Wordwise Reader

Wordwise Reader (WR) displays a text passage slowly, one word at a time (in addition to whole passages in a more typical fashion, but with an adjustable rate). New text can either be entered from the keyboard (and saved to your computer as a file for reuse), or imported from an existing file (that you can edit), including automated text extraction from web pages. The user's vision and literacy profiles inform the selection of the following display elements: • font family, size (20 to 200 point), style (e.g., bold or italic), kerning (up to 100%), and stroke variations; • font-on-background color themes (e.g., black text on white, purple on pale lime green, and so on); • vertical alignment adjustment and screen resizing (including full screen); • silence or text-to-speech (Alex or Samantha/Victoria); • the rate at which full passages are read as text-to-speech (~100-180 wpm); • special characters can be ignored, shown as normal punctuation, or spelled out as words; and • switch access to the word-stepping rhythm (through the keyboard or an external switch) or with an automated delay (from 0.5 to 10 seconds between words); and • most controls can remain displayed, or can be hidden to reduce visual clutter. WR is currently intended for use with a partner who can easily operate the smaller controls, but future versions will reduce that dependence. Instructions are easily accessible in the Info display.