Desire2Learn Partners with ReadSpeaker To Improve Accessibility

Desire2Learn has partnered with ReadSpeaker to increase the usability and accessibility of the Desire2Learn learning platforms.

ReadSpeaker Enterprise provides online text to speech services and can read text from HTML, PDF, Word, ODT, and Flash documents in 35 languages and 90 voices. It also features embedded synchronous highlighting, designed to make online material more accessible to users with cognitive issues, learning disabilities, vision problems, and those who do not speak or read English as their first language. As an online solution, ReadSpeaker is also available on mobile devices such as smartphones and tablets.

As part of the agreement, ReadSpeaker will become a Desire2Learn select independent software vendor (ISV) partner. Desire2Learn select ISVs receive a variety of benefits from the company, including marketing assistance, sales training, access to the company's content development and partner network demo servers for testing new resource packages and demonstrating products and services for potential customers.

"We're very pleased to be partnering with ReadSpeaker and extending the accessibility capabilities of our platforms for learners globally," said John Baker, president & CEO of Desire2Learn. "The innovative approaches of ReadSpeaker are an excellent complement to our own beliefs that learning technologies should extend learning opportunities for all."

More information about Desire2Learn's learning platforms is available at desire2learn.com. Visit readspeaker.com for more information about ReadSpeaker Enterprise.

About the Author

Joshua Bolkan is contributing editor for Campus Technology, THE Journal and STEAM Universe. He can be reached at [email protected].

Featured

  • blue AI cloud connected to circuit lines, a server stack, and a shield with a padlock icon

    Report: AI Security Controls Lag Behind Adoption of AI Cloud Services

    According to a recent report from cybersecurity firm Wiz, nearly nine out of 10 organizations are already using AI services in the cloud — but fewer than one in seven have implemented AI-specific security controls.

  • stacks of glowing digital documents with circuit patterns and data streams

    Mistral AI Intros Advanced AI-Powered OCR

    French AI startup Mistral AI has announced Mistral OCR, an advanced optical character recognition (OCR) API designed to convert printed and scanned documents into digital files with "unprecedented accuracy."

  • robot waving

    Copilot Updates Aim to Personalize AI

    Microsoft has introduced a range of updates to its Copilot platform, marking a new phase in its effort to deliver what it calls a "true AI companion" that adapts to individual users' needs, preferences and routines.

  • teenager interacts with a chatbot on a computer screen

    Character.AI Rolls Out New Parental Insights Feature Amid Safety Concerns

    Chatbot platform Character.AI has introduced a new Parental Insights feature aimed at giving parents a window into their children's activity on the platform. The feature allows users under 18 to share a weekly report of their chatbot interactions directly with a parent's e-mail address.