TTS technology may be appropriate for improving the comprehension of below-average and reading-disabled readers (Leong, 1995). Literacy is an area in which AT can act as a scaffold to students with learning disabilities (LD). As many as 8 to 10 students with LD have reading problems so significant that they cannot read and understand grade-level material (Lerner, 2003). According to Lerner (2003), AT literacy tools can be effective in four ways: (1) by making it possible for students to correct or build on deficient skills that will make them more self-sufficient; (2) by making the learning experience more effective and enjoyable whereby a greater volume of learning will take place; (3) allowing for self-monitoring and self-evaluation; (4) providing self-instruction. .
How Text-to-Speech Works.
Text to speech technology scans words from electronic sources, or scanned documents, and "reads" them aloud via synthesized voices. The text is displayed simultaneously on the screen, thus reinforcing reading/recognition skills. The incorporation of AT into reading curricula has helped students with LD master decoding skills, and also helps readers with dyslexia perform above their reading ability (Lundberg, 1995). The granddaddy of text-to-speech products according to Guernsey (2011) is Kurzweil 3000 (Kurzweil 3000), which is stocked with features like word-by-word highlighting and foreign-language dictionaries. Another popular AT reading application is Read & Write Gold (Read & Write Gold), which was chosen by the State of Kentucky as the AT tool of choice for reading intervention services. These robust applications provide the student with instruction on troublesome words; the text-reader software enables the student to decode, pronounce, spell, and define words. .
The ability to translate words to other languages makes these applications ideal for secondary language study. The driving technologies behind AT text-to-speech applications are optical character recognition (OCR), speech synthesis, and alternative format content (electronic).
