Comments on: WordTalk 4.2 (free add-on for MS Word)

By: Paul Hamilton

Paul Hamilton — Tue, 24 Feb 2009 15:06:30 +0000

(This very helpful note came via email, so I’ve copied it here for the benefit of blog readers.)

Hi Paul,
I understand that Microsoft Office for Mac 2008 (or perhaps any version of ‘Office) does not work with Apple’s built-in AT VoiceOver – however the widely freely available OpenOffice.org 3.0 does! I have just installed it on the Department’s MacBook used to introduce alternative technologies to Visually Impaired Students.

(I am hoping at some stage to persuade my manager to look at UltimateEdition 2.0 or 1.9 based on Ubuntu – it is one of the few Linux distros that successfully runs AT at point of boot when running live.)

http://ultimateedition.info/ultimate-edition-20/

Or, /ultimate-edition-19/

Regards,
jblake

By: blogwalker

blogwalker — Tue, 24 Feb 2009 14:56:06 +0000

Paul, I’m really excited to learn about and explore tools that make text accessible to all readers. Thank you, Gail Desler

By: KarenJanowski

KarenJanowski — Tue, 24 Feb 2009 02:25:43 +0000

Paul,
I totally missed the new options that are part of WordTalk 4.2! They make this program all the more useful. I love the ability to right click within the misspelled word to access the Talking SpellChecker and Talking Thesaurus. I may need to redo the WordTalk video on my blog.
Thank you so much for adding to our knowledge base. This tool should be on EVERY Windows computer in EVERY school (especially since they all seem to have Word).

By: Paul Hamilton

Paul Hamilton — Mon, 23 Feb 2009 05:52:06 +0000

Jennifer, this is helpful information indeed. For too long, I’ve been avoiding the Mac world because I know so little about it. I’m grateful that you have posted these helpful suggestions here for readers of my blog. –Paul

By: Jennifer Marden

Jennifer Marden — Sun, 22 Feb 2009 23:10:17 +0000

I love WordTalk, and the new version is even better! For Mac, you can use the built-in text-to-speech functionality in Mac OSX 10.5. From the Systems Preferences, pick Speech (in the System section, has an old-fashioned microphone icon.) Pick the Text-to-Speech tab and check the box labeled “Speak selected text when key pressed” Click the Set Key button to set the key combination to use to trigger the functionality. I use Option-S With this set, I can click and drag to select as much text as I want to in any application, press Option-S, and it is read aloud. Words are NOT highlighted as read, and the user has to have the motor skills required to click and drag, then type the trigger key combination. You also can’t have words or letters typed aloud as you type (which the new WordTalk DOES now, yeah!) So not an equivalent, but it is free. I know it works in 10.5, and it may work in earlier OSX versions as well.

Another good tool is GhostReader from ConvenienceWare. (www.convenienceware.com) $39, will read with highlighting. A demo version is available. Don’t know much more about it, for example, whether it performs the highlighting in the original application or works by copying selected text into its own window.

By: Paul Hamilton

Paul Hamilton — Sun, 22 Feb 2009 20:33:38 +0000

Thanks very much, Marilou, for this helpful information for all the Mac users out there. It’s much appreciated, and I want to check it out for myself. –Paul

By: Marilou Vander Griend

Marilou Vander Griend — Sun, 22 Feb 2009 20:15:17 +0000

I really like Tex-Edit for Mac OSX. It is only $15.00 for a single user, but I bought the site license for $150.00, and can give it to all of our 300+ special ed classrooms. It is a very good word processor, and has lots of text-to-speech options, including the ability to add sound clips into your document, so teachers can add voice notes, or students can give oral responses. Not free, but almost!