[Athen] Beeline reader

[Susan Kelmer]

I first saw Beeline about 5 years ago at a session at CSUN.  I wasn’t impressed with it then, and I’m still not impressed with it.  It does not provide text to speech, unless that has been added.  It runs a gradient of blue to purple back to blue to purple etc. through the text, it is supposed to lead the eyes/help with tracking.  It also would remove images (distractions) so you just had text to deal with.  I could not figure out who the target consumer was.  I didn’t even know it was still around.


Susan Kelmer
Alternate Format Production Program Manager
Disability Services
Health and Wellness Services
T 303 735 4836
www.colorado.edu/disabilityservices<http://www.colorado.edu/disabilityservices>


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From: athen-list <athen-list-bounces at mailman12.u.washington.edu> On Behalf Of foreigntype at gmail.com
Sent: Tuesday, August 23, 2022 12:00 PM
To: athen-list at u.washington.edu
Subject: [Athen] Beeline reader

Hello ATHEN-ites

What can you all tell me about Beeline Reader? Who is the target consumer? Advantages? Drawbacks? Purpose? A legit text-to-speech reader? All the info that I could find online says it offers a color gradient to help readers' eyes track words along the lines of text. Is that all it does? Does it provide text-to-speech?

I am responding to someone who contacted me off list about how to solve a different accessibility matter and they indicated that they were using Beeline Reader.

Any information – good, bad, indifferent, scathing – is welcome.

Thanks in advance!
Wink Harner
Accessibility Consultant/Alternative Text Production
The Foreign Type
Portland OR
foreigntype at gmail.com<mailto:foreigntype at gmail.com>
480-984-0034
This email was dictated using Dragon NaturallySpeaking. Please forgive quirks, misrecognitions, or errata .
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