TextHelp's Read & Write Gold is a literacy support toolbar program that can be used in combination with programs such as MS Word to aid with reading and writing tasks for people who have learning disabilities or cognitive challenges.

To use TextHelp Read & Write Gold:

Click the icon on the desktop. Read & Write Gold will open a toolbar.
Open the program you wish to use with Read and Write, such as a word processing program. Read & Write is integrated into the Microsoft applications, and some features will work only within them. Select the Read & Write support that you wish, and begin your document.

How TextHelp Read & Write Gold is organized:

Each button displayed offers a type of support for your reading and writing tasks.

Spelling

The spelling dialogue offers similar options to the one in Word, but offers definitions as well as many replacement options. It is a very powerful spell checker, offering full speech support and definitions for each suggestion. Unique to Read & Write is the Spell as I Type option that opens the Spell Checker interface when encountering a spelling error that the user makes while typing.

Word Prediction / Word Completion

Word prediction opens a prediction list using word frequency data to generate words you might want next, and uses the letters you type to predict what word you are typing . The Crystal ball icon toggles Word Prediction on or off. On the prediction list, the small ear icon indicates that the word is a homonym. Hover over the word and a small dictionary appears allowing you to get the definition of the word. Clicking on the word can either insert it in your document, or have it read out loud, according to your preference settings. Prediction can also learn from highlighted text.

Homophone Support

After analyzing the document you are writing, turning the homophones blue, this option takes you through a spell checker-like interface, showing the word used in context, and offering definitions for each option of the same sounding words. As the checker proceeds through the list, the checked words are returned to the default font color. This feature is unique to Read & Write.

Dictionary

Read and Write offers two levels of dictionary support. It will lookup any word you have highlighted in your document and will offer the synonyms for the selected definition. The Advanced Definitions has an Advanced search option which will open the Word Wizard. This option is also available through the right-click options in MS Word.

Word Wizard

This feature will look up a highlighted word and offer you its various meanings.
It can also give you Thesaurus-like options by selecting the "Words related to" option and continuing on to the Next screen.

Speech

Voice output of the words in your document or of the Web can be initiated through this button. The controls are designed to look familiar and be easy to use. There is a small arrow alongside the "Play" button that allows you to get to your Speech Options. Use the top three items to determine how much of the document will be highlighted as Read & Write reads to you. Read by word, sentence, or paragraph, and choose Automatically read next block of text, to have Read & Write continue to the next sections. Web highlighting allows you to hover your cursor over text in a web page and have it spoken, with highlighting in the document, through a Text Reader or by use of speech balloons spoken by support characters. There is also a Daisy Reader window that allows access to Daisy format books.

Speech Maker

Turn your text into an audio file with this option. Specify the voice, the rate, and the type of file you want created. Speech Maker can convert approximately 6 standard pages in MS Word in a single session.

Pronunciation Tutor

The Pronunciation Tutor breaks down a word into phonetic syllables to aid in learning. The lips will appear to be saying the word.

Fact Folder

The Fact Folder allows you to capture text from any application, classify it, and attach pictures. You can run a search from the Fact Finder, then use Fact Folder to help you organize your research. It captures the time and date as well as the URL for internet information. You can organize it into folders and sub-folders, and choose which collected information to put into your publication. Once gathered, this information can be reviewed or published. Publishing will create a Word report, an HTML report or Palm PDA report. You can customize the colors in the report as well as what information will be included. It can also generate a bibliography from the sources you used.

Fact Finder

Fact Finder initiates a search on the WWW for text you have highlighted in your document, or for text you enter into the input box. Specific research areas offer direct links to special search engines if you use the small down arrow. Access to translation,and five different research areas are all available as well as general search capabilities. Highlight the text you want searched, click the Globe, and you automatically get a WWW search!

Speech Input

Read and Write has a simple speech input tool that works fairly well and can be ready to be used in 10 minutes. This is a great way to get some ideas out fast. It saves your recording too so that you can check how well it did in recognizing your words. Voice training trains the Microsoft XP voice profile. Many users will find this an easy way to take advantage of the XP speech input capabilities.

Simple and Scientific Calculators

Both of the Read & Write 7.0 calculators offer speech support and show your trail of calculations too. You can calculate or make conversions within your document or use the calculator on its own. Display colors are customizable.

Scanning

Scanning options allow you to scan textbooks, handouts or other text into a document and lets you choose if scanning output is to be saved as a PDF, a word document or as HTML. There is also a Document Scanning interface available from the Programs menu, under the TextHelp programs options. The scan to PDF is only available if you also have Adobe Acrobat on the computer. This option, and the HTML option will provide a very close proximity of the actual document. The Scan to Word option will not retain graphics. While Read & Write does not directly support high speed scanners, it can process the .tif files generated through the native scanning utility of the high speed scanners.

Multi Users Features and the Teachers Toolkit

Although there is no icon for the Teachers Toolkit, it can be accessed from the Programs menu by selecting TextHelp, then selecting Teachers Toolkit. Teachers Toolkit is the way that Read & Write can be customized for multiple users, offering individual preferences, including customized dictionaries, prediction options and preserving reading preferences. In addition to other tools, this toolkit can allow control over the elements that are available to students, making it especially useful for testing situations.

Some Common Setting Changes

Changing Speech Settings

To change the speed, the voice, or how things are read you need to select the speech settings options on the pull down menu next to the play button. A dialogue box will open and by selecting the Speech tab you can use the sliders to adjust your settings. Word Pause interjects a pause between each word when highlighting is used. Read & Write also has the ability to search your computer for additional voices compatible with the program. There is a convenient test box to check your settings.

Colors used for highlighting, and the type of highlighting used can be customized through the Highlight tab. You can choose to have the document read with highlighting in the document through a Text Reader, through Speech Balloons, or pick No Visual display.

Auto Read allows you to determine the amount of support you want as you type in your documents.

Turning on and off Characters.

Read and Write has some interactive support characters that are a help to some people and a distraction to others. These are available only when using the SAPI 4 (speech application protocol interface 4) voices. Merlin, Robby, Peedy and the Genie can be hidden on the tray area of the computer or one of them can appear on the screen to read to you. One of the speech highlighting options is to have the character read the text in a speech balloon. Right-clicking on the character will hide them. To change how they are displayed, or to change the character, select the speech settings options on the pull down menu next to the play button. Select the Character Tab. The top line offers a checkbox where you can select the option of not showing the character.

Other Help

Guided Tours - For a video tour of Read and Write's various options, look for Watch Video tour for the tools on the drop down menus.

The Help menu is quite useful and can be a great guide for use of this program. In addition there is a world wide web based forum to answer specific questions. You can get to this through the Help menu, or at http:\\www.texthelp.com.