Snap&Read Universal

From childhood through adulthood, many individuals face challenges in reading.  Fortunately, there are assistive technology options available to help these individuals.  For some students, “simply hearing passages aloud is enough to understand them.  Other students need leveled text.”  The creators behind Snap&Read Universal believe that a reading accommodation should do both.  So what exactly is Snap&Read Universal?

Snap&Read Universal is a Chrome extension that may benefit a student who needs text read aloud, simplified text, or a combination of the two.  It works on Mac, Windows, and Chromebooks and supports:

• Google Drive
• Email
• Websites
• PDFs rendering in a browser
• Images containing text
• And more!

How to Use Snap&Read Universal

Once it’s downloaded and added to the Chrome Browser, users will notice the extension’s leveler icon near the top of the browser.  Once selected, there will be a drop down menu with three options:

1. To activate the read aloud function, users should click the speaker button , then click on desired text.  Snap&Read will read the text aloud until the user clicks again to stop the speech.
2. As stated previously, users may also adjust the text complexity by selecting the simplifier button that looks like this: 
   • By clicking this button, and then selecting desired text, the selected text will be simplified without losing its original meaning.  Modified text will be shown in italics.  For example, here’s an excerpt from Shakespeare’s Romeo and Juliet, Act 5, Scene 3:
     • ORIGINAL: “Thou detestable maw, thou womb of death,”
     • SIMPLIFIED TEXT: “You disgusting and terrible mouth, you womb of death,”
3. Oftentimes while reading text online, users may come across inaccessible text that cannot be selected.  To access this text, use the selection tool button  and create a box around the desired text.  Snap&Read will automatically convert the text immediately and read it aloud in real-time.

To learn more on Snap&Read Universal, click here.