Reading Assistance for Adults

What Is Reading Assistance?

Reading assistance refers to tools and technologies that help people access written information more easily.

Depending on the technology, reading assistance can include scanning printed text, optical character recognition (OCR), text-to-speech, enlarging text, converting printed words into digital text, listening to text instead of reading it visually, looking up unfamiliar words, translating printed text, and accessing information without typing it manually.

Who Uses Reading Assistance?

Reading assistance can be useful for adults in many different situations. Some people use it because extended reading is tiring. Others want help with small or dense print, unfamiliar vocabulary, printed paperwork, workplace documents, books, or information they would rather listen to than read.

It can also be useful for students, professionals, travelers, older adults, and anyone who wants a more flexible way to access printed information.

Types of Reading Assistance Technology

Reading pens are portable devices that scan individual lines or words and can provide information immediately. Text-to-speech is software or hardware that converts recognized text into spoken words. Smartphone apps let phones use cameras and OCR to capture and process printed text. Tablets offer larger screens, useful when viewing or processing larger amounts of information. Computer software can provide OCR, text-to-speech, magnification, and other accessibility features.

Choosing a Reading Assistant

Consider what you need to read, whether the text is printed or digital, whether you want to listen to text, whether you need something portable, whether you want a dedicated device or an app, and whether you'll use it at work, school, home, or while traveling.

A dedicated reading device can be useful when you want quick access to printed text without turning every reading task into a phone or computer workflow.