Reading large amounts of material and/or writing notes in class or at home can result in visual fatigue for students with vision impairments. Low vision and blind students may prefer to use audio players / recorders for a number of tasks including:
A variable speed facility is helpful for students who read a lot. Playback speed can be increased, thus increasing reading speed.
Most of the audio players / recorders described below have been designed for use by people with vision impairments but there are other examples available from electrical retailers.
Accessories such as headphones, carry case, battery holder, power adapter etc are available from Equipment Solutions.
Some note takers and personal organisers will also play and/or record audio files. See also the E-text page for more electronic resources.
| Item and Source |
Price |
Comments |
| FS Reader Quantum Technology |
A$206 | PC (requires JAWS) or PAC Mate software for DAISY formatted talking books |
| Maestro HumanWare VisTech |
A$1,850 Fold up QWERTY keyboard A$225 Fold up braille keyboard A$575 Trekker GPS A$1,050 |
Hand-held accessible pocket PC (PDA) with text to speech voice output |
| Mobile Daisy Player for Phone Quantum Technology |
A$140 | Play DAISY files via your mobile phone |
| Plextalk Equipment Solutions |
A$475 Carry bag A$28 |
Stand-alone DAISY player Can locate page of chapter, add bookmarks, find words etc Variable speed with pitch compensation Sleep mode Rechargeable batteries or 240V - will play DAISY book for up to 5 hours |
| Victor Reader HumanWare VisTech |
Reader A$555 Stream A$440 Wave A$395 Software A$155 |
Stand-alone device or PC software which reads digital talking books
- DAISY and sound files (eg MP3) Can locate page of chapter, add bookmarks, find words etc Players have tactual controls |