Teachers Guide to Providing Access Through The Use of Text …

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Teachers Guide to Providing access through the use of text to speech tools: Introduction: : IDEA 2004 requires school districts to provide students who have print-based disabilities access to their age or grade level curriculum yet many students who struggle with reading fail to receive access to text to speech (TTS) support tools. This article will provide strategies to assist teachers in the selection, delivery and implementation of TTS tools and ac- cessible educational materials to make a difference in the lives of students who have print-based reading challenges.

IDEA 2004 requires local school districts to provide students who have print-based disabilities access to their age or grade level curriculum. This fact has been the law for years however, many students who struggle with reading fail to receive access to text to speech (TTS) support tools in a timely manner if at all. Providing access to grade level printed material is important. It offers the student the ability to gain exposure and knowledge of content across the curriculum, allows for the student to interact with rich vocabulary and assists the student in becoming a full participant in the classroom discussion and activities. In 2021, a group of educators from Wisconsin (and Midwest) collaborated on and published a guide titled, "WCASS Guide: How to provide students with IEPs Access to their grade level curriculum through text to speech." This comprehensive guide was so well received that it led to the state of Wisconsin's Department of Public Instruction to include an item in the IEP (effective 9/2022) specifically requiring teams to consider both access to grade level text and access to accessible educational materials, services, or devices in the Program Summary section of the IEP. In response, several organizations (including OSEP) urged members and states to consider including a similar item in their state IEP form. In preparation for the IEP change and the need for guidance on the use of TTS tools, a project was launched in the

summer of 2022 by Nissan Bar-Lev, former Director of Special Education, CESA 7, to gather information from stakeholders across the Midwest to produce a guide on how to use text to speech in the classroom for teachers, which I participated in. Unfortunately, in the midst of putting together this project, Nissan unexpectedly passed away. I was able to receive a draft copy of this guide before his untimely passing. This event led me to think about how I could condense and disseminate this valuable information among my colleagues. Text to speech (TTS) tools may be helpful for many yet they are necessary for some. The school district that I work at, Oak Lawn Hometown School District 123, employs a UDL approach providing all students the ability to customize their access to curriculum as they need to. Because we have the UDL tool, everyone has access to a TTS tool however, it is important to understand the profiles of learners to determine, which students require the use of text to speech rather than “helpful” to have. There are several steps in this process: STEP ONE: In order to determine need, classroom teachers along with the team gather any relevant data about student reading competencies including: data from observations, performance

JANET M. KENNEDY , M.A., SLP/L. Janet is a Midwest mom of 3 adult children and 2 lovely dogs. She loves reading, gardening and traveling in her free time. She has over 21 years of experience working in the public school setting providing assistive technology consultation, training, plan implementation and professional development. She has diverse experience consulting on: assistive technology supports for literacy, UDL, accessible curriculum/ instructional materials, ESL, AAC and EdTech. She has extensive experience in iOs, Chromebook and Mac accessibility. She is highly experienced in providing staff and community trainings and workshops on assistive technology. Additionally she has presented on various topics related to assistive technology at National, State and local conferences.

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Determining and delivery of supports needed for struggling readers Determining and delivery of supports needed for struggling readers

