Laptop computers hold a world of wonder in a small package. Assistive tech apps such as Kurzweil 3000 enhance the accessibility of this magic for users with disabilities. Photo by Liudmila Kot, via Wikimedia Commons
Kurzweil 3000 is leading text-to-speech software, a downloadable app that provides text-to-speech in seven languages and dialects. It “reads” any digital text aloud, from textbooks to the Internet (both as Word documents and PDF images), as well as digital libraries such as Bookshare. The user can select among male and female voices from various languages and geographic regions. Reading speed is also fully adjustable. Kurzweil 3000 is compatible with both Windows and Mac; it works with all major browsers. Also useful for high school and college students is a suite of study and writing tools. Multiple highlighters in different colors, virtual sticky notes, voice notes, the hyperlink tool, and column notes are easily organized place holders, enabling the user to return to where he or she left off. Graphic organizers and outlining tools assist with writing.
The functionality of Kurzweil 3000 can be enhanced with Firefly. This is a web-based storage system for documents and text-to-speech files. The user can access these and other online resources easily by clicking on a word or phrase. Reference resources such as dictionaries and encyclopedias are easily reached. The package offers text-to-speech in 18 languages and dialects, with an even wider selection of voices: 31 in total.
Three success stories with Kurzweil 3000: Brian, Kelly, and Abigail
Kurzweil 3000 is based on the principle of Universal Design for Learning, a methodology based on neuroscientific research whereby instruction accommodates the needs and strengths of students of all abilities and disabilities. Indeed, the Assistive Technology team at Advancing Opportunities has used Kurzweil 3000 with high school and college students with a variety of special needs. For two students with dyslexia, Brian and Abigail, Kurzweil was an indispensable aid for reading. For Kelly, http://www.assistivetechnologycenter.org/success-story/solutions-transition her cerebral palsy made fine-motor tasks such as opening textbooks and turning pages a time-consuming chore. Her condition also made the visual tracking of the small text in most print and e-books a painful experience. The ability of Kurzweil 3000 to highlight sentences and actual words spoken (in different colors) and navigate the many pages enabled Kelly to study with a much greater degree of independence than previously.
After all, the very idea behind any effective assistive technology is to provide the accessibility to allow anyone fully to participate in society.
