With up to six million people in the UK having some degree of dyslexia, text-to-speech technologies hold the key to transforming the accessibility of online information, says Carin Lennartsson of ReadSpeaker.
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Talking websites are set to revolutionise the internet. Never before has it been possible to convert large amounts of written text to spoken language without human intervention and at a minimal cost. Downloading software is no longer necessary – technology has taken a big leap forward to help narrow the digital divide.
More and more aspects of our daily lives are taking place on the internet – accessing the latest news stories, shopping online, taking part in polls and surveys, and getting community information. But for a large part of the UK population, this information is scarcely available. The digital divide is growing, despite the fact that the Disability Discrimination Act of 1995 states that it is illegal to exclude people from accessing goods and services, which includes information available on the internet.
According to a report by the Basic Skills Agency, nearly four out of 10 adults in some parts of England cannot read or write properly or do simple sums. A new digital strategy document 'Connecting the UK' from the Prime Minister's Strategy Unit has shown that nearly half of the UK population, 48 per cent, do not have web access at home. People who are not using the internet, quoted lack of interest, lack of motivation and lack of perceived benefit as the main reasons for not going online. However, it goes without saying that literacy plays an important part in the lack of motivation – people that cannot read properly are not going to be very motivated to search for information which is to the most part presented as written text.
An estimated 10 per cent of the UK population have dyslexia
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This is a serious problem but the UK Government is committed to be the first nation to close the digital divide, according to the same report. To really reap the benefits of its investments in technology, the uptake of eGovernment services has to increase and needs be made more efficient.
Thus, there is currently a strong focus on web accessibility. It is mainly aimed at making websites more accessible for screen-readers, which is a necessity for the visually impaired community. However, the needs of other groups, like people with learning disabilities or dyslexia, have not received the same attention despite the large number of adults suffering from difficulties with reading written text. It is estimated that 10 per cent of the UK population have dyslexia and four per cent are considered severely dyslexic. This figure represents over two million adults in the UK.
So what can the Government do to help these people with literacy problems? One solution is to provide a read-back facility on all key Government websites. Technology is developing rapidly in this area and a variety of products are available. One such solution, ReadSpeaker, does not require the user to download any software or plug-ins but can be accessed everywhere. Applications such as this will help the Government to provide speech-enabled text on key websites in all communal internet access points. This is an important part of its digital strategy and will benefit the near half of the UK population who are unable to access the internet from home.
The technology is already used by main organisations such as the Adult Dyslexia Organisation, British Dyslexia Association and Dyslexia Institute. Other organisations like Mencap and the Disability Rights Commission have also increased accessibility by adding speech to their websites.
'Being able to listen to information can make a huge difference'
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Donald Schloss, Chief Executive from the Adult Dyslexia Organisation (ADO) says: "We feel that it is particularly important for Government and public services websites to be speech-enabled. This empowers people with reading difficulties to access the information that they are entitled to. They may not have access to their own computer on which to load text-to-speech software or the skills to learn to use complex technologies. Being able to listen to information available on the internet can make a huge difference to these groups of the population."
The text-to-speech technology used by dyslexics and those with learning difficulties needs to be easy to use and users must be able to control what they hear. "In our experience we have found that dyslexic users also find they prefer high quality voices which sound more human and natural, unlike the voices usually offered for screen readers," according to Schloss. "Those with dyslexia may face difficulties in seeing text on screen, due to visual sensitivity or visual disturbances. Understanding text can also be problematic due auditory processing deficits, and poor phonological awareness," he said.
As part of their 'Dyslexia Friendly/User Friendly Campaign', the ADO is also looking to set new guidelines and standards for accessibility and the internet. The ADO’s website www.adult-dyslexia.org has recently been redesigned, and is aiming to lead by example in increasing the intuitiveness and function ability of websites.
'Talking websites' are currently becoming a reality in the rest of Europe too and the UK will have to compete with other EU countries in its aim to become web accessibility leaders in Europe. Sweden was the first country to include a recommendation in its Government web accessibility guidelines that read-back facilities should be made available on public services websites. In France, both the President and the French Assembly have recently speech-enabled their websites, and around Europe both central and local Government sites are following.
Where others have lead, the UK must now follow suit. The technology for bridging the digital divide is all in place, and the Government now have a unique possibility of making its information truly public and accessible for all its citizens.
Carin Lennartsson is a Director of ReadSpeaker and responsible for the introduction of ReadSpeaker in the UK.
You can contact Carin on tel. 0207 223 0714 or email carin.lennartsson@readspeaker.com. More details can be found at: www.readspeaker.com.
