Is there any experience with Speechify?

Question

Hi folks!

Does anyone have experience with Speechify?

https://speechify.com

While not a traditional screenreader, some learners are starting to use it because of the quality of the voices (like Snoop Dogg's!), it's ease of use, and the ubiquity of it being a browser extension. I appreciate the ubiquity of the browser-based screenreaders. When Chromevox was maintained, it served as handy a common experience across all three+ non-mobile platforms, across the web (strong OS-based ones are a win! But, now it's harder to share an experience).

Currently, Speechify skips over some content, in particular in Discussions, much like NVDA does (reads only Headers and Table Headings, skips less "significant" content in other blocks). However, the "screenshot" mode is capable of reading the otherwise ignored text.

Here's a recording of what that looks and sounds like [opens in MS OneDrive/Stream]

I've opened a dialogue with Speechify too.

Does anyone have experience or guidance with Speechify?

(Again, Snoop Dogg!)

Matt.C.408 · Answer

Thanks for this Carin, I appreciate your comments and work in this area.

* I agree with your assessment on Speechify. It's not just not a traditional screenreader, it's not a screenreader.

But we've been encountering non-matriculated students enrolled in a single course offering using it. I obviously can't speak directly for these learners, but my assumption is these learners have lower vision or a visual-related learning disorder and Speechify is their chosen tool out of preference or necessity. What's more, the tool's been working for the leaner in their limited experience until this moment, so they're asking us to address the issue. I'd like to respect the learner's choice and not ask a learner to learn as much about VoiceOver or Narrator than the single course that the learner enrolled in.
* Apologies for disparaging NVDA! I was relying on another's report, as it's hard for me to test on Windows, but here's the proof NVDA works fine.

If anyone has experience with Speechify, I'd appreciate it. I'll update this thread with the outcome of my inquiry with them.

Carin.H.549 · Answer

Hello there. I guess I have two comments. 1. Speechify is not the same thing as a screen reader. It is designed to read the text on a screen, but it won't give you access to controls or links on a page, nor will it help you edit anything you're trying to add to a discussion. It is simply designed to aid in reading comprehension. I don't think it's designed with a blind user in mind.

Second, NVDA shouldn't be skipping over things in discussions. If you tab, yes it will, but you can use the arrows and all the things you're saying it's skipping, it should read. I would like to hear more about this.

I don't really have much more to say about Speechify, but I had to chime in.