At Town & Country Housing, we want everyone to feel comfortable using our website and accessing important information. 

One of the ways we support residents is through ReachDeck – a helpful accessibility and translation tool available on our website. 

ReachDeck is especially useful for residents who speak English as a second language. It can translate website content into more than 100 languages and also offers tools to help with reading and understanding information online. 

How to use ReachDeck 

• Turn ReachDeck on: Look for the red “Speak and Translate” button in the bottom left corner of the website. 
• Once you click it, a toolbar will appear at the top of the screen.  

What the toolbar buttons do 

Here’s a quick guide to the different buttons you may see on the ReachDeck toolbar: 

• Toolbar activation button – “Select this button, then click/hover anywhere in the text to start reading aloud.” This activates the reading tool directly from the page content. 
• Read aloud – “Begin reading the page or speak the current selection.” 
• Stop reading – “Stop speech playback.” Stops the audio reading at any time.  
• Translate – “Translate the page to a selected language.” Translate website content into more than 100 languages.  
• Picture dictionary – “Make a selection in the page and click this button for picture dictionary definition.” This tool can help explain words or phrases visually, which may be useful for people learning English.  
• Download as MP3 – “Make a selection in the text and click this icon to generate, then download a MP3.” You can save selected text as an audio file and listen to it later.  
• Screen mask – Helps reduce distractions on the screen and can make reading easier for some users.  
• Text magnifier – “Enlarge text as it is read out loud.” Enlarges text while it is being read aloud to help users follow along more easily.  
• Simplify page – Removes clutter and presents the webpage in a cleaner and easier-to-read format.  
• Help – Opens support and guidance on how to use ReachDeck tools.  
• Change settings – Allows users to personalise the toolbar, including language, reading speed, colours and display settings.  

Closing ReachDeck – If you would like to close the toolbar, simply click the X in the top right corner of the ReachDeck bar. 

You may read about Customising ReachDeck settings here.

Who might find ReachDeck useful? 

ReachDeck can help in lots of everyday situations. 

For example, it may be useful if: 

• English is not your first language  
• you prefer listening instead of reading  
• you find long webpages difficult or tiring to read  
• you need larger text or different colours on the screen  
• you sometimes struggle to focus on text online  

Some people may only use the translation tool, while others might find the read aloud or screen mask features more helpful. Everyone is different, and you can choose the tools that work best for you. 

If you have not tried ReachDeck yet, it is worth looking at it. It is quick to use and could make reading information online a little easier and more comfortable.