Published by Blakes for more
than a quarter of a century
than a quarter of a century
Text Help Systems Limited
CAN YOU READ THIS? SOME ADULTS CAN'T!
Fighting Digital Exclusion
Being able to read is often taken for granted by many of us. The reality is that a significant portion of the population (most statistics talk about 1 in 5) struggle to read. This has serious implications for government in terms of objectives related to e-Government.
Through the DDA, government departments have been committed to improving access to buildings for disabled people. However, access to online information is still inaccessible to a significant section of the population. A 'digital divide' has been created in society between those who can read and access information online and those who cannot. The reasons behind an individual's poor reading skills might relate to low literacy levels, a learning disability such as dyslexia, or the fact that their first language is not English. The leading solution in the market to redress this comes from Texthelp Systems Ltd, a Northern Ireland-based assistive technology company, who has entered into a partnership with government to provide solutions to minimise this divide.
Texthelp provide two specific solutions to help government address the accessibility issues both internally and externally.
Internal Solution - Read & Write
Read and Write Software is in use in 95 per cent of UK universities and by employees in both government and commerce to allow staff with literacy difficulties to work in an inclusive manner. Effectively working as an operating system extension, Read & Write is cost-effective and easy to use in both working and educational environments. It promotes inclusion and enables individuals to reach their full potential, and make fuller contributions to society.
External Solution - Browsealoud
Research has shown that 17 per cent of the population's functional literacy level was not sufficient to allow them to interact with government online. Speech-enabling of online content is a proven means of improving comprehension.
Browsealoud uses accessibility solutions to access and speak text from websites out loud, so that website content is made accessible to those with reading or literacy difficulties. In line with the e-Government initiatives, Browsealoud promotes efficiency through inclusivity. It does not discriminate against the socially disadvantaged as it is free at point of use. With low-entry cost and no ongoing management overhead, the service is designed so that government websites can be speech-enabled in minutes.
Key features of Browsealoud include:
. Speaks text out loud
. Highlights words as spoken
. Customisable male and female voices and pronunciation
. Multilingual
Browsealoud is an award-winning solution from Texthelp Systems Ltd, a UK company that has provided services to government since its inception in 1996. Due to its partnership with government, Texthelp software can be found throughout the sector. Many of the products have passed the vigorous Microsoft Gold product certification and testify to the quality of the software. The company is ISO9001-2000 certified and has gained Investors In People accreditation.
Being able to read is often taken for granted by many of us. The reality is that a significant portion of the population (most statistics talk about 1 in 5) struggle to read. This has serious implications for government in terms of objectives related to e-Government.
Through the DDA, government departments have been committed to improving access to buildings for disabled people. However, access to online information is still inaccessible to a significant section of the population. A 'digital divide' has been created in society between those who can read and access information online and those who cannot. The reasons behind an individual's poor reading skills might relate to low literacy levels, a learning disability such as dyslexia, or the fact that their first language is not English. The leading solution in the market to redress this comes from Texthelp Systems Ltd, a Northern Ireland-based assistive technology company, who has entered into a partnership with government to provide solutions to minimise this divide.
Texthelp provide two specific solutions to help government address the accessibility issues both internally and externally.
Internal Solution - Read & Write
Read and Write Software is in use in 95 per cent of UK universities and by employees in both government and commerce to allow staff with literacy difficulties to work in an inclusive manner. Effectively working as an operating system extension, Read & Write is cost-effective and easy to use in both working and educational environments. It promotes inclusion and enables individuals to reach their full potential, and make fuller contributions to society.
External Solution - Browsealoud
Research has shown that 17 per cent of the population's functional literacy level was not sufficient to allow them to interact with government online. Speech-enabling of online content is a proven means of improving comprehension.
Browsealoud uses accessibility solutions to access and speak text from websites out loud, so that website content is made accessible to those with reading or literacy difficulties. In line with the e-Government initiatives, Browsealoud promotes efficiency through inclusivity. It does not discriminate against the socially disadvantaged as it is free at point of use. With low-entry cost and no ongoing management overhead, the service is designed so that government websites can be speech-enabled in minutes.
Key features of Browsealoud include:
. Speaks text out loud
. Highlights words as spoken
. Customisable male and female voices and pronunciation
. Multilingual
Browsealoud is an award-winning solution from Texthelp Systems Ltd, a UK company that has provided services to government since its inception in 1996. Due to its partnership with government, Texthelp software can be found throughout the sector. Many of the products have passed the vigorous Microsoft Gold product certification and testify to the quality of the software. The company is ISO9001-2000 certified and has gained Investors In People accreditation.
Texthelp Systems Ltd
Telephone: 028 9442 8105
Fax: 028 9442 8574
E-mail info@texthelp.com
Copyright © 2005 Blake.