An Post has given its stamp of approval to software that verbalises the content of web pages for the benefit of people with reading or visual difficulties.
Browsealoud adds speech to websites and also highlights each word as it is spoken. The aim, in addition to delivering information to those who have trouble reading, is to improve reading comprehension. Over one in five of the population suffers from dyslexia, literacy difficulties or mild visual impairment, and so find reading text online difficult.
An Post web manager Joe Murray said: “Online visitors can now listen to the text being read aloud to them.”
The system, from Texthelp Systems, also provides a magnification feature to increase the size of web page text. Whole pages of text can be read continuously.
Web users can download Browsealoud by following hyperlinks on any Browsealoud-enabled website. The tool is free for online visitors to use, as the cost is borne by An Post, and will speak web content aloud on any website which subscribes to the service.
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