Not every read-aloud button is equal: what to look for

Adding a reading tool to your website takes no time at all. There are plenty of scripts, browser plug-ins and ready-made widgets. But what if the tool itself is not accessible, does not process data securely or runs on the technology of a big tech company? Then you are only moving your problem elsewhere. You tick off a requirement, but your visitors are not really helped by it.

ReadSpeaker webReader is built differently. Below, we list what to look out for when you choose a reading tool. We also show why the Dutch Tax and Customs Administration (Belastingdienst), UWV, the SVB and more than 75% of Dutch municipalities choose webReader, as do provinces, healthcare institutions and housing associations.

Check: is the reading tool itself accessible?

This sounds obvious, but it is not. Many read-aloud buttons cannot themselves be operated with a keyboard, or cannot be used by people who do not see the screen well. Then your page still does not meet the requirements, however good the read-aloud function is in itself.

Be wary of 'accessibility overlays': plug-ins that promise to solve all your accessibility problems in one go. Accessibility calls for a broad design approach, not a quick fix. In fact, overlays sometimes interfere with assistive technologies such as screen readers, which only makes things worse.

webReader has been independently audited against WCAG 2.2 AA and scores 100%. On digitoegankelijk.nl, the Dutch government website on digital accessibility, webReader is listed as the only user tool that has been fully approved. The read-aloud button, the player and the toolbar can be fully operated with a keyboard. So you are not adding a tool that undermines your own accessibility statement.

Check: what happens to your visitors' data?

As long as you only have public content read aloud, this does not seem a big issue. But it becomes decisive as soon as you also want personal information behind a login to be read aloud, for example behind DigiD. Think of a personal health environment (PGO), an electronic patient record (EPD) or a file with income and benefits data.

webReader is fully GDPR compliant and can also be used securely behind a login. That is precisely why ReadSpeaker is able to work with organisations such as the Belastingdienst, UWV, the SVB and academic hospitals. On top of that, ReadSpeaker is ISO/IEC 27001 certified, the international standard for information security. Reports and certificates are available on request, so you can include them in your own accessibility statement or tender file.

Check: who actually owns the technology?

ReadSpeaker develops its own text-to-speech technology and creates its own voices. We do not build on the models or the infrastructure of big tech companies. So you know where your content is processed, you do not depend on the terms or the roadmap of a third party, and the voice on your website remains yours.

Much more than reading aloud

webReader is recognisable, ready to use straight away and offers twenty functions that go beyond reading aloud. Your visitors do not need to install anything. A few examples:

• Simple text: at the press of a button, the page is automatically turned into a summary at A2 level, securely and GDPR compliant. That summary can then also be read aloud, enlarged or adjusted.
• Translation into 25 languages, and the translation can be read aloud too. DeepL is used for translation by default. Google Translate can also be chosen.
• Text version of the page, without distractions and without stimuli.
• Download as MP3, so your visitors can listen offline or on the go.

In addition, readers can adjust a lot themselves: reading speed, volume, font, colours and the spacing between letters and words. Without you, as the administrator, having to do anything.

For many more people than you think

webReader is often seen as a tool for people with low literacy. It is that too, but its reach is much broader. Among others, the reading tool supports people with dyslexia, low vision or blindness, aphasia or acquired brain injury (NAH), a motor impairment, colour blindness, as well as non-native speakers and newcomers. And anyone who would rather listen than read, for example on the go.

Accessibility is no longer optional

Governments, semi-public organisations and more and more companies must comply with the Dutch requirements for digital accessibility and with the European Accessibility Act (EAA). ReadSpeaker has this in order. We are WCAG 2.2 AA audited, we are GDPR compliant and we are ISO/IEC 27001 certified. We make reports and documents available on request, so you can include them in your own accessibility statement or tender file.

So the question is not whether you make your website accessible, but with what. Choose a reading tool that is itself tested, secure and independent, and that really helps your visitors.

ReadSpeaker's mission, inspired by our blind founder, has remained unchanged for more than 25 years: making sure everyone can take part online, regardless of physical or cognitive disabilities.

Interested or have questions?

Would you like to see webReader on your own website, or receive the reports and certificates? Contact us at nederland@readspeaker.com. We are happy to show you what is possible.