• Skip to primary navigation
  • Skip to main content
  • Skip to footer

New Resource Spotlight

What’s New?

Find up-to-date information and resources for supporting students with disabilities.

  • Facebook
  • Email
  • Phone

T-TAC ODU

Linking People and Resources

  • Home
  • About
  • Services
    • Library
    • Publications
    • Newsletter
    • Assistance Request
  • Focus Areas
    • Administration
    • Assistive Technology
    • Autism
    • Behavior
    • Early Childhood
    • Intellectual Disabilities
    • Math
    • Reading
  • Events
  • Resource Hub

Published April 2013 Filed in Assistive Technologycategory

Google Tools for Reading

Although speech synthesis has been around since the 1960s, it has become cheaper and more accessible to the general public in the past decade. Now there are user-friendly technology tools to support reading available for free when using Google Chrome.

Research
Studies show that students who use Text-to-Speech (TTS) applications demonstrate an increase reading rate and improved reading comprehension. Although speech synthesis has been around since the 1960s, it has become cheaper and more accessible to the general public in the past decade. Now there are user-friendly technology tools to support reading available for free when using Google Chrome. To find the accessible extensions go to the Chrome Web Store, and at the left navigation sidebar, select extensions.

One of the best tools to consider using with your student is Read & Write for Google.  It adds accessibility features to Google docs such as text to speech with dual synchronized highlighting, and also provides study skills tools, a talking dictionary, and a picture dictionary.

References
Moorman, A., Boon, R.T., Keller-Bell, Y., Stagliano, C., & Jeffs, T. (2010). Effects of text-to-speech software on the reading rate and comprehension skills of high school students with specific learning disabilities, Learning Disabilities: A Multidisciplinary Journal, 16(1), 41-49.

Roberts, K., Park, H.J., & Takahashi, K. (2010). Effectiveness of text-to-speech software features for improving vocabulary, reading comprehension, and reading rate of culturally diverse high school students in Hawaii. In D. Gibson & B. Dodge (Eds.). Proceedings of Society for Information Technology & Teacher Education International Conference, 1606-1611. Retrieved from http://www.editlib.org/p/33587.

Tags: Accommodations, Reading, Technology

Related Articles

Looking for a Few Good Books?
Testing vs. Teaching Questions
Try These VESOL Lesson Plans that Promote Cross-Content Instruction

Footer

Locations

Main Office & Library
T-TAC ODU
Old Dominion University
860 W. 44th St
Norfolk, VA 23529

Child Study Center
4501 Hampton Blvd, Room 224
Norfolk, VA 23529
Education Building
4301 Hampton Blvd
Norfolk, VA 23529

Contact

Phone: (757) 683-4333
TDD: (757) 683-5963
FAX: (757) 451-6989
Email: info@ttac.odu.edu
Request Assistance

T-TAC ODU
Copyright ©  2025 T-TAC ODU | All Rights Reserved | Sitemap