Specialist software

We have a range of specialist software on our computers at Birkbeck. If you need a demonstration on any of this software or advice on how it may help you, please contact Disability IT Support.

What the software enables you to do

• Adapting computer settings: Windows accessibility features
• Mindmapping software: Inspiration
• Reading and writing tools for dyslexia
  • Claroread Plus
  • Kurzweil 3000
  • TextHELP
• Scanning software
  • Claroread Plus
  • Kurzweil 1000
  • Kurzweil 3000
  • Omnipage
• Screen reading and magnification software
  • Supernova
  • ZoomText
• Voice recognition / speech input software
  • Dragon Naturally Speaking Pro

ClaroRead Plus

• Printed text can be scanned directly into Word and read back using speech output. You can change the size of font, character and line spacing and save the document as a Word document or as an MP3 file.
• ClaroRead Plus is available in the assistive technology booth.

Dragon Naturally Speaking

• This is a speech input system that allows dictation into Microsoft Office software, including Word and Outlook.
• You will find this software on the PCs in our assistive technology booth.
• The Dragon Manual is available from the Nuance website (Dragon's developer) and is comprehensive.

Inspiration mind mapping software

• This uses visual techniques to help you create a hierarchy of headings that can be imported into Word to form the backbone for an essay or dissertation.
• Inspiration is available on all student computer workstations and in the library.
• Download a copy of the Inspiration Starter Manual

Kurzweil 1000

• This software is designed for visually impaired users and has full speech output and keyboard access. Printed material can be scanned, translated into text, read out usi.ng a synthetic voice, and saved as a Word document if required

Kurzweil 3000

• This combines text-proofing and spell-checking functions similar to TextHELP but with additional scanning facilities, enabling scanned pages to be read aloud and saved as a Word document or MP3 file.
• This software is available on the computers at the ITS help desk.
• Download An Introduction to Kurzweil 3000 manual

Omnipage

• OmniPage scanning software is highly flexible, allowing images, PDFs or printed material to be edited and saved in different file formats. It is more complex to use than ClaroRead or Kurzweil 3000.

Supernova speech output and magnification software

• This software can be used to enlarge the screen from any size between 1.2 and 60 times magnification. The speech output can be used without needing to see the screen at all, offering a range of different voices and supporting many different languages.
• Supernova is available on all of our student computer workstations. but you may need to provide your own headphones.
• Download a copy of our Starter Guide for Supernova

TextHELP Read and Write

• This program will read text aloud, highlight text in your preferred colours, and has a phonetic spell checker and a homophone checker and word prediction.
• TextHELP is available on all of our student computer workstations and in the library. You may need to supply your own headphones.
• Download a copy of our TextHELP Read and Write Information Sheet

Windows accessibility features

• You can increase font and icon sizes using the Windows Magnifier and change the screen colours to suit your needs.
• You can use the Windows accessibility features on all of our student computer workstations.
• Microsoft accessibility tutorials

ZoomText magnification and speech output software

• With this software, you can control font size, colours, cursor size and text smoothing. Speech output complements the magnification, but some sight is required to use ZoomTEXT.
• ZoomText is available on all of our student computer workstations.