on classroom assessments, DRA progress monitoring, Words their Way, Fundations, fluency solutions and guided reading records, etc. In general, students are identified as candidates for text to speech tools (TTS) when a gap is noted between their achievement and grade level expectations. A print-based reading disability can impact a student’s ability to decode and read text fluently as well as understand text that they are unable to decode. These students have difficulty in gaining information from print- based materials thus the print text is often a barrier in accessing the curriculum, thus both consideration for a text to speech tool and any accessible educational materials (AEM) is necessary. It is also important to note any student who has a human reader accommodation. For example, a 4th grade student who is currently having a paraprofessional read text aloud. In this case, accommodations are already being provided, however the team may want to explore expanding the student’s independent ability to access text. STEP 2: While all students have access to TTS tools, specific students identified as having a print-based disability must then have their individualized needs identified and need for accessible educational materials (AEM) outlined. A person-centered framework for assistive technology consideration such as the SETT Framework (Zambala, 1990) can guide the team in considering the individual needs of the student and their environment in relation to the selection of tools. This framework specifically focuses on guiding the team in determining student needs along with the needs for the environment, needs for specific tasks as well as important features that are needed in a tool. Next, if further information is necessary to determine the most effective support for a student the Protocol for Accommodations in Reading (PAR) or Universal Protocol for Accommodations in Reading (UPAR) by DeCoste and Wilson (2012) published by Don Johnston can be used. As DeCoste and Wilson (2012) note, the PAR and UPar provide a systematic way to compare reading across different accommodations (text to speech, human reader, student reader) in order to gain data to determine whether a reading accommodation is needed, what format of accommodation is best for the individual student and/or whether it is providing benefit. This tool can be helpful in determining the most appropriate reading accommodation for individual students, and I often acquire valuable information for writing the student’s individual AT plan when I use it. Once the team has clearly identified the need, text to speech tools that match the necessary features needed are acquired. There are a multitude of of options available for the delivery of text to speech tools. Some of these options include: • Text to speech on the device itself: Windows, Apple, Google & Kindle all have built-in accessibility settings on the device or within the operating system itself, which include text to speech. • Support tools providing text to speech: Read&Write,

The process for determining the need for supports for struggling readers is twofold. Text to speech (TTS) tools may be helpful for many they are necessary for some. Students who struggle with print based learning are identified for TTS accommodations when a gap is noted between their achievement and grade level expectations. These students experience difficulty in gaining information from print based materials thus the printed text is the barrier therefore in addition to TTS, accessible educational materials (AEM) are needed. The process for determining the need for supports for struggling readers is twofold. Text to speech (TTS) tools may be helpful for many they are necessary for some. Students who struggle with print based learning are identified for TTS accommodations when a gap is noted between their achievement and grade level expectations. These students experience difficulty in gaining information from print based materials thus the printed text is the barrier therefore in addition to TTS, accessible educational materials (AEM) are needed.

TTS

AEM

TTS

AEM

Classroom based assessments, district Classroom based assessments, district assessment data, progress monitoring data are used to define the need. assessment data, progress monitoring data are used to define the need. SETT framework scaffold can help the team determine the students specific needs and help define the tool specifications SETT framework scaffold can help the team determine the students specific needs and help define the tool specifications Aquire tts tool. Use information gathered from feature match to determine options for trial. Aquire tts tool. Use information gathered from feature match to determine options for trial. Training and customization of the tool (adjust rate, text size, background) Training and customization of the tool (adjust rate, text size, background) Develop a plan for use and train student as well as anyone who may support them including family.

Is the format (print based text) the barrier? If so, then AEM needs must also be addressed.

Is the format (print based text) the barrier? If so, then AEM needs must also be addressed. Look at materials used across the curriculum and determine what accessible formats are needed Look at materials used across the curriculum and determine what accessible formats are needed

Aquire accessible formats and enroll in Bookshare/Learning Ally.

Aquire accessible formats and enroll in Bookshare/Learning Ally. Training and customization. Each AMP has different options for customization and use. Training and customization. Each AMP has different options for customization and use. Develop a plan for aquisition of materials. Consider all aspects of curriculum long/short term. Develop a plan for aquisition of materials. Consider all aspects of curriculum long/short term. Continue to evaluate barriers for access within the curriculum and throughout the student’s day.

Develop a plan for use and train student as well as anyone who may support them including family. Collect data and review effectiveness of TTS tool. Implement a trial of a different tool if needed.

Continue to evaluate barriers for access within the curriculum and throughout the student’s day. Define and document plan in student’s IEP.

Collect data and review effectiveness of TTS tool. Implement a trial of a different tool if needed. Define and document plan in student’s IEP.

Define and document plan in student’s IEP.

