Speech Display Bar (SDB)

The Speech Display Bar (SDB) displays text that you enter or generate in the app.

Edit Text in the SDB

One way to edit generated text is to place the cursor in your SDB. To enable this feature, go to Menu > Settings and scroll to Speech Display Bar. Toggle ON Allow Place Cursor. Now you can use this feature.

1. Add text to the SDB.

2. Select and hold on the SDB.

3. Select Place Cursor.

4. The SDB will be highlighted to indicate you can place your cursor where you want it by selecting anywhere in the text.

Create a Button Action for Editing Text in the SDB

If you want to create a vocabulary button to move your cursor in the SDB, you can create a button with one of the following button actions:

Cursor Mode

Cursor Mode changes the cursor movement mode: Cycle, Character, Word, or Sentence.

If you choose Cycle, selecting the button toggles between Character, Word, and Sentence modes. Each time you select the button, the button label changes according to the current mode (even if you created your own button label).

If you choose Character, selecting the button moves the cursor left or right by one character. If you choose Word, selecting the button moves the cursor left or right by one word. If you choose Sentence, selecting the button moves the cursor left or right by one sentence.

Move Cursor

Move Cursor moves the cursor in the SDB left, right, up, or down. If you choose left or right, selecting the button will move the cursor left or right by one character, word, or sentence within a line in the SDB. If you choose up or down, selecting the button will move the cursor up or down by one line in the SDB.

Place Cursor

Place Cursor Inserts the cursor in the SDB. The SDB and the vocabulary button will be highlighted to indicate Place Cursor mode. When you enter additional text, the SDB will no longer be in Place Cursor mode. To exit Place Cursor mode without entering additional text, select the vocabulary button.

Enlarge Text Size in the SDB

1. Select Menu > Settings and scroll to the Speech Display Bar section.

2. Under Font Size, select a larger font size. Font sizes range from 14 Point to 72 Point.

Create a Tap Action to Enlarge Text

1. Select Menu > Settings and scroll to the Speech Display Bar section.

2. Under Tap Action, select Speak and Enlarge Text.

3. Select the SDB again to close the enlarged window.

Increase Number of Lines for Text in the SDB

1. Select Menu > Settings and scroll to the Speech Display Bar section.

2. Under Number of Lines, select the number of lines of text you want to appear in the Speech Display Bar. The number of lines ranges from 1 Line to 10 Lines.

Note: If you try to select a font size and number of lines that together would make the SDB larger than the screen can accommodate, the font size will be adjusted down automatically to a value that allows the SDB to fill no more than 60% of the screen. For example, if you select 10 lines with a 72-point font, the font will be adjusted to a smaller size.

Highlight Spoken Words

To help with literacy, the Highlight Spoken Word setting allows users to see the words highlighted one at a time in the SDB as they are spoken.

Notes:

• The Highlight Spoken Word setting is only available with Apple voices.

• Word highlighting is disabled when scanning prompts are spoken; but it is enabled when scanned button actions add text to the SDB.

1. Select Menu > Settings and scroll to the Speech Display Bar section.   

2. Select Highlight Spoken Word. The setting “OFF” and a list of colors opens. OFF is the default setting.  

3. Select a color. The selected color appears in the setting.   

4. Select .

5. As you select words from a page, they are highlighted one at a time in the SDB in the color you selected. 

   

   • To change the highlight color, select Menu > Settings, scroll to the SDB section, select Highlight Spoken Word, select a different color, and select .

   • If you pause speech, the last spoken word will remain highlighted.

   • To turn highlighting off, select Menu > Settings, scroll to the SDB section, select Highlight Spoken Word, select OFF, and select .

Highlight Spoken Words during Phone Calls/FaceTime

To help with literacy, the Highlight Color Phone/FaceTime setting allows users to see their words highlighted in the SDB as they speak them during a telephony call. This feature helps the device user know their message was spoken and received by their partner on the call.

Note: The Highlight Spoken Word setting is only available with Apple voices.

1. Select Menu > Settings and scroll to the Speech Display Bar section.   

2. Select Highlight Color Phone/FaceTime. The setting “OFF” and a list of colors opens.   

3. Select a color.

4. Select .

5. As you select words during a call, they are highlighted one at a time in the SDB in the color you selected.

   • To change the highlight color, go to Menu > Settings, scroll to the SDB section, select Highlight Color Phone/FaceTime, select a different color, and select .

   • To turn highlighting off, go to Menu > Settings, scroll to the SDB section, select Highlight Color Phone/FaceTime, select OFF, and select .

Speak a Combination of Voices/Languages

For example, you could speak English, Spanish, and Canadian French in the same sentence.

1. Open an English vocabulary and enter a few  words in the SDB.

2. Open a Spanish vocabulary and enter a few  words in the SDB.

3. Open a French (Canada) vocabulary and enter a few  words in the SDB

4. Select the SDB. The English, Spanish, and Canadian French words will be spoken. Words of the same language will flow like a sentence and there will be a slight pause between words of different languages.