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Re: [Athen] online text to speech

for

From: Morin, Gary (NIH/OD) [E]
Date: Aug 7, 2012 1:56PM

Readspeaker has been implemented at the National Institutes of Health<http://www.nih.gov/>; on the public facing websites of a couple of the NIH's Institutes. It is not being used as a substitute for accessible web design or Section 508-conformance of those sites. And, it's not for accessibility of persons who would normally use a screen reader. Rather, it's for those with low literacy, other print disabilities, those with a learning preference for 'reading' aurally, etc., as Donna and others described. In addition to ReadSpeaker, there is http://www.browsealoud.com/. I see pros and cons in each of the two products.

Here are links to a couple of instances where it's located here at the NIH:
* National Eye Institute: http://www.nei.nih.gov/tools/readspeaker.asp, http://www.nei.nih.gov/nehep/newsletter/2012/0111.asp#5
* National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke
o Guillain-Barré Syndrome Fact Sheet http://www.ninds.nih.gov/disorders/gbs/detail_gbs.htm
o Stroke http://www.ninds.nih.gov/disorders/stroke/stroke.htm

If you're like to contact persons connected with those pages, let me know.

You might want to contact ReadSpeaker directly (note: no endorsement is implied or otherwise given).
Stefani Cuschnir
Business Development Manager, USA
ReadSpeaker
1600 Tysons Boulevard, Floor 8
McLean, VA 22102
T: 703 909 8084
E: <EMAIL REMOVED> <mailto: <EMAIL REMOVED> >
W: www.readspeaker.com<;http://www.readspeaker.com/>;
Twitter: http://twitter.com/ReadSpeaker<;http://twitter.com/ReadSpeaker>;
ReadSpeaker, The Voice of the Web!


Gary M. Morin, Program Analyst
NIH Office of the Chief Information Officer
10401 Fernwood Rd, Room 3G-17
Bethesda, MD 20892, Mail Stop: 4833

(301) 402-3924 Voice, 451-9326 TTY/NTS
(240) 380-3063 Videophone; (301) 402-4464 Fax

Section 508 coordinators: http://ocio.od.nih.gov/Accessibility/Sec508coordinators.html

NIH Section 508 Team: mailto: <EMAIL REMOVED> ?subject=Section 508 Help or, for Section 508 Guidance, http://www.hhs.gov/web/508/index.html

Looking for Training: AT100 - Section 508 Electronic & IT Training - Phase II

Consider the environment. Please don't print this e-mail unless you really need to.

WHAT IF THE FIRST QUESTION WE ASKED WAS, "WHAT IS SO UNIQUE ABOUT THIS SITUATION THAT IT JUSTIFIES EXCLUSION? INSTEAD OF, "HOW MUCH DOES IT COST TO MAKE IT ACCESSIBLE?"