New help for those who have difficulty reading

7:00pm Thursday 30th August 2012 in News Photograph of the Author By Ben Endley, Senior reporter

A new technological aid introduced by Hertfordshire Community NHS Trust will allow those who have difficulty reading English to gain information about services.


The BrowseAloud application allows users with dyslexia or mild visual impairments and those with English as a second language to have information read out in a clear, human-sounding voice.

Comments(7)

LSC says...
1:59am Fri 31 Aug 12

Interesting. BrouseAloud claim on their website that 20% of the population of this country require reading support.
Is that really true? Is one in every five of your friends unable to read English?

Seems a bit odd to me, but I'm sure the NHS know what they are doing with our money and I'm sure the 'English as a second language' bit is secondary to those with 'mild visual impairments'.

I expect there is a similar scheme in Eastern Europe and Asia which one day I might benefit from.

Report this post »

phall lover says...
7:01am Fri 31 Aug 12

wel sed

Report this post »

garston tony says...
10:51am Fri 31 Aug 12

Zzzzzz. Hmm, what what!! Is that another thinly veiled dig at something which doesnt deserve any negative comments?

Report this post »

LSC says...
1:02pm Fri 31 Aug 12

garston tony wrote:
Zzzzzz. Hmm, what what!! Is that another thinly veiled dig at something which doesnt deserve any negative comments?
It isn't thinly veiled at all; it is a great fat dig; I'm just not sure who at yet :)

This year is the first for around 25 years that exam passes are slightly down on the year before, and a few less people are going to university.
And yet ONE IN FIVE people struggle to read English.
Do you not find those statistics a little contrary?
For 25 years schools, colleges and universities have been alledgedly turning out better educated students every year, so I would imagine it isn't those making up the 20% who cannot read English.
Something just doesn't seem to make sense, and I'm curious.

Report this post »

Linda Geddes says...
3:42pm Fri 31 Aug 12

LSC wrote:
garston tony wrote: Zzzzzz. Hmm, what what!! Is that another thinly veiled dig at something which doesnt deserve any negative comments?
It isn't thinly veiled at all; it is a great fat dig; I'm just not sure who at yet :) This year is the first for around 25 years that exam passes are slightly down on the year before, and a few less people are going to university. And yet ONE IN FIVE people struggle to read English. Do you not find those statistics a little contrary? For 25 years schools, colleges and universities have been alledgedly turning out better educated students every year, so I would imagine it isn't those making up the 20% who cannot read English. Something just doesn't seem to make sense, and I'm curious.
Even dyslexic people can go to university you know. Being dyslexic doesn't mean you lack intelligence, just that you see words differently from most people and therefore require help to read.

To be honest though, looking at the standard of spelling and grammar on this website alone I am not really surprised at these statistics.

Report this post »

LSC says...
12:08am Sat 1 Sep 12

Linda, I am well aware that certain conditions have no bearing on intelligence, but one in five? Out of all those kids out there texting, Twittering and Facebooking? They have even CHANGED the English language, let alone failed to understand it. I believe LOL is now in the OED.

So I ask; has BrouseAloud got their fundamental facts wrong? If so, why are the NHS giving shed-loads of public money to a private company that is either incompetent or dishonest?
Or are they correct? In which case, just who are these 11 MILLION people living in the UK who cannot read English?

I agree that spelling and grammar on this site can be.... interesting; mine included. But 99% that reply here read the stories for themselves and don't need a voice box to do it for them, I'm sure.

So; I challenge the WO reporters (It's your job to find out stuff, not mine):
WHO are the 11 million people unable to read English.
WHY are there 11 million people unable to read English.
HOW are we addressing this problem at source.
WHERE do these people live. I don't know a single person who can't read English and that includes a large cross section of nationlities and cultures, but if it is reported here, I presume it is relevant to here.

I await the report with interest.

Report this post »

G_Whiz says...
11:49pm Sat 1 Sep 12

Ain't no one i knows who ain't 'avin trouble wid english. nuff people i no say school is s**t and don't bover goin cus it aint cool or worf it innit!

rite i'm off to wach eastenders!

Report this post »

click2find

About cookies

We want you to enjoy your visit to our website. That's why we use cookies to enhance your experience. By staying on our website you agree to our use of cookies. Find out more about the cookies we use.

I agree