Kurzweil - Installation and Resources

Kurzweil 3000 is an assistive technology tool available to University of Alberta students/faculty/staff at no cost. Kurzweil’s reading, writing, and scanning features include:

  • Text-to-speech: reading the text on the screen aloud while visually tracking the words;
  • Coloured highlighters and sticky notes;
  • Multi-language tools;
  • Graphic organizer and outline tools;
  • Kurzweil Cloud storage. 

Kurzweil can be accessed in many ways:

  • Complete version: Download the program to a Windows or Mac system (offline use); 
  • On the web (reading and study features for online use); 
  • Read the Web extensions for Edge, Chrome, and Firefox (reading and study features for online use).

Getting Started

Username and Password Self-Registration:

A username and password are required to access all Kurzweil products. To self-register, fill out the Academic Success Centre Registration for Kurzweil Google form and follow the instructions you receive via email. Please allow 2-3 business days for this email to arrive. Once you have registered and received your username and password, you will be able to sign into the downloaded Windows/Mac desktop applications, on the web version, and the Read the Web extensions for Chrome/Edge/Firefox. 

Windows and Mac Downloads:

Kurzweil is easy to download to a Windows or Mac computer. If you need assistance with installing the program, refer to the Windows Installation Guide or the Mac Installation Guide.

On the Web:

Kurzweil can be accessed from any device in a browser. The Kurzweil website will allow the use of text-to-speech and study features, zoom, dictionaries, and more. Sign in with the username and password generated from the self-registration website to launch the program.

Read the Web Extensions:

Kurzweil has a web browser extension called Read the Web. It can read text in a browser aloud in 30 different text-to-speech voices, and has a dictionary, a translator, screenshot function, and highlighting abilities. The Read the Web extension is available for Chrome, Edge, and Firefox.

 

Help and Training:

The Kurzweil Academy website offers short videos and product/getting started guides on how to use Kurzweil.

For questions, additional help, or to report a broken link, please contact adaptech@ualberta.ca.