[Athen] looking for comment on ReadSpeaker software

[Susan Gjolmesli]

Thank you for this excellent explanation.  As a screenreader user this helps me understand the issues and complexities much better.  Our campus uses Canvas as its LMS system.  

Our approach to everything is rather decentralized...I am drawing strength from all of you to develop and implement better practices here.  Thank you all.

Susan Gjolmesli, Director
Disability Resource Center
Bellevue College
Bellevue, Washington

-----Original Message-----
From: athen-list [mailto:athen-list-bounces at mailman13.u.washington.edu] On Behalf Of Ron Stewart
Sent: Thursday, July 10, 2014 9:12 AM
To: 'Access Technology Higher Education Network'
Subject: Re: [Athen] looking for comment on ReadSpeaker software

Products like these really do little to insure the accessibility of the content.  My group has done several reviews across a variety of LMS systems where this "built in" product was provided but the sites were actually not fully accessible or properly structured in the first place.  To insure the fullest accessibility in the first place the sites need to be fully designed to be conformant with WCAG 2.0 at the AA level as well as tested to insure that they are actually usable with common assistive technologies.

What software like this is good for is for ELL and other similar groups that can see and effectively navigate the site and would benefit from audio reinforcement of the textual content.  Now this does not speak to the course content delivered through the site, that is something that a product  like this is not at all useful for since the material still needs to be properly structured and annotated with accessibility elements like alternative and descriptive text and appropriate document structure.

Ron Stewart

-----Original Message-----
From: athen-list [mailto:athen-list-bounces at mailman13.u.washington.edu] On Behalf Of Mitchell Stoddard
Sent: Thursday, July 10, 2014 10:32 AM
To: athen-list at u.washington.edu
Subject: [Athen] looking for comment on ReadSpeaker software

Hi Folks,

I wonder if any of you are familiar with ReadSpeaker, which is a text to speech add-on for course management software?  The people in our Teaching and Learning Centre, who support our LMS system (CANVAS) are considering purchasing the product and asking for input.  

I have seen only a few comments on another listserve...one which raised the question of the value of the software relative to use of a program such as Read and Write Gold, and one which raised issues around how ReadSpeaker handles LTI within the LMS system.  

I would appreciate any comments or input you may have.

Warm regards,

Mitchell 



Mitchell Stoddard, Ph.D., R. Psych.
Director, Centre for Students with Disabilities Simon Fraser University
8888 University Drive (1250 MBC)
Burnaby, BC V5A 1S6

Phone: 778-782-3313
Email: mitchell_stoddard at sfu.ca

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~John Dewey

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