Literacy support for talented professionals in the buoyant creative industries

July 30, 2014 - PRLog -- Texthelp has launched Read&Write 6 Gold for Mac, a literacy support solution for professionals in the creative industries – a sector which according to the Department for Culture, Media & Sport (DCMS) contributes £71.4 billion to the UK economy each year and employs a 1.68m-strong workforce (5.6% of UK jobs)1 - 10% of which (168,000) suffer from some form of dyslexia, a cognitive disorder related to reading and speech2 .

Comprising tools to support reading, writing, editing and studying, Read&Write 6 Gold for Mac sits as a floating tool bar at the top or side of the screen and runs alongside users’ applications.   Text-to-speech functionality allows users to hear on-screen content read out loud from software applications, web pages and PDF files, as well as graphics or video featuring embedded text, and to see each word highlighted as it is spoken.

Mac users who have trouble focusing on the screen, or need a visual tracking aid to support their reading, can make effective use of Read&Write’s Screen Masking feature which is designed to cover the active or non-active parts of the screen, just like a coloured overlay.

Reading support tools to help users expand their vocabulary and improve reading comprehension include Dictionary, Picture Dictionary, Speech Maker and Translator. A definition and sample sentence is provided to help comprehension of the word in context, along with alternative suggestions.  All of the dictionary definitions and sample sentences can be read aloud to increase word comprehension.

A Spell Checker, Word Prediction tool and Verb Checker are also included.

Commenting on the software, documentary producer and Read&Write Gold user Josh Key, who has made films on subjects as diverse as ancient history and astrophysics, said, “I spend my life emailing professors and like-minded professionals. Read&Write Gold software means that I can write these emails with confidence in the knowledge that dyslexia will not hinder my written communications.

“I have been very lucky because my job has taken me all around the world. When I travel, I always ensure that I have a computer running Read&Write Gold with me - I would feel quite exposed without it.”

Concluding, Mark McCusker, CEO, Texthelp, said, “The creative industries in the UK are a hotbed for talent and extremely important to the UK economy.  According to the DCMS, employment in this sector is increasing by 8.6% per annum, a much higher rate than for the UK economy as a whole (0.7%).

“We are delighted to announce the release of a new version of our Read&Write Gold for Mac software.  With the increasing popularity of Macs not only in the workplace but in colleges and universities - where 11.7% of students on Disabled Student’s Allowance are studying art and design3 - we wanted to ensure we continued to support the literacy requirements of all Mac users.”

For information on Read&Write Gold, please contact Texthelp on T: +44 (0)28 9442 8105,

E: education@texthelp.com or visit W: www.texthelp.com

Statistics

Source: Department for Culture, Media & Sport and The Rt Hon Maria Miller MP History: Published 14 January 2014 Part of:Making it easier for the media and creative industries to grow, while protecting the interests of citizens, Media and communications and UK economy https://www.gov.uk/government/news/creative-industries-wo...

Source: British Dyslexia Society - http://www.bdadyslexia.org.uk/about-dyslexia/further-info...

Source: Higher Education Statistics Agency Limited 2014 - https://www.hesa.ac.uk/dox/performanceIndicators/1213_J62...