Using TextHelp Read & Write


Academic Accommodations for Students About the DSS Office General Information Policies Students Prospective Students Faculty & Staff Information by Disability Forms Assistive Technology Welcome Video: Transition Sponsored Events Accommodations for Faculty, Staff, & Others	Using TextHelp Read & Write What is It? TextHelp Read&Write is software that helps persons with reading and writing difficulties to construct words and sentences. It works in conjunction with all Windows applications, including email and word processors such as Microsoft Word. It includes word prediction, which helps some users with mobility impairments to type more quickly and accurately. It also reads text aloud so users can ensure they have typed the correct words. It has advanced spell checking, document scanning, screen reading, speech input, and pronunciation facilities. Availability TextHelp Read&Write is available in the Novell Application Launcher on any workstation in the Unity Labs. TextHelp Read & Write Tips When you start Read&Write, it places a toolbar on your screen, which is always visible. The icons on this toolbar are, from left to right: Speaks selected text First select the text you want Read&Write to read aloud, then click this button. Stops speech Spell checks selected text The Read&Write spell check is for some users much more powerful than the spell check built into Microsoft Word and other common word processing applications. Read&Write, for example, is able to check for phonetic misspellings, such as "fone" for "phone". This feature works best if it's customized for each user's spelling patterns. For assistance with customizing your Read&Write settings, contact ricky_lee@ncsu.edu Word prediction Word prediction attempts to predict which word you are typing before you are finished typing it. That way, you generally don't have to type an entire word. With each letter that you type, Read&Write fine tunes its prediction for the current word. A numbered list of predicted words appears in a separate window - to select a word from the list, just press the appropriate number or function key. Read&Write also learns which words you type most frequently, and in what order, so the more you use it, the more accurate it will become. Homophones This feature allows you to distinguish between words that sound alike, but have different meanings. To check your text for homophones select the text and click on the replece button. This will highlight all homophones and bring up the Same Sounding Words window. Word Wizard This feature assists you when you are lost for words. The step-by-step process can help increase your vocabulary, understanding, and efficiency. Highlight a word that you want a linked word for, and then click on the Word Wizard. Pronunciation Tutor Break words into syllables to assist you in recognizing and pronouncing words. The pronunciation tutor is based on the International Phonetic Alphabet. Last Updated: September 28, 2004