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Frank have provided this information to assist our clients, but do advise that clients check the accuracy of it prior to publishing on their own sites. 

Often if a user has a particular need for read-aloud technology, they most likely already have this in place before reaching Frank's websites. As an alternative to providing a costly third-party plug in, clients can choose to provide users with the following information about how to access "free to use" technology. 

Browser Support

Browsers have lots of extension options, such as the ones listed on this website (although some do have a small cost).  Here is a useful article on Understood.org.  

Chrome

  • Click on the three dots in the top right corner to open the menu
  • Click on "more tools"
  • Click on "extensions"
  • Clicked on burger menu top left corner (three black lines)
  • At the bottom of the menu clicked on ‘open chrome web store
  • Search for the extension, we used ‘Read Aloud’.  (It is important you use an extension that is well reviewed and has a large number of uses.  Frank can't guarantee their effectiveness.)
  • Click "Add to Chrome"

FireFox browser

  • Firefox has a built-in ‘Reader View’ button, next to the address bar at the top of the browser.   
  • ‘Reader View’ displays the page’s main text content with simple styling and no distracting clutter. 
  • On the left of the text are tools allowing you to listen to the page read aloud or change the text size.
  • There are also extensions that can be installed, for example those listed on the Mozilla website.

Safari browser (desktop)

  • In the Safari application menu, go to Edit > Speech > Start speaking.
  • You can choose to read the whole page (including the navigation and everything else), or you can click the'reader view' icon if you only want to read the main page content.

Microsoft Edge browser

  • Clicking on 'Settings and more' in the top right corner of the Microsoft Edge browser will bring up the 'Read aloud' option, which will enable you to have text from web pages read to you. Several voices are available to choose from. More information is available from Microsoft here.

Operating Systems

Some Operating Systems have built in options:

Android devices: TalkBack

  • TalkBack is an Accessibility Service for Android which helps blind and vision-impaired users interact with their devices more easily. 
  • The application adds spoken, audible and vibration feedback to your device. 
  • TalkBack provides spoken feedback as you navigate around the screen, by describing your actions and informing you of any notifications.
  • It is a system application and comes pre-installed on most Android devices. The application is updated when the Accessibility Service is improved.
  • Read about howw to turn on TalkBack on your Android device.

Apple devices: VoiceOver

  • VoiceOver is a fully featured screen reader for Mac, iPad, iPhone and iPod Touch.  
  • It is already built-in to the operating system, so you don't need to download any additional software.
  • VoiceOver reads aloud everything on the screen including documents and web pages. 
  • It enables the navigation of your computer or device by keyboard or touch alone.
  • Read more information about Apps which work well with VoiceOver here.

NVDA (NonVisual Desktop Access)

  • NVDA (NonVisual Desktop Access) is a free, downloadable screen reader available in a number of languages. 
  • It can read everything on the screen aloud in a synthesised voice enabling you to use your computer using just the keyboard or a combination of keyboard and mouse.
  • The software can also be installed and run from a USB pen drive and supports the use of a braille display.
  • The software is free to download and use, but a donation to support further development can be made.
  • Go to the NVDA website for more information and to download it.
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