Janet M. Kennedy, 2024

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Snap&Read, Natural Reader, Voice Dream Reader, Speechify are just some of the many options that are available. • Accessible Media Producers: Learning Ally and Bookshare, both include embedded text readers. • Several curricular products include built-in audio support tools for all learners using a UDL framework. This is where developing an individualized plan for a student is necessary. Each student is unique and their needs and comfort with each tool may be different. When developing an individual plan, it is important to focus on the specific needs of the student as they may vary (e.g., a student might prefer to have a paper copy of a novel to scan as the TTS reader is reading from the computer screen while another student may prefer to have word-by-word highlighting activated and read directly from the screen). Relying on built-in audio support within curricular products solely may not provide enough access for the student to perform other tasks throughout their day, so a combination approach may be beneficial. Considerations for all aspects of the students day must be taken into account when developing a plan. Access barriers can exist in the format of curricular materials themselves, therefore in conjunction with the determination of which tool best supports the student for TTS accommodations, determination must also be made for accessible educational materials (AEM). The term accessible format is defined within the Chafee Amendment (an amendment to the US copyright act) as “an alternative manner or form that gives an eligible person access to the work when the copy or phonorecord in the accessible format is used exclusively by the eligible person to permit him or her to have access as feasibly and comfortably as a person without such disability.” The team must look individually at the materials used across the curriculum and determine what barriers to access exist and what accessible formats are needed. For instance, a student may need access to several print-based novels in the ELA curriculum, and the school may only have these books in a paper-based format. Hence, a barrier exists for the student and they will need the novels in an alternative accessible format. The National Center on Accessible Educational Materials for Learning at CAST provides several resources that will be helpful in making this determination. One of which, the AEM Navigator tool is a planning resource that can assist teams in making decisions related to determining a student’s need for accessible formats, selecting the format(s) needed, acquiring materials, and determining the supports needed across a student's day and environments. As noted in the National Center on Accessible Educational Materials guidance, there are several outcomes that are possible from this determination. First, it may be determined that the learner is able to read and access information within the same format of the instructional materials that are currently being used widely within the curriculum. Therefore, in this case, accessible formats are not needed. Second, it may be determined

that the learner is experiencing difficulty in accessing some or perhaps all of the text-based materials due to the formats that are currently being used within the curriculum itself, and the team then decides that the student needs access to curriculum materials presented in a different format. Third, it is sometimes possible that the evidence will show that the learner needs more modified content in order to successfully access the curriculum. Perhaps, the student may require access to materials that are of a lower reading level or changes within curricular expectations themselves may be necessary. In these instances, the learner may yet need some modified content in one or more accessible formats however the team feels that providing the current grade level accessible content alone is not going to be enough to solely support the student. This issue is sometimes the case with some of the learners who are on the Essential Elements track of the Common Core Curriculum. These students may need a combined approach in order to best access the content of the curriculum. STEP 3: Once decisions have been made for a TTS tool, the desired tool is deployed and a trial will then be implemented. If needed, AEM will also be acquired. These materials can be acquired by accessible media producers (AMPs), publishers themselves or materials can be converted by staff in-house through the use of scanning with optical character recognition or audio recording. The National Center On Educational Materials recommends first checking to see if the necessary materials are available through an Accessible Media Producer (AMP). Accessible media producers (AMPs) are services that convert books into more accessible formats through the Chafee Amendment in the US copyright act (1996). The two main AMPs are Bookshare a Benetech Initiative and Learning Ally. Students will need to qualify for these services based upon factors defined by each AMP. A recent check of Learning Ally noted that a student must have a “qualifying IEP or 504 plan or have been diagnosed with a print based disability” in order to qualify. Likewise, a recent check of Bookshare noted that “an expert must confirm the presence of a print-based disability that severely inhibits or prevents the student from reading traditional print materials” in order to qualify. If the student qualifies for an exception in the copyright law via the Chafee Amendment and the desired materials are not available through the AMPs, a direct request can be made through the publisher themselves. In house conversion can also be an option. Tools are available to make this process easier such as the Audio Maker tool by Read&Write (Text Help). This tool allows web content to be clipped and turned into audio. Also school copiers that are newer will have an option for optical character recognition (OCR) scanning directly through the copier itself. It is important for teachers to understand that without OCR, the copier only creates an image of text, not the actual text itself. Thus, if a text is scanned to PDF at the copier without OCR, modifications must be made to make the document accessible.

