Dolphin EasyReader App for Android and iOS

Another great audiobook app for anyone who uses Android or iOS devices is the Dolphin EasyReader App.

Download the app and create an account, if you don’t already have one.

How do I find books? Once you log in to the app, click the ‘Navigator’ or ‘Library’ icon at the top left of the screen. In the Manage Libraries menu, click ‘Bookshare.’ From here, you will be asked to sign in to your Bookshare account. Now you can search for books in the ‘Manage Libraries’ search bar or you can search for books by category.

My Libraries section of Dolphin EasyReader
My Libraries section

How do I download a book? Simply click the ‘Download’ button and wait. Once the download is complete, click ‘Open.’ It’s that simple!

How do I listen to a book? This app is compatible with iOS VoiceOver, iOS supported Braille displays, Android TalkBack, and Android BrailleBack. To access these, go to the Audio Settings in the app. Here, you can change the reader voice.

Text being read on Dolphin EasyReader App

Can I read about a book before deciding to download it? Yes! Click on any book you might be interested in reading to see more information about it.

VitalSource for textbooks through Bookshare

Accessing your online textbooks doesn’t have to be a hassle! If you use Bookshare and have a Mac or Windows laptop/computer, you can use VitalSource to read your textbooks. Here’s how:

Download the Bookshelf app. This app is available for iOS, Android, Kindle Fire, Mac, PC, and Chromebook.

iOS, Android, Kindle Fire, PC, and Chromebook logos

Create an account, if you don’t already have one.

Download the book from Bookshare. After logging on to your Bookshare account, search for the book you want to read, open the download format drop-down menu, and select ‘EPUB.’ Hit ‘Download’ and your compatible book will begin downloading to your device. This will open your ‘My History’ page. Click the link next to your book to save it to your device.

Screenshot of page when trying to download a book as an EPUB file.
How to download EPUB file of book

Open the book on Bookshelf. Open the Bookshelf up and click ‘File’ then ‘Open.’ Select the EPUB file of the book you have just downloaded and it should open up for you in Bookshelf.

Search through your book. Click the Search icon, then type any keywords you are looking for to find them in your book. Click the Table of Contents icon to navigate to any certain part of the book.

Search and Table of Contents icons

Listen to the book. Use the toolbar at the top of the screen to have the book read aloud. Click ‘Start Reading’ to begin and ‘Stop Reading’ to stop.

*According to the VitalSource website “Text to Speech functionality may not work for all VitalSource titles.” You should contact support if you have any issues with your ebook.

Read through the Bookshelf Overview. This resource serves as a great guide for anyone who is new to using Bookshelf to read their books. It explains how to open and search through your books, as well as how to highlight and take notes. You can also review your notes to study for tests and quizzes!

 

iBooks App for Audiobooks on Apple Devices

If you use an Apple device (like a MacBook or an iPad) and want to access your Bookshare audio books, download the iBooks app! Read on to learn about how to navigate and use this resource.

USING IBOOKS ON macOS

How do I download a book from Bookshare to my MacBook? After logging on to your Bookshare account, search for the book you want to read, open the download format drop-down menu, and select ‘EPUB.’ Hit ‘Download’ and your compatible book will begin downloading to your device. This will open your ‘My History’ page. Click the link next to your book to save it to your device.

Screenshot of page when trying to download a book as an EPUB file.
How to download EPUB file of book

How do I open the book on iBooks? After downloading your EPUB file, select that file and press command + O to open it in iBooks on your laptop/computer.

How do I get iBooks to read my book aloud? Select the text that you want to be read, right click, and select ‘More’ then ‘Start Speaking.’ You could also use the screenshot reader feature on Read & Write to select a page or paragraph, then click Play to listen.

Screenshot of how to get iBooks to read book aloud.
Getting iBooks to read aloud

How do I get iBooks to stop reading my book aloud? Right click and select ‘More’ then ‘Stop Speaking.”

USING IBOOKS ON iOS

How do I download a book from Bookshare to my iPad? After logging on to your Bookshare account, search for the book you want to read, open the download format drop-down menu, and select ‘EPUB.’ Hit ‘Download’ and your compatible book will begin downloading to your device. This will open your ‘My History’ page. Click the link next to your book to save it to your device.

How do I open the book on iBooks? After downloading your EPUB file, click the ‘Open in iBooks’ button to open it in iBooks on your iPad.

How do I get iBooks to read my book aloud? Go to ‘Settings’ on your device. Click ‘General’ –> ‘Accessibility’ –> ‘Speech.’ Enable these three features: ‘Speak Selection,’ ‘Speak Screen,’ and ‘Highlight Content.’ Open the iBooks app. To read an entire page, swipe down the screen with two fingers. To read a specific paragraph, tap and hold the text to highlight it, then click ‘Speak.’

