurzweiledu.com | |
| Web Screen Readers | |||||||
| PW WebSpeak | Internet Browser that provides access in a non-visual or combined auditory and visual manner. | K-12 | Win |
609-984-8044 |
$150.00 | http://www.prodworks.com | |
| IBM Homepage Reader | fully functional browser, easy to navigate, automatically syncs page to Netscape, | K-12 | Win |
888-411-1WEB |
$150.00 | http://www.ibm.com | |
| Instructional Software | |||||||