By TexthelpLearning Objectives
- Describe what Read&Write does and why assistive-literacy support matters for inclusion
- Explain how AI text-simplification, text-to-speech, and word prediction help struggling readers and writers
- Identify the students, educators, and employers who benefit most from a literacy-support toolbar
What Is Read&Write?
Read&Write is an assistive-literacy toolbar made by Texthelp, a company based in Antrim, United Kingdom and founded in 1996 with decades of expertise in literacy support. The toolbar floats alongside whatever a person is reading or writing — a document, a web page, an email — and offers a set of tools that make reading and writing more accessible.
Rather than being a single feature, Read&Write bundles several supports into one place: it can read text aloud, simplify difficult passages, predict words as you type, and translate content. The goal is inclusive learning and work — helping people who find reading and writing hard participate on equal footing.
💡Key Concept
Assistive literacy (inclusive learning): Tools and techniques that help people who struggle with reading or writing — because of a learning difference or because they are learning a new language — access and produce written content. Inclusive learning means designing so that these supports are available to everyone who needs them, in the classroom and the workplace.
What Read&Write Does
- Realistic text-to-speech — reads text aloud in natural AI voices so users can listen as well as read
- AI text-simplification — rewrites difficult text into simpler language that is easier to understand
- Word prediction — suggests the next word as a user types to support writing
- Translation — translates text to help English-language learners and multilingual users
- Floating toolbar — works across documents, web pages, and applications rather than in one app only
How AI Is Applied
Read&Write applies AI in two especially visible ways. First, its text-to-speech uses AI voices that sound realistic, which makes listening to long passages far more comfortable than older robotic readers. Second, its AI text-simplification takes complex writing and rephrases it in plainer language, lowering the reading level so the meaning comes through for someone who would otherwise struggle.
The word-prediction feature uses language modeling to suggest likely next words, reducing the effort of writing for people with dyslexia or ADHD. Combined with translation, these AI supports work together so that a reader can hear text, an unsure reader can simplify it, and a writer can be prompted toward the right words — all from one toolbar.
Who Uses Read&Write
Read&Write is used across education and the workplace. In schools and universities it supports students with dyslexia and ADHD and English-language learners, and it is widely deployed by institutions as an inclusion tool. In the workplace, employers use it as a reasonable-adjustment and accessibility tool so employees with literacy differences can work effectively. Its buyers are typically schools, districts, universities, and organizations, though individuals use it too.
Pricing
Read&Write is sold through Texthelp on a subscription basis, most commonly to schools, districts, universities, and employers under enterprise or site licenses, with individual subscriptions also available. Pricing depends on the type of licence and the number of users, so organizations contact Texthelp for a tailored quote.
Company Details
| Detail | Info |
|---|---|
| Company | Texthelp |
| Founded | 1996 |
| Headquarters | Antrim, United Kingdom |
| Product | Read&Write — assistive-literacy toolbar |
| Category | Assistive literacy and inclusive learning |
| Key Features | AI text-simplification, realistic text-to-speech, word prediction, translation |
| Website | texthelp.com |
Strengths
- All-in-one literacy support — reading, simplification, writing help, and translation in a single toolbar
- Decades of expertise — built by Texthelp, a long-established literacy-support specialist
- Works everywhere — floats across documents, the web, and applications rather than one app
- Serves many needs — supports dyslexia, ADHD, and English-language learners alike
- Bridges school and work — used both as a classroom inclusion tool and a workplace accessibility adjustment
Limitations and Considerations
- AI simplification needs care — rewriting text into simpler language can occasionally shift meaning and should be reviewed for accuracy
- Licence-based access — most powerful when deployed at the institution level, which requires organizational buy-in
- Setup and training help — getting the most from the toolbar's many features benefits from some onboarding
- Support, not cure — it lowers barriers but does not replace teaching or targeted literacy instruction
Key Takeaways
- Read&Write is an assistive-literacy toolbar from Texthelp with decades of literacy-support expertise behind it
- It combines AI text-simplification, realistic text-to-speech, word prediction, and translation in one floating toolbar
- It supports students with dyslexia and ADHD and English-language learners, in both education and the workplace
- Best for schools, universities, and employers building inclusive learning and accessible workplaces
