Examples of Alternate Formatted Materials

A screen reader is able to read e-text using a synthesized voice. There are two general types of screen readers; those designed for people with visual impairments and those designed for people with vision, but have difficulty reading printed materials.

Screen readers do no use real voices. The voices are computer systemizations of a human voice. Some of the screen reader voices sound almost normal, while others are monotone.

Users of screen readers generally like to start with a more normal sounding voice. But, when their reading speeds increase, they want to use the monotone voice, which are clearer at the faster speeds. While synthesized voices used by screen readers are initially not as easy for a person to understand, screen reader users can read at normal speeds, high congitive understanding, and greater enjoyment of reading materials after they learn how to use the technology.

E-text can be created directly by typing in a computer word processor. It can also be created by scanning a book or magazine and then converting the image to e-text. 

Following are examples of both screen readers:

Jaws screen reader used by people with visual impairments

Click on the following links to listen to e-text at different reading speeds:

Screen Readers For People with Vision

Image of ReadPlease screen reader

Click on the following links to listen to e-text at different reading speeds: