Free Readers for Bookshare Members

Bookshare offers two free computer software applications, as well as high-quality voices for Bookshare Members. A DAISY reader from the DAISY Consortium is also available for free.

  • Read:OutLoud Version 6 Bookshare Edition by Don Johnston (PC and Mac)

    Read:Outloud Version 6 with support for Snow Leopard on Macintosh computers is now available. We highly recommend all Members upgrade to this version for better performance with large books.

    This DAISY reader is designed for people with learning disabilities and allows you to read multi-modally, take notes, look up definitions and more. It is not recommended for use with screen readers and can read only Bookshare books. For additional information, visit the Don Johnston website.

  • Victor Reader Soft Bookshare Edition by HumanWare (PC only)

    Victor Reader Soft version 2.6. is designed for people who are blind or have low vision. This is a self-voicing, full-featured DAISY reader that reads only Bookshare books. Please note that future versions of this software will no longer be developed; however, you can continue to use it and get support from Bookshare.

    • System requirements: Windows 98 and higher. If you experience issues using Victor Reader Soft with Windows Vista or Windows 7, please contact support.
    • To download this software, you need to be logged in as a Bookshare Member.
    • Victor Reader Soft User Manual
  • Acapela TTS Voices by Acapela Group

    Bookshare offers free higher quality, Acapela TTS voices to its Members that provide a highly natural reading experience. The voice can be used only with the Bookshare editions of Read:OutLoud and Victor Reader Soft.

    For additional information, visit the Acapela Group website.

    • System requirements: Windows XP or higher
    • To download this software, you need to be logged in as a Bookshare Member.
  • AMIS DAISY Playback Software (PC only)

    AMIS (Adaptive Multimedia Information System) is a software program that you can use to read DAISY books, including Bookshare books. It is self-voicing, meaning that no specialized screen-reading software is needed in order for it to be used by visually impaired people. AMIS is open source software and is provided free of charge.

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