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LINC has added two new software titles that have many valuable applications for persons with reading or learning disabilities. If you are interested in learning more about these products, call LINC to arrange a consultation.

Kurzweil 3000

This software, donated to LINC by Envision Technology, reads scanned or electronic text aloud, using human sounding synthetic speech. Words are highlighted in contrast as they are spoken. The software helps increase reading accuracy, speed and comprehension for struggling readers. The program is a combination of scanning software and text to speech software, making it easy to scan and read with one click of a button. Because of its multisensory approach to reading it provides both visual and auditory feedback, and has proven to be highly effective for people with dyslexia.

The new version has added new study skills and authoring tools such as improved note handling, spell checking, word prediction, improved dictionary display, and the ability to sound words out phonetically, syllable by syllable to help with segmentation.

Dragon Naturally Speaking 5.0

LINC has upgraded its version of Naturally Speaking to take advantage of the many new additions that Dragon has added to the voice recognition software. The new version takes natural dictation into the computer at up to 160 wpm, and the words appear on screen in various formats. The training time for the computer to recognize your speech has been minimized, and the hands on tutorial allows for a quick start up for the first time user. The new version has improved speech recognition accuracy, and a comprehensive vocabulary of 250,000 standard and business terms, with the capability to add new terms for different specialties or fields of interest.

The 5.0 version works well with all Windows based applications. This version of Dragon enables the user to save recordings of your dictation for future playback and revision, and enable your computer to read email and other documents aloud. You can customize voice commands to create documents, insert boilerplate text, customize applications, access the Internet, complete forms and perform other tasks with a spoken word or phrase.