Text-to-speech software can be a lifesaver. I’m not sure if I have dyslexia, but text-to-speech still makes getting through assigned readings a lot more painless. I have a lot of trouble staying focused at the best of times, and partway through a semester is never the best of times. So software like Kurzweil 3000 that highlights words as they’re read to me is immensely helpful.
When it works and when I have access to it, text-to-speech lets me complete my readings within a reasonable amount of time. Maybe not as quickly as an abled student, but much faster than if I was reading it on my own. Three hours of reading can become one hour. A passage I have to reread six or seven times to absorb can be understood after being read two to three times. It’s amazingly helpful— when it works.
Unfortunately, those two qualifiers of “When it works” and “When I have access to it” are seldom satisfied at the same time.
Continue reading Text-to-Speech as an Accommodation
Astro Autistic 