Speechify

Last updated
Speechify
Speechify Inc.
IndustryTechnology, education
Founder Cliff Weitzman
ServicesProductivity software, dyslexia and accessibility software
Website speechify.com

Speechify is a mobile, chrome extension and desktop app that reads text aloud using a computer-generated text to speech voice. [1] [2] [3]

The app also uses optical character recognition technology to turn physical books or printed text into audio which can be played in your own voice or in that of a celebrity. [4] [5] [6] The app lets users take photos of text and then listen to it read out loud. [7]

Speechify was founded by Cliff Weitzman, a dyslexic college student at Brown University [8] [9] who built the first version of the tool himself to help him keep up with his class readings. Research has indicated that dyslexic students who utilized Speechify had better reading comprehension outcomes than students who only used traditional means. [10]

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Dyslexia</span> Specific learning disability characterized by troubles with reading

Dyslexia, previously known as word blindness, is a learning disability that affects either reading or writing. Different people are affected to different degrees. Problems may include difficulties in spelling words, reading quickly, writing words, "sounding out" words in the head, pronouncing words when reading aloud and understanding what one reads. Often these difficulties are first noticed at school. The difficulties are involuntary, and people with this disorder have a normal desire to learn. People with dyslexia have higher rates of attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), developmental language disorders, and difficulties with numbers.

Speech synthesis is the artificial production of human speech. A computer system used for this purpose is called a speech synthesizer, and can be implemented in software or hardware products. A text-to-speech (TTS) system converts normal language text into speech; other systems render symbolic linguistic representations like phonetic transcriptions into speech. The reverse process is speech recognition.

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A reading disability is a condition in which a person displays difficulty reading. Examples of reading disabilities include developmental dyslexia and alexia.

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<span class="mw-page-title-main">DECtalk</span> Speech synthesizer and text-to-speech technology

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Dyslexia is a reading disorder wherein an individual experiences trouble with reading. Individuals with dyslexia have normal levels of intelligence but can exhibit difficulties with spelling, reading fluency, pronunciation, "sounding out" words, writing out words, and reading comprehension. The neurological nature and underlying causes of dyslexia are an active area of research. However, some experts believe that the distinction of dyslexia as a separate reading disorder and therefore recognized disability is a topic of some controversy.

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The Kildonan School was a private coeducational boarding and day school in Amenia, New York for students with dyslexia and language-based learning disabilities. It offered daily one-to-one Orton-Gillingham language remediation and a college preparatory curriculum for students in grades 2-12 and PG (post-graduate).

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Oswald Labs is a Dutch-Indian based accessibility technology company that builds products for individuals with disabilities. It specializes in enterprise web accessibility, offers smartphone apps, and also runs a startup accelerator. It was established in 2016 by Anand Chowdhary, Nishant Gadihoke, and Mahendra Raghuwanshi after their product, Oswald Extension, won an event at the AngelHack hackathon in New Delhi.

Accessibility apps are mobile apps that increase the accessibility of a device or technology for individuals with disabilities. Applications, also known as, application software, are programs that are designed for end users to be able to perform specific tasks. There are many different types of apps, some examples include, word processors, web browsers, media players, console games, photo editors, accounting applications and flight simulators. Accessibility generally refers to the design of products and environments to be usable by people with disabilities. Accessibility apps can also include making a current version of software or hardware more accessible by adding features. Accessibility apps aim to reduce barriers to technological goods and services, making them more usable for various groups within society. A basic example is that a person who experiences vision impairments is able to access technology through enabling voice recognition and text-to-speech software.

Cliff Weitzman is an Israeli-American entrepreneur and the co-founder of Speechify Text To Speech software. In 2017, Weitzman was named to Forbes magazine's 30 Under 30 list. Weitzman is a dyslexia advocate. He could not read as a child.

Read Along, formerly known as Bolo, is an Android language-learning app for children developed by Google for the Android operating system. The application was released on the Play Store on March 7, 2019. It features a character named Dia helping children learn to read through illustrated stories. It has the facility to learn English and Indian major languages i.e. Hindi, Bengali, Tamil, Telugu, Marathi and Urdu as well as Spanish, Portuguese and Arabic.

References

  1. Ross, Tova (June 6, 2018). "36 under 36 -- Social Entrepreneurship. Empowering Others with the Power of Speech". Jewish Week.
  2. "Cliff Weitzman". Forbes. Retrieved 2019-08-30.
  3. "East Side Monthly June 2017". Issuu. June 2017. Retrieved 2019-08-30.
  4. "This AI Startup Wants You to Read Audiobooks to Yourself". CNET. Retrieved 2024-12-04.
  5. Boitnott, John (2017-08-29). "This Immigrant Founder Taught Himself English--Then Made an App That Helps Others With His Disability (and Speed Readers)". Inc.com. Retrieved 2019-08-30.
  6. Smith, Ryan (2022-11-22). "Speechify Free VS Premium - Which One is Best?". ISP Bird. Retrieved 2022-12-03.
  7. Boitnott, John (30 August 2017). "How One Founder Turned His Dyslexia Into a App That Helps People With the Disability Learn Faster". Inc. Southeast Asia. Retrieved 2019-08-30.
  8. Barton, ByMerrilee. "Cliff Weitzman". Forbes. Retrieved 2020-05-06.
  9. Stabile, Lori (2017-02-15). "Five Questions With: Cliff Weitzman". Providence Business News. Retrieved 2019-08-30.
  10. Akpan, Unwana Samuel, ed. (2024). Educational Broadcasting in Nigeria in the Age of Artificial Intelligence (1st ed. 2024 ed.). Cham: Springer Nature Switzerland. p. 234. ISBN   978-3-031-68529-3.