ClaroRead - Reading Support

Cost: Paid with optional 15-day free trial (link below) | Platforms: Desktop/Laptop Software, Add-on for Chrome and also has app-based tools for Android and Apple.

ClaroRead has been available for many years. ClaroRead provides an easily-readable floating toolbar that will lock onto any Windows software application you have open and active. You can easily add or remove buttons from this toolbar.

The speech features of ClaroRead are powerful. One of the key benefits of ClaroRead is that it can read back menus, button text and tooltips, as well as any text displayed on screen. The program will also instantly read back any text that you select using your mouse. It will also read back characters, words and sentences as they are typed.

Most useful for: People who for various reasons may find reading a challenge.

Its key features are:

• Play and Stop Buttons: The Play button reads Microsoft Word documents, read web pages and will speak whatever you select with the mouse so you can read back emails or PDF files.

• Save to Audio Button: You can convert the text in the current Microsoft Word document or anything you copy into the clipboard (e.g. from a web page) into an audio file to save on your computer.

• Speech Features: ClaroRead SE uses a range of high-quality synthesized voices.

• Spell check / Homophones: It has a spelling and grammar support.

• Scan: This is an OCR tool that allows you to select text in an image or scan and then converts the images into text that it reads aloud.

• Dictionary: A fast and effective way to get the definition of a word to help your comprehension of a piece of writing.

• Screen Tinting: This tints the colour of your computer screen which helps some people to read more effectively. This also has a ruler feature that can help some readers to read better as it focuses the reader to go through information line by line.

Our Top Tip:

Try the 15-day trial or the ClaroRead lite tool to try out these types of reading supports. The links to these are below.

Demonstration of ClaroRead in Action

Video source: Claro Software YouTube channel

Go to the Claroread Website for more information>

Download Free 15 day trial version of ClaroRead

ClaroRead for the Chrome Browser

A simple version of ClaroRead called ClaroRead Lite is freely available for anyone to download and use.

For more Advice:

• If you are a student in Higher Education, speak to your Assistive Technology Officer or Disability Officer /Learning Support Officer.

• If you are a Student in the FET/ETB then it may be possible to speak to an Educational Needs Coordinator, Learning Support Coordinator, Student Access Officer, Student Support Coordinator or a Disability Support Officer for more information about assistive technology.

• If you are an Employee and are interested in this technology then speak to your Disability Liaison Officer (public service) or your Line Manager to start the conversation.