Natural Reader
Tool Type
Accessibility Tools, ReadingWho Uses It?
Students, Instructors, StaffTags
Difficulty
Beginner-FriendlyAccessibility Info(link is external)
This tool is meant to improve accessibility of 3rd party web pages and web tools. No VPAT is available so it’s exact accessibility level is unknown.
Tool Description
Natural Reader is a text-to-speech web browser extension that improves accessibility for students, faculty, and staff at community colleges. It reads webpage content aloud and includes a font changer to convert standard fonts to dyslexia-friendly ones, enhancing readability. This tool can integrate with various platforms, such as ChatGPT, to ensure effective use of websites that are not fully accessible on their own. It helps students retain information and reduce eye fatigue while allowing faculty and staff to easily access and consume online content more efficiently.
Cost/Licenses
Free, Optional Individual SubscriptionHow to Get or Use This Tool
Add it to your Google Chrome web browser for free by visiting the Google Chrome Webstore(link is external) and clicking Add to Chrome near the top right of the page. Alternatively, go to naturalreaders.com(link is external) and click Get Started for the web version to read aloud documents you upload yourself.
Platforms
Web-based, MobileTool Resources
Pros
- Has a mobile app, an online version to upload documents to, and a chrome extension is available for reading out loud web pages.
- Free features are expansive enough for effective use.
- Easy to use with simple controls.
- Highlight colors while reading are customizable, and it includes some dark mode controls.
- You can change the AI voice and adjust the reading speed.
Cons
- Some features are available only in the paid version.
- The font changer works only in the immersive reader view (open book icon).
- Document reading depends on the file’s level of accessibility; PDFs, for example, may not always read correctly.
- The mobile app works only with uploaded documents or copied and pasted text.