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Reading and researching

Student browsing a book from library shelves
Student browsing a book from library shelves
Image credit: Alys Tomlinson

Explore tools to help with reading and research including text-to-speech and colour overlays.

Text-to-speech reads text aloud. You can often select your preferred voice and speed in the tool settings.

Readability features include screen tints, reading rulers and options to change how the text looks:  text type, text size, spacing and background colours.

The apps and tools mentioned on this page can make reading on a screen easier, they also have features for writing and to help organise your research.

Use reading tools to :

  • help with comprehension
  • improve focus and concentration
  • increase reading speed
  • avoid eye strain

Reading software and screen readers at UAL

Read&Write (Windows and Mac)

  • Read documents, emails and web pages aloud.
  • Reduce visual stress with the Screen Masking tool and Screen Tints.
  • Use dictionary and translation features to help you understand the text you are reading.

For more details follow the Read&Write LibGuide or the iView Learning video tutorials.

ClaroRead (Windows and Mac)

  • Use text-to-speech to listen to your documents, emails and web pages.
  • Save the text as audio file and listen to it later.
  • Change text and background colours to make reading on the screen easier.

For more details follow the ClaroRead LibGuide or the iView Learning video tutorials.

How to access Read&Write and ClaroRead on UAL computers

  1. Log into the computer with your UAL credentials.
  2. Search for the app in the computer or install from Company Portal (Windows) or UAL Self Service (Mac).
  3. Double-click to download and install.

Note: The programs can take up to 20 minutes to install if they haven't been used before on the machines.

Access from home

You can use the Read&Write extension for Google Chrome when you log in on Chrome using your UAL  email. See the Read&Write extension for Google Chrome section below for more details.

NVDA (Windows)

  • NVDA is a powerful screen reader available on UAL Windows PCs.
  • If you can't find it under applications , download it from Company Portal.
  • Note: You can download NVDA for free on your own Windows PC or laptop.

Reading tools you can use at home

Immersive Reader (Windows and Mac)

Immersive Reader is a great tool available across Office 365 apps, you can use it to:

  • read text aloud
  • remove graphs and other distractions and concentrate on the text
  • select your Text Preferences: text size, line spacing and font and background colour
  • improve your vocabulary with dictionary and translation tool

For more information check the Immersive Reader Libguide.

Browser tools and extensions

Edge

Edge Browser has a Read Aloud function to read webpages or PDFs.

  1. Open the PDF or webpage in the Edge browser.
  2. Go to the three-dot menu on the toolbar.
  3. Select Read Aloud.

Read&Write extension for Google Chrome

Read&Write extension for Google Chrome has similar functions to the desktop app and you can install on your own machine.

  1. Sign in on Chrome using your UAL email
  2. Download the Read&Write extension for your app store (Windows or Mac)
  3. When prompted to sign in, sign in to Microsoft with your UAL credentials

See the Read&Write Extension for Chrome Libguide for details on how to install and use Read&Write extension.

Other apps and tools