Text to Speech Resources

Computers allow the on-screen text of articles, web pages, and other electronic documents to be spoken aloud. Some websites even have this feature enabled by default to provide audio of the text. Numerous free tools are available to convert text to speech, below is a very brief list of some of these tools and their functionality. These tools can be used with the FSW Library Databases for PDF articles, most database providers have a text to speech feature for HTML articles.

Programs

• Adobe Acrobat Reader DC - Is available on all FSW computers and offers a text-to-speech feature called "Read Out Loud" accessed through the top menu option "View":
  
• Alternative Formats - Blackboard Ally provides Alternative formats for Canvas pages and course files. Alternative formats are available for all Canvas courses.
• Microsoft Office 365 (use your FSW email address to log in) - Many of the Office 365 applications available on FSW computers and online offer text-to-speech with the "Read Aloud" option available either under the "Review" tab or "View" tab. Another helpful feature is Microsoft's Immersive Reader, also available in the Office 365 Online offerings. Microsoft Office 365 is available to all current FSW students, staff, faculty, and administration.

Browser Extensions

FireFox and Google Chrome

• Kurzweil 3000 Read The Web - Kurzweil 3000 is a subscription text-to-speech resource that requires a license that is available to all current FSW Students, Staff, and Faculty. To request access, please fill out the Assistive Technology Services form.