Parents' Guide to

Universal Reader Plus

By ADK AccessAbility, Common Sense Media Reviewer

age 6+

Read, translate, and summarize text with versatile tool.

Website http://www.premierathome.com/products/UniversalReaderPlus.php
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What’s It About?

UNIVERSAL READER PLUS is a downloadable program that can read any text found on a computer screen, including Flash and PDF files. After you've installed it onto your home computer or device, simply select the text you'd like to hear aloud. Not only can it read text, Universal Reader also can translate it into eight languages as well as summarize any-size chunk of text into key points. You'll do all this using a floating toolbar that moves with you from Word docs to websites. Highlight and select your chosen text with a pointer or through a series of keyboard commands.

Is It Any Good?

Our review:
Parents say: Not yet rated
Kids say: Not yet rated
With its simple tool bar, Universal Reader Plus delivers what it promises: universal access to text for kids who need it. There are other free readers, auto summarizers, and language translators out there, but Universal Reader Plus is the whole package. It uniquely reads Flash files, has a talking pointer that reads anything (even if the computer doesn't see it as print), can summarize a small chunk of information or a huge document, and can translate into eight languages.
One of the coolest things about Universal Reader Plus is its summary tool. Using algorithmic language technology, it can solidly summarize any amount of text from a single paragraph to a full chapter. This awesome feature can help kids with comprehension issues as well as those trying to digest a ton of information in a short amount of time.

Talk to Your Kids About ...

  • Encourage recreational reading through a Bookshare.org subscription.
  • Use texts and personal emails to show kids the fun side of the program.

Website Details

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