Guide to Kurzweil 3000

Kurzweil 3000 is a piece of stand-alone software designed to help users with learning and reading difficulties. It allows the user to access material from scanned documents to web pages displaying, highlighting and reading aloud material.

Introduction to Kurzweil 3000

The following information is designed to give an introduction to some of the features available on Kurzweil 3000. Documents can be created in Kurzweil, scanned in to Kurzweil and some types of documents can be opened within Kurzweil (for example text documents in Word). Kurzweil Help pages can be accessed by clicking on the Help icon on the main toolbar.

To find out which University PCs have Kurzweil 3000 installed, please view the Library Assistive Technology pages.

Scanning documents

To scan a new document, place the item on the adjacent/corresponding scanner. Click the Scan icon on the toolbar to begin. The default scans a single page only. To change this, click on Scan in the menu bar for options including:

• Scan repeatedly: scans page after page with a delay between pages (use Tools menu bar followed by Options to alter the delay time)
• Two page mode: scans facing pages of small size in one action

Click the Cancel Scan button to stop the scan. When scanning several pages, each new page us added to the end if the document. Use the Scan menu to Insert Page (inserts the current page), Rescan Page (replaces the current page) or Delete Page.

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Reading from documents

Open an existing document or scan a new document. Click inside the document, then click on Read on the toolbar to start reading the document. To pause at any time, click on the Pause button. To move Back by one reading unit or Forward by one unit, click on the appropriate icon. The reading voice can be switched from Audible to Silent and back again by clicking on the icon.

The Reading toolbar allows you to alter the settings such as Read Mode (Continuous, Self-paced or Word by word). The Reading Unit can be set by Word, Phrase, Sentence or Paragraph (other options are available too). Alter the speed of reading (Words per minute - WPM) by clicking on the Up/Down arrows. These settings can be changed whilst the document is being read.

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Reference tools

On the main toolbar, Kurzweil provides four reference tool icons. Highlight a word in your document and then click on the appropriate icon:

• Definition: for a dictionary definition of the word (click on the Read icon to hear the definition)
• Synonym: to find an alternative word. If there is more than one definition for the chosen word, synonyms for each definition will be listed where available.
• Syllables: break the word into syllables, then reads and highlights each syllable (also shows the pronunciation of each syllable)
• Spell: each letter of the word is read out and highlighted in turn.

Click on Reference on the Menu bar to see further options, such as Look Up Word/Type which allows you to type in a word and see and/or hear the Definition, Synonym or Syllable for that particular word.

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Reading on the Web

From the Read menu, select Read the Web. Internet Explorer will open, with an additional Kurzweil toolbar at the foot of the page. Click on the Read icon to begin reading (and again to pause). Use the Read Mode, Read By and WPM features on the toolbar to control the reading pace.

Reference tools are available on the web reading toolbar: double-click a word to select it, then click on the Definition or Syllable icon. Click on the Magnify icon to magnify the current word in a separate window.

To return to Kurzweil, close the Internet Explorer window.

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Additional options

To access further options, click on Tools on the menu bar and select Options. There are eight Option tabs which allow you to specify how you want Kurzweil to look or behave. The following is a selection of features you might find useful:

General Tab Page

• Toolbars: select toolbars and ruler for display
• Speak as Typing: select how Kurzweil reads back what you type
• Miscellaneous: select the Speak Buttons and Speak Messages options to hear Kurzweil read toolbar or menu selections and messages aloud.

Reading Tab Page

• Speaker: change the reading voice from the list available
• Speed: select a default reading speed.

Text Tab Page

• Colours: select the text and highlight colours
• Highlight mode: select the way words and reading units are highlighted during reading.

Image Tab Page

• Colours: select the colour for dual highlighting
• Outline Colours: place a dark outline around highlight bars
• Note Marker Size: select a size for Footnote and Voice Note indicators.

There are several other options available; look at the Help pages or Kurzweil User Guide to explore the other features of Kurzweil 3000.

Closing Kurzweil

To close Kurzweil, click on File and Close or click on the cross in the top-right corner of the screen.

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