Category: Apps

Posts about specific apps/applications

Text-to-Speech App – Voice Dream Reader for iOS

 

if you serve students who have reading disabilities or who just prefer to listen to text,  the Apple Voice Dream Reader App is worth suggesting.  The app costs $4.99 in the App Store and is available for the IPhone, IPad and Tablet.  Click here to download the app.

Voice Dream Reader can extract text from ePub, PDF, Word, Pages, Keynote and web pages and then read them aloud using text-to-speech with synchronized highlighting.  Voice Dream Reader comes pre-loaded with the Heather voice, but additional voices can be purchased for $0.99. One downside is that all text formatting and all images are extracted and not visible.

To learn more and to view a video of the app in use: Asstive Technoloyg Blog: Voice Dream Reader App for iOS

 

Learning Ally Audio App is Now Free

According to a recent entry at the Assistive Technology Blog, Learning Ally has reduced the cost of their iOS app to free. Available only to Learning Ally members, the app previously cost $19.99. The app is compatible with both the iPad and iPhone. The app is the easiest way to listen to Learning Ally books on your iOS device.

For all the new features, the user experience is weakened by the absence of key features such as the ability to browse the Learning Ally catalogue directly from your iOS device, or to do background downloads or background audio play back. When listening to an audio book you cannot follow along with an e-book because the audio book will automatically pause. Also in order to download an audio book you first must add the book to your bookshelf via a web browser.  Perhaps these in time, these features and others will be added to enrich the user experience.

A quick start guide is available as a PDF or Word document. For answers to common questions, check out the FAQ section and to view screen shots of the app in action, consult the quick start guide.

        

Funding Source Directory for Mobile Devices

I am constantly amazed at the multiplicity of apps for smart phones and other devices. Sometimes I catch myself thinking “I never would have thought of that!” when I learn about a particularly ingenious, creative or innovative app.

Individuals with disabilities have benefited from smart technology. A PepNet workshop I attended last year, introduced to me to some of the apps that are popular with individuals who are deaf or hard-of-hearing. Other apps I’ve heard about benefit individuals with vision impairments. The educational environment has particularly benefited from smart technology as there are numerous education related apps available that benefit children and college students with and without disabilities.

BridgingApps.org

The potential for apps to make a difference in the lives of individuals with disabilities is at the heart of an organization I learned about recently. BridgingApps.org was created by parents and therapists who began using the iPad with children who have special needs and discovered the power of this device as a motivation for learning and for improving speech and fine motor skills.

This volunteer community of parents, therapists, doctors, and teachers is committed to sharing information on how they are using the iPad, iPhone, iPod Touch and Android devices to provide access and make a significant difference in the lives of children and adults. These devices, make it possible for individuals to be engaged with the world,  despite challenging language, motor, or other developmental delays.

In response to many questions from the BridgingApps community about how to get a device funded, the organization has created a funding source directory of organizations that grant iPads and similar devices to families who have children with special needs. Individuals are encouraged to use the directory as a guide to explore funding options.

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