This
website is now speech-enabled, which means that you can download
free software onto your personal computer and have the site
read aloud to you. The free software is called Browsealoud,
and is used on many other websites including Google and the
BBC.
Why speech enable our website?
Speech enabling our website provides an additional way of
accessing information for people who find it hard to read.
This includes those with dyslexia or learning difficulties,
those for whom English is not their first language, older people
or anyone with a mild visual impairment. It is not designed
to replace other screen readers.
What is Browsealoud?
Browsealoud is a solution that allows you to have website
content read to you. As you move the cursor over text, it is
spoken aloud. Browsealoud is free to download and you have
control over the voice, word pronunciations and speech highlighting.
Browsealoud may help those people who have a good understanding
of the English language but do not find reading easy. It is,
however, not suitable for the visually impaired.
How does it work?
You download a free, small browser plug-in. Once the plug-in
has been installed, content on this site can be spoken aloud.
Your computer must have a sound card fitted for Browsealoud
to work and you will need speakers, or headphones.
Does it work on all pages?
Browsealoud will read every webpage on our site. It can also
read pdfs in Adobe Reader Version 6.0 onwards. This meets the World
Wide Web Consortium's (W3C's) Level A guidelines for accessibility.
Can I customise Browsealoud?
Yes. Once plugged in, look for the Browsealoud icon in your
system tray, which is usually at the bottom right hand corner
of your screen (beside the system clock). Right click on the
icon and choose 'open Browsealoud settings' from the menu.
The speech tab on the settings window enables you to choose
a male or female voice, and change the speed, pitch and volume
of the reader. To read the entire page from where your cursor
points, check the 'Continue reading from pointer' box. Otherwise
Browsealoud will only read the individual sentences you point
to.
Where can I get Browsealoud?
When you follow the download Browsealoud link below you will
be taken to an external site where you will find full instructions
to carry out the download and installation. Remember this is
free software that you will only need to download once.
Download
and install Browsealoud.
The
Browsealoud icon will be placed in your system tray which is
at the bottom right of your computer
Once installed you can open the Browsealoud application by
double clicking the icon in your system tray.
You will find that you can update Browsealoud and customise
it to suit you own preferences.
Regular Updates
More websites add their names to the Browsealoud enabled sites
and Browsealoud will prompt you to make regular updates. This
is quick to do and will ensure that you will be able to listen
to all those sites who have registerd with Browsealoud.
For immediate updates:
- Double click on the Browsealoud icon in your system tray
- Click on the "About" tab
- Click on the "Update Browsealoud" button
How do I know if a website is speech enabled using
browsealoud?
There are 2 ways to tell if a web site is speech enabled.
The
system tray icon:
The system tray is on the bottom right of your computer screen.
It usually contains a few icons and is beside the system
clock. Browsealoud displays an icon in this area to show
that it is running. If the icon is simply 3 concentric blue
circles, then the current web site is not speech enabled.
If it changes with a red tick, then the web site is speech
enabled.
- The mouse pointer:
On the web, a mouse pointer will normally look like one of
the pictures below:
On a browsealoud enabled site, a mouse pointer will look
like one of the pictures below:
Note: you can disable the mouse pointer change in the Browsealoud
Settings.
For further help and assistance with the Browsealoud product
please take a look at the Browsealoud
FAQs (this link opens in a new window).
Home 
Help
Contact 
