Special program that scans and reads books helps those with dyslexia

Having a disability such as dyslexia or having trouble reading a book is no excuse to keep you from learning. The Kurzweil 3000, a program found at the DSPS center, is making education easier for those with these disabilities.

This machine is a unique form of technology that has been available to students for more than 10 years on campus.

The program is able to scan books onto the computer, and at the same time, students can follow along the scanned material that is generated on the computer screen. A voice of your choice then is able to read the words to the user clearly and coherently. All students have to do is listen and follow along.

"Kurzweil 3000 is the most popular program used when it comes to having difficulty in reading and in writing," said Assistive Technology Laurie Vasquez.

The easiest way to access and use the Kurzweil 3000 is by dropping in at the Assisting Tech Lab at the DSPS center.

"Students use it to assist them, for weakness in reading," said Vasquez.

Jordan Scott is a student who uses the Kurzweil 3000 frequently. He said that using Kurzweil benefits him with his reading disability, because it permits him to complete the reading assignments.

"I actually do the reading," Scott said when he uses the Kurzweil.

The only reason why Scott said he does not like the Kurzweil is because of its "robot sound" that he has to listen to when following along the reading.

Dyslexic student, Mario A. Rivera also expressed his satisfaction with the Kurzweil. He uses the program every time he needs to complete a reading assignment.

"When the computer is reading it to me, I can follow along what the computer is saying, understand it, and comprehend it. It stays in my head and I don't space out," Rivera said.

Rivera also said the City College benefits from students like him using the Kurzweil because students do not get frustrated and bored. It makes him interested in class assignments because he is able to complete the work.

Vasquez said that the most compelling thing about using the Kurzweil is when people get to hear the work they have produced and listen to the words they come up with.

National Inventors Hall of Fame winner, Ray Kurzweil originally created the Kurzweil Educational Systems back in 1996. The Kurzweil 3000, a program that is part of the Kurzweil Educational Systems, makes reading a breeze for dyslexic students and also for students who are struggling with their reading assignments.

Kurzweil, the creator is also known for other innovative technology that he has produced.

As his bibliography states, Kurzweil was the principal developer of the omni-font optical character recognition, the first print-to-speech reading machine for the blind, the first Charge Coupled Device (CCD) flat-bed scanner, the first text-to-speech synthesizer, the first music synthesizer capable of recreating the grand piano and other orchestral instruments, and the first commercially marketed large-vocabulary speech recognition as well as other achievements.