Assistive Technology

OCR Scan Program & Solo Suite

Shiina Yasukawa

ED443-01

Nov. 18, 2014

Objectives

• Introduce 2 software/apps that are used to

help students with disability(s)o OCR Scan Program

o Solo Suite (Draft:Builder & Co:Writer)

• Describe the software/apps (e.g. developer,

price, features, and etc.)

• Demonstrate the software/apps in class

What is OCR Scan Program?Optical Character Recognition (OCR) is the process of converting an image of text, such as a scanned paper document or electronic PDF file, into computer-editable text

Benefits:

• Save time and effort in creating and editing documents

• Export the converted text

• Use with a variety of word-processing, page layout and spreadsheet applications

Audiences:

• Individuals with print disabilities (dyslexia, visual impairment, learning difficulties, or physical impairments)

Individuals with low vision or blindness: 1. Built in text-to-speech capabilities

2. Ability to change font size, type and color

3. Ability to change background and highlighting color

4. Provide additional spacing between characters, words or lines

5. Ability to send files to note taking devices or to use in conjunction a refreshable Braille display

Individuals with learning difficulties:

1. Built in text-to-speech capabilities

2. Highlighting a word, sentence, or paragraph at a time using contrasting colors.

3. Have only one word at a time appear on the screen to improve ones grasp of the material.

4. Dictionary, Thesaurus, Homophones, & Syllabification

5. Spell checker & Prediction6. Study tools such as Highlighting, Bookmarking, Footnotes,

Text notes and Voice notes

Features

Free OCR Scan Program1. Prizmo

2. ABBYY FineReader Express

3. Doxie

4. PDFPen

5. Evernote

EvernoteDescription:

• Popular note-synching

service that acts more of

a hybrid between a

scrapbook and a

notebook.

Developer:

• Stepan Pachikov

Audience:

• Anyone with

smartphones, tablet, &

laptops

EvernotePrice:• Free version available (limited

features)

• Premium version o $5 per month

o $45 per year

Features: • Note-taking/Annotate PDF

• Sync files across various devices

• Share ideas with friends and colleagues

• Automatic OCR service (scanned for text)

Best Feature: • Annotating PDF

• Share PDF and work together

EvernoteOther apps/software by developer:

• “Skitch” o Draw attention

o Add shapes, arrows, & quick sketches

o Move projects forward

• “Penultimate” o Beautiful digital handwriting

o Best-selling, easy-to-use handwriting app for iPad

o Experience of writing on paper, with the added power of

Evernote and the flexibility of a tablet.

o Lose paper, keep handwriting

Does not require Internet to use

• Only syncing requires Internet

DemonstrationInstruction: Step 1

• Simply drag a document and add it to a new or existing note.

• Evernote will sync the document.

Step 2

• Evernote will scan the document and perform OCR.

• The OCR is usually very accurate but there is no control over how the OCR works. It’s done automatically with no user input or settings.

Step 3

• You can then search for text and, as you can see, the text highlights as you search.

Solo Suite

1. Draft:Builder

2. Co:Writer

Developer:

• Don Johnston

Audience:

• Students with learning disabilities/Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD)

Solo Suite• Price:

Solo SuiteOther apps/software by

developer:

• Read:OutLoud

• ELSB - early literacy skill

builder

• Snap&Read Extension

• Write:OutLoud

• Clicker 6

*Internet requirements depend

on the features being used.

Draft:Builder

Features:

• Outlining

• Note-taking

• Draft-writing

Best Feature:

• Note-taking

Co:Writer*compatible for both Mac and PC systems/Apps on

iTunes ($19.99)

Features:

• Text prediction

• Topic dictionaries (over 4 million topics)

• Text to Speech

• Store and Export Writing

Best Feature:

• Topic dictionaries

Co:Writer App on iTunes