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For instance a teacher heads to the copier and scans in a 3 page document about the Civil War and sends it off to the student via Google Classroom. The student opens the document and attempts to use a text to speech tool however cannot select any text. This is due to the fact that the document was scanned as an image rather than using OCR. There are several tools that can then be used to help with this on the student end if this issue occurs however, the easiest and best option is to first make it accessible using OCR. If that is not possible, or if something is inadvertently missed, there are OCR applications that can be used to convert that text. Snapverter by Text, Help and Prizmo are two options that I have successfully used in the past. If an iPad is available, it is now possible to snap a photo of the text then activate the spoken content:speak selection button in the settings to which the student then simply must highlight the text on the page and select “speak” from the options box to have it immediately read aloud. PDF accessibility tools such as Text Help’s OrbitNote may be helpful for students who need more global literacy supports to access PDFs. OrbitNote will allow for the student to use other tools such as speech recognition or word prediction to compose text in addition to having it read aloud. Other global literacy support tools such as Read&Write and Snap&Read offer OCR on the fly wherein the student is able to highlight inaccessible text and have it converted in real time. Again, when surveying the curriculum and looking at the formats that are prevalent within it, tools may need to be sampled to see which one makes the most difference for the student to most easily and independently access their learning materials. Students benefit from having options based upon their individual needs in accessing academic content. If a student does not qualify for an AMP program or if the desired books cannot be located in the proper format, another option is available through a school or public library. Libraries offer digital reading materials that can be obtained through programs such as Libby, Hoopla or Overdrive or content can be purchased through online booksellers through programs such as Amazon (Audible) or Chirp Books. Other programs such as Tarheel Reader, Unite for Literacy and Epic are available for students who may have needed modified content in addition to accessible formats. STEP 4: As outlined in the recent Myths and Facts surrounding assistive technology devices and services guidance from the U.S. Department of Education (January, 2024), The IEP team will need to consider to what extent a student requires training or technical assistance to use the AT. Per the guidance related to Myth 5, the Department of Education notes that the IEP team needs to consider and potentially provide AT services, including training for the child, family, educational professionals or any other individuals who may provide support for the student. I have found that it is a common misconception that students automatically know how to use TTS or understand when and where is appropriate or necessary for them to use a TTS tool.

First and foremost, some level of training and support is typically provided to a student on an individual basis. As the district trainer and Assistive Technology Specialist for my school district, I also provide multiple training options for TTS including training for teachers, paraprofessionals, classrooms, individual students and their families. Training is also available for families and staff through our membership with Infinitec. The Infinitec classroom has many on-demand training resources as well as in-person training opportunities throughout the year that help grow the AT knowledge of teams. Over the past few years, I have found that many of the students quickly understand the mechanics of how to use TTS, they just need to understand when to use it, how to access it and how to trouble shoot if materials are not accessible. It is also important to note that training needs for students, families and staff may vary depending upon the audience. For example, when working with families, some are comfortable with learning through the digital resources alone. While other times, an entire family will come in and I will run through the process on an individual basis with them and then answer any questions that they may have in person. Here are some tips which may be helpful for training individual students: • practice opening documents and using tts tool • practice opening settings for the tool and learn to adjust • select a reading voice • adjust reading speed • determine highlighting (if available), continuous reading, selected reading or sentence reading • write a passage and use TTS tool for reading • use TTS tool on various assignments (don’t forget math!) • practice using TTS tool on websites Both Bookshare and Learning Ally have setting options that will need to be customized and adjusted for an individual learner including:

• select text size and color • select background color • adjust reading speed • select voice option

The use of TTS in testing is another consideration that the team must make. If a student requires the use of TTS in the classroom to access the curriculum then it must also be considered for testing. Per the Myths and Facts guidance related to Myth 8, the Department of Education notes that IEPs should include a statement on how AT devices can be utilized when participating in State testing and that the school team must understand how to use them. TTS options vary within standardized testing so this must be researched. Accommodation guidance information can be obtained within each State’s individual assessment manual. It is important to note

