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TextHelp Read & Write 7.1

Read & Write 8: Although TextHelp Read & Write is available there is little difference between the two as far as this guide is concerned.

TextHelp Read and Write version 7.1 (often referred to as just 'texthelp') is a very popular piece of software that supports people who have difficulty accessing print due to a specific learning difficulty, such as Dyslexia, or poor literacy skills.

Read and Write comes into two versions: Standard and Gold. The main difference between the two is that the Gold version has a feature that scans paper documents and converts them to editable text. There are some other differences, too, including a Daisy Reader included in the Gold version. Here's a handy table that compares the two versions.

Read and Write is designed to act as an extra supportive toolbar to popular programs such as Internet Explorer and Microsoft Word but should work, to some degree, with any Windows application that involves reading or writing text.

In its most recent incarnation (at the time of writing) the Read and Write toolbar looks a little like this:

TextHelp Read and Write Toolbar

TextHelp Read and Write Toolbar

(I had to split this image onto two lines in order to ensure that it would fit in most browser windows)

Read and Write Tutorials

The software is intuitive in that each feature is represented by an icon on the toolbar (except for homophones and text-to-speech which have more than one each). Here's a list, then, from top-left to bottom-right:

Spell Check

The Read & Write spellchecker is specially designed to pick up on severe phonetic spelling mistakes. It can be customised to a high degree and should be for each individual user.

Word Prediction

Word prediction can be a useful tool for people who can remember the first two or three letters of words but need help to finish them off.

Dictionary

The dictionary tool lets you look up words in documents, on the web or anywhere that you can highlight text with your mouse... [more]

Homophones

Homophones are words which sound the same but are spelt differently. The homophone checker is available for Microsoft Word users only... [more]

  • Display homophones
  • Search for homophones
  • Hide homophones

Calculator

The Read & Write calculator can speak and shows the 'audit trail' of sums.

Text-to-speech

The text-to-speech, or speech out, is one of the most important and useful features of TextHelp Read & Write. Use it to read aloud difficult pieces of text or to proofread your own documents... [more]

  • Rewind
  • Play
  • Pause
  • Forward
  • Stop

Scan

Read & Write's scanning engine will allow you to display, edit and read aloud paper documents on your computer. This is only available in the Gold version of Read & Write... [more]

If you've been using the default settings of Read & Write 7.1 then you may be struggling to find the files that you have been scanning into your computer. Find out how to retrieve lost scanned files.

Fact Folder*

Further information coming soon.

Fact Finder*

Further information coming soon.

Speech Input*

Further information coming soon.

Help

Further information coming soon.

* Gold version only

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