SARA - Scanning and Reading Appliance

“This machine has given me back my library, and would also serve to restore my newspaper, if it were not that I have given up reading newspapers. It reads letters so long as they are not handwritten. I spend hours every week with SARA and have read more books in the last month than I usually read when my eyes were young and healthy. ”
- Earl Leonard Langguth
Author, Retired Pastor, Bible Teacher


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Freedom Scientific's SARA™ (Scanning and Reading Appliance) is an affordable and easy-to-use solution for those with low vision or who are blind or deaf-blind. The SARA enables the reading of a wide variety of printed material including books, documents, mail, newspapers, magazines, and so much more. Using Optical Character Recognition (OCR) technology, the SARA works like a computer scanner that recognizes text, translates it into speech, then reads the text aloud.


The advanced technology of the SARA does not get in the way of ease of use.

For those with low vision and little to no computer experience, the SARA is the solution for reading small type. Right out of the box, you can place a book on the SARA, press a button to scan your reading material, and have it read back to you. Set the SARA to read continuously, or listen line by line or word by word. If you don't understand a word, have it spelled out. Pause when you need to, rewind, and fast forward. The tactile buttons are large, colorful, and easy to reach and identify.

Additional option to use Braille. Just connect one of our portable braille displays — such as a Focus or PAC Mate™ Braille Display — to the USB port of the SARA, and any scanned document can be read in braille.

When scanning documents with fainter type, you can set Contrast Adjustment to improve scanning and reading accuracy.

Choose from reading voices that are the most natural-sounding and pleasant of any standalone scanning and reading system. The SARA features 36 male and female voices and 18 languages plus additional dialects.







SARA Pricing for U.S. Customers


SARA Scanning and Reading Appliance: $2,795

SARA Scanning and Reading Appliance with 22" monitor $3,395

SARA one-year Product Maintenance Agreement: $250

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GSA Schedule Contract #GS-35F-0265X
GSA Information
Image of woman placing a book on SARA scanner

The SARA plays most audio formats, including Digital Accessible Information SYstem (DAISY)-formatted talking books for the blind, and even comes with a starter library of 100 classic audio books! And now, with ABBY FineReader® added to the OmniPage® OCR engine, the SARA's processing performance is better than ever.


Those with low vision will appreciate that they can attach the SARA to a monitor and produce colorful, large on-screen text that complements the reading voice. Select from among 35 interchangeable text and monitor background color combinations for the best appearance. Adjust the style of type, the size, and spacing to make it easiest for you to read. New spotlighting options help you keep track of text on your monitor while you read along with the SARA voice.

With the new BuckScan mode, you can even use your SARA to identify denominations of U.S. paper currency.

Now Available in Spanish

The SARA is now available in the US and Canada with Spanish language. Menus, prompts, and other spoken words are available in Latin American and Castilian Spanish voices.

Extras!


Read the SARA data sheet (PDF)