Read & Write is replacing Kurzweil for students who utilize assistive technology accommodations per their IEPs or 504 plans. Read & Write is a literacy support tool that offers help with everyday tasks like reading text out loud, understanding unfamiliar words, researching assignments and proofing written work and integrates into commonly used educational platforms.
Accessing Read& Write
- In Microsoft Edge, click the Extensions button on the top right
- Students should see for “Read&Write for Google Chrome”. Click the 3 dots next to “Read&Write for Google Chrome”, then click “Show in toolbar” to make it always visible.
- Click the Read&Write icon to launch the Read&Write toolbar
The Read & Write Toolbar
| Tool | Symbol | How It Works |
|---|---|---|
| Text to speech |  | Reads text aloud with dual color highlighting and natural-sounding voices. Highlight or place your cursor in front of some text, and click the Play button. |
| Hover Speech |  | Reads text in Edge by just hovering your mouse over the text you’d like to read. |
| Talking Dictionary |  | Provides definitions to improve comprehension and writing. Definitions can even be read aloud. Highlight a word and click the icon. Click the Play button next to each definition to have it read aloud. |
| Picture Dictionary |  | Displays images from Widgit® Symbols to help support fluency and understanding. |
| Prediction |  | Provides word suggestions as you type. Develops writing skills and helps construct error-free sentences more easily. Hover over word suggestions to hear aloud. Click on a word or click Ctrl + the number next to the word you’d like to insert. |
| Screenshot Reader |  | Converts inaccessible text to accessible text through OCR. Click the icon and then drag your mouse to draw a rectangle around any inaccessible text to OCR it on demand. |
| Audio Maker |  | Converts selected text into an audio file, e.g. MP3, which will be automatically downloaded and can then be saved or shared in OneDrive. |
| Web Search |  | Helps with research by doing a Google search for relevant information on a topic. Highlight a word or phrase and click the icon, and a Google search will open in a new tab. |
| Screen Masking |  | Tints your screen and provides a reading light that follows your mouse pointer, to help improve focus. Customize color, opacity and other options from the options menu. Use the floating control box for easy access to options or to turn feature off. |
| Translator |  | Allows single words to be translated, and spoken aloud for those languages with a corresponding voice. Translation language can be selected in Options menu. |
| Highlights & Erase Highlights |      | Allows users to highlight and color code sections of text on a page, to facilitate summarizing, categorizing and higher order skills. Clear highlights from a page when you are done with them, by selecting highlights and clicking the icon. |
| Collect Highlights |  | Collects your highlights into a new Word doc. Click on icon and select which colors to collect, as well as how to sort them. |
| Vocabulary List Builder |  | Builds vocabulary lists in a Word doc, including selected words, dictionary definitions, images from Widgit Symbols, and an editable notes column. Use colored Highlights to select words, then click icon to create vocabulary list in new Word doc. |
| Simplify |  | Removes clutter from web pages and places the simplified text into a new tab. Use the + and – icons to change the amount of text displayed. Contrast controls and font options are also available. |
| More Menu |  | Access options to customize speech, prediction, screen masking, language, toolbar features and account settings. Also includes links to get support, leave feedback, and more. |