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that some tools may be blocked by the security platforms of the test itself and sometimes may need additional features activated. Some testing suites offer their own TTS options in suite however, they must be turned on in advance. It’s important to consider all of these factors when developing a comprehensive plan for how a student will use TTS. This should be checked long before testing begins! Rogers, Thurlow, Lazarus, and Liu (2019), in their retrospective study of the research on testing accommodations from 2015-2016, found mixed results when looking at the overall effectiveness of accommodations. Their findings appear representative of the need to develop individualized plans based upon individual student's needs and preferences hence it is key to develop a plan ahead of time to address how accommodations will be used for testing. STEP 5: Once an AT plan is developed and finalized, it should be shared with the entire team. The plan should be comprehensive, taking into consideration all aspects of the curriculum and a student’s day including both long and short term needs. It is also important to remember that in addition to ELA, students who struggle with reading may need to to use TTS for multiple tasks including things such as: read daily posts on Google Classroom, word problems in math/math work, health units in PE, etc. Remember that reading and decoding text is a part of the student’s entire day and there are many instances where the tool will be necessary. I have often found that this needs to be explicitly demonstrated to students. For instance, a student may be struggling with content in the health unit of physical education class and because it is not typical for them to use their TTS tool in that environment it is not thought of. STEP 6: Just like any other assistive technology accommodation, data on effectiveness will need to be collected and analyzed on a regular basis. Changes may need to be made along the way as the student progresses through their years of school as curriculum changes and support needs change along with that. If appropriate, transition plans may need to be developed to plan for big changes. STEP 7: Lastly, in Myth 6, the Department of Education notes that if AT devices and services are being made available, it must be included in the IEP. Thus, the plan will need to be documented and defined within the student's individualized education plan. It is also important to note that further training and assistance may be needed along the way. I find that when a student realizes how helpful the tool is, they are wanting to learn more about how to use it in practical ways outside of the classroom. Assistance may be needed in showing a student and their family how to download and activate TTS on home based technologies. Teaching a child to

use TTS can become a life long benefit. In sum, there are a few steps to develop a comprehensive plan for supporting a student who has a print-based reading disability. There are two main components of consideration for students who struggle with reading: use of text to speech and access to accessible educational materials. An accessible curriculum and access to accessible instructional materials are important in creating a universally designed learning environment where students who struggle with literacy can easily access grade level materials using TTS tools. Several supports and guides can be used to help guide teachers and teams in selecting appropriate TTS tools and in obtaining appropriate AEM as needed. Barriers in the use of text to speech tools can be mitigated with planning. Use of text to speech tools within testing is an important additional consideration for students who require the use of a text to speech tool. There are so many benefits from providing students with access to grade appropriate content through the use of TTS and AEM. In just a few steps, you can provide a student with a skill that may become a life long benefit. REFERENCES: Audiobooks for dyslexia & learning disabilities. Learning Ally. (2024, April 3). https://learningally.org/ Bar-Lev, N., & Huettl, M. (Eds.). (2021, September 1). WCASS guide. Wisconsin Council of Administrators of Special Services. https://wcass.memberclicks.net/wcass-guide Benetech. (n.d.). Who qualifies? . Bookshare. https://www. bookshare.org/cms/bookshare-me/who-qualifies CAST. (2023, April 3). National Center on Accessible Educational Materials at cast . AEM Center. https://aem.cast.org/ Library of Congress. (1996). The Chafee Amendment: 17 U.S.C. 121 & 121a - National Library Service ... National Library Service for the blind and print disabled . https://www.loc.gov/nls/about/ organization/laws-regulations/copyright-law-amendment-1996- pl-104-197/ Rogers , C. M., Lazarus , S. S., Thurlow, M. L., & Liu, K. K. (2020, August). A summary of the research on the effects of K–12 test ... - eric. A Summary of the Research on the Effects of K–12 Test Accommodations: 2017. https://files.eric.ed.gov/fulltext/ ED609703.pdf US Department of Education . (2024a, January 26). S tatute and regulations. Individuals with Disabilities Education Act. https:// sites.ed.gov/idea/statuteregulations/ US Department of Education . (2024b, January 29). Assistive technology devices and services for children with disabilities under the idea. Individuals with Disabilities Education Act. https://sites. ed.gov/idea/idea-files/at-guidance/ Zabala , J. (2005). SETT scaffolds. Joy Zabala Site. https://www. joyzabala.com/links-resources

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