The agreement, facilitated by ReadSpeaker’s UK partner Aventido, enables universities and colleges to access TextAid through Chest’s trusted, cost-effective licensing framework — helping institutions to provide inclusive learning while managing tightening budgets.
“By offering TextAid through Chest, institutions can provide inclusive support that reaches a wider range of learners and staff — including neurodiverse people, those learning in a second language, and others who benefit from assistive technology without needing a formal diagnosis or disclosure,”
Jay Giddens, dyslexia advocate and Sales Manager at ReadSpeaker.
Supporting inclusion at scale
TextAid is ReadSpeaker’s personal literacy support tool designed to help students read, write, research and study more effectively. It combines:
- Natural-sounding Text to Speech
- Real-time highlighting
- Proof-listening while writing
- Translation tools for multilingual learners
- Optical Character Recognition (OCR) and document support
- Note-taking and research tools
- Mp3 downloads
TextAid also includes Exam Mode, enabling secure, approved assistive support during assessments. This ensures consistent accessibility through the entire learning journey — for neurodivergent students, second-language learners, and anyone who benefits from hearing text read aloud.
A timely step for higher education
The agreement comes at a time of fast-changing trends in higher education. At BETT 2026, we discussed these shifts with Hannah Lawrence, Software Licensing Manager for Teaching, Learning and Assessment at Jisc, who highlighted the ways in which AI could be increasingly used to enhance student support and improve learning outcomes.
As institutions balance accessibility commitments with financial pressure, this collaboration reflects a shared commitment to practical, sustainable inclusion.
Partnership across the sector
The agreement reflects the collaboration of ReadSpeaker, Aventido, and Jisc, in improving inclusivity across education.
“We understand that universities are under considerable pressure to provide meaningful support to students while operating within strict budgets, so we are pleased to have supported this agreement via Jisc and Chest,”
Matt Dean, Chief Operations Officer at Aventido.
Jisc is the UK’s not-for-profit digital, data and technology agency for education and research. Through Chest, Jisc negotiates cost-effective agreements for software and digital resources, helping institutions reduce costs, streamline procurement and invest more effectively in tools that support teaching, learning and inclusion.
“We’re proud that independent analysis has highlighted the economic impact of Jisc’s work, with members receiving more than £3 in savings for every £1 invested,”
Hannah Lawrence, Software Licensing Manager for Teaching, Learning and Assessment at Jisc
We’re looking forward to working closely with Jisc and the higher education community to help institutions provide meaningful, scalable, and inclusive support to every learner.
Find out more
Learn more about ReadSpeaker TextAid
Find out more about TextAid via Chest here
See how text to speech improves learning outcomes.
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Amy Foxwell is an education technology strategist with over 20 year’s deep expertise in accessibility and digital inclusion.
At ReadSpeaker, she helps schools, universities, and corporate learning teams integrate text-to-speech solutions that improve outcomes, support diverse learners, and ensure compliance with accessibility standards.
Amy’s work is driven by a belief that every learner—whether in the classroom, on campus, or in the workplace—deserves equal access to knowledge, and that thoughtful use of technology can make that possible.