How do I get iBooks to stop reading my book aloud? Click the ‘Pause’ button.

Bookshare Web Reader

Using Bookshare on a computer or laptop means you have access to the Bookshare Web Reader! Read on to learn about how to navigate and use this resource.

Which browsers does the Bookshare Web Reader work with? Google Chrome, Safari, Chromebook, Mozilla Firefox, and Internet Explorer.

Chrome, Sarafi, Internet Explorer, and Firefox logos

How do I read a book with the web reader? Log into Bookshare on a compatible browser, then search for the book you want to read. Click “Read Now” and wait a moment for the reading to load. Click “Play” to hear your reading.

Can I save my spot in a book? Yes! Your device constantly saves whatever place you’re at while you read. Just remember that this won’t work across multiple devices. So if you start reading a book on your laptop, then switch to your phone, Bookshare won’t remember where you were.

How do I go back to a saved spot in a book? Log into Bookshare, then click “History.” Find the book you’re looking for and click “Read Now” to open the book to where you left off. Click “Play” to resume the reading at the top of the current page.

What do all of the buttons on the web reader mean? Each button is listed below, followed by a picture that shows them all. You can use these features either by pressing the corresponding buttons or by using the keyboard shortcuts, shown in parenthesis, next to each feature below.

  • Table of Contents (T) – Takes you to the table of contents in the book you are reading.
  • Previous (2) – Go back one page.
  • Next (1) – Go forward one page.
  • Play (P) – Begin reading audio aloud.
  • Settings (O)
  • Night Mode On/Off (N) – Changes brightness of screen.
  • Full Screen On/Off (F) – Changes size of screen.
  • Help (H) – Use this for any questions.
  • Show/Hide Toolbar (X)
Web reader buttons
Wed Reader buttons

Can I customize the visual settings? Of course! Click Settings on the toolbar to change the font, font size, text color, background color, display format, and margins.

What about the audio settings? You can customize those too! Click Settings on the toolbar to change the reader’s voice and the speed at which they read.

Visual and audio settings
Visual and audio settings

What is this BeeLine Reader feature? Another great part about Bookshare is their BeeLine Reader feature which helps you keep track of which line you are on as you read. It does this by applying a color gradient to the text, helping to separate each line from the ones above and below it. Select a book on your Bookshare account and then click ‘Read Now’ to open the Web Reader. Go to the Web Reader Settings to activate BeeLine Reader and then customize your settings from there. Make sure to click ‘Save’ once you set your preferences!

For more information or to learn about Bookshare in a different format, consider watching this video.

Getting to Know Read&Write

Read&Write, while incredibly useful, can seem a bit overwhelming at first. There are lots of features and customizations to make – it can be daunting when you first get started. Our hope is that this guide can serve as a quick reference for anyone learning to use Read&Write.

While I will only be referencing a few main features here, feel free to visit this page filled with user guides for every device and  this guide specifically for Read&Write on Chrome

 

**Scroll to the bottom of this post to see what these symbols looks like!**

 

Reading a scannable document

  • Text to Speech: Reads text for you. Place your cursor next to whatever part of the document you want to read. Then click the play button icon.
  • Talking Dictionary: Provides written definitions of unknown words. Highlight whatever you want to define. Then click the dictionary icon.
  • Picture Dictionary: Provides visual definitions of unknown words. Highlight whatever you want to define. Then click the picture dictionary icon.
  • Highlighters: Highlights any amount of text. Select (highlight) whatever you want to highlight. Then click the corresponding highlighter color.

Reading any other document

  • Screenshot Reader: Allows you to read parts of a website without having to have a browser extension. Also allows you to read inaccessible documents that can’t be scanned. Click the screenshot icon and drag a box around what you want to read. This sometimes takes a moment to load. You can replay the text by clicking the play button on the bottom right corner (instead of having to reselect the area of text).

Customizing your reading experience

  • Settings: Change the reading voice, speed, language, and more. I recommend playing around with different voices to see which one works best for you. Click the settings icon to access all of these customizable features.

Keep in mind that along with downloading the Read&Write software for your device, you can also download it to your Google Chrome web browser so you can read straight from websites. Click here to download the Read&Write extension for Google Chrome. You can also watch video guides on YouTube!

If you’re not sure which tools might be most helpful for you, visit the Tools for Specific Populations page

Play button icon for Text to Speech Feature
Text to Speech
Dictionary icon for Talking Dictionary feature
Talking Dictionary
Picture Dictionary icon
Picture Dictionary
Highlighter icon
Highlighter
Settings icon
Settings