I am not able to test this software as I currently have no access to any 
64-bit machines and this program does not currently support 32-bit 
systems. I just wanted to pass this along in case others were 
interested. The URL for more information is
http://www.cwu.edu/central-access/cwu-student-creates-revolutionary-text-speech-reader


CWU Student Creates Revolutionary Text-to-Speech Reader
Spencer Graffe, a senior in Central Washington University’s Computer 
Science Program, has helped develop Central Access Reader (CAR), a free 
computerized text-to-speech reader program that has attracted attention 
of institutions across the nation.
Marshall Sunnes, Central Access program coordinator and Wendy Holden, 
Disability and Accessibility Consultant, collaborated to determine what 
the program should be, how it should look, and what features were most 
important to include. Graffe had the skills to make it happen.
The program, developed as a tool to assist students with print-related 
disabilities—those with visual impairments, dyslexia, attention-deficit 
disorder, or other conditions—reads documents that other text-readers 
can’t handle, especially those with equations or symbols.
The program started as a computer science class capstone project. 
Central Access, CWU’s department that makes educational materials 
accessible to people with disabilities, hired Graffe to continue to work 
on the program after the project ended. The Central Access Reader has 
attracted the attention of schools across the country. In recent weeks, 
Sunnes has received inquiries about the program from numerous 
institutions, including MIT and Harvard.

In addition to an intuitive user interface and simple customizations, 
the program is able to read documents that contain symbols from geometry 
and trigonometry, linear algebra, calculus, math, logic, or statistics. 
Sophomore Justin Wilson, another computer science major, refined its 
math-reading abilities. The powerful, yet simple, interface allows the 
user to customize how the text looks and sounds.

The program is being installed on both Macs and PCs at CWU and is 
currently being used by both students and faculty. The program can be 
downloaded free at http://www.cwu.edu/central-access/reader.
Central Access serves not only the university community, but also 
provides materials to institutions and schools across the country. 
Central Access leads the industry in offering accessible products, 
including electronic text, Braille, and tactile graphics.

Media Contact: Valerie Chapman-Stockwell, Public Affairs, 509-963-1518, 
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         David Goldfield,
        Founder and Peer Coordinator

    Philadelphia Computer Users' Group for the Blind and Visually Impaired


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