Readit

What does Readit do?

Readit is a software package designed to support people with a visual impairment.

Using the Readit Wand, you can very quickly convert printed material into an accessible electronic format. The software can be used with either a keyboard or a mouse.

The camera inside the arm of the Wand takes a photograph of the page and Optical Character Recognition software recognises the words and reformats them to your preferred visualisation (for example, single line, single column, single word).

The text display options include magnification levels, choice of font, and text and background colour.

The reading options include a choice of voices and speed of speech.

There are various export options including Microsoft Word, rich text format, PDF, plain text and MP3.

The Readit software also works with documents already in electronic format so, for example, it can enlarge and read aloud a Microsoft Word document or a PDF.

Where can I access Readit?

• Information Commons (IC) Level 1: PCs 1017, 1018 and 1019
• Royal Hallamshire Hospital Library: PCs 22 and 27

How do I access Readit?

Ask a member of IC or Library staff to borrow the Readit Wand (if required).

• Login to one of the PCs listed above
• Plug the USB cable of the Wand into the PC
• Click on the Start menu at the bottom left-hand corner of the PC screen and select:

1. All Programs
2. Readit
3. Readit

If you do not need the Wand, follow the steps above but omit the second bullet point.

How do I use Readit?

An official Readit User Manual is available from the VisionAid International website (see Other useful links). Please be aware, however, that in the Managed Desktop environment some of the Readit functions may not work as described.

How do I exit Readit?

NB: Always exit the Readit software before disconnecting the Wand. Failure to do so may lead to camera damage in the Wand.

There are three ways to exit the software:

• Press and hold the Alt key and then press F4
• Go to File > Exit on the menu.
  To access the menu if you’re in a document, press the Alt key. The menu can then be navigated using the arrow keys and Enter, or the mouse
• If running in Windowed mode, press Alt to allow access to the menu, and then click on the “X” in the top right-hand corner

You will be prompted to save or discard any unsaved documents before exiting.

Further information and comments

If you would like further information or wish to comment on any aspect of the service, please contact us by:

• Email: lib-support@sheffield.ac.uk
• Telephone: (0114) 222-7294
• Visiting the Information Commons
• Post: The Diversity Manager, Information Commons, University of Sheffield, 44 Leavygreave Road, Sheffield, S3 7RD