When one of my friends recommended a book that they had read recently, I immediately went to look for it in an accessible format using the search tools for Bookshare and Libby/OverDrive with my library card. When I couldn’t find it, my friend mentioned that the book had been self-published on Amazon, but I could read it as a Kindle eBook either by buying it from Amazon or using the Kindle Unlimited subscription service to access several other books for a flat monthly fee. I decided to sign up for the Kindle Unlimited free trial to read this book (plus a few others) and was excited to find a large array of titles that could be read in accessible formats. Here are my thoughts on Kindle Unlimited accessibility for visual impairment, including accessing Kindle Unlimited content in large print and using text-to-speech/screen reader tools.
What is Kindle Unlimited?
Kindle Unlimited is a monthly subscription service that provides subscribers with “unlimited” access to over four million eBooks, audiobooks, comics, and magazines. Users can check out up to twenty titles at once for instant access, with no return dates or hold periods to access content available through the service. As of 2024, Kindle Unlimited costs $11.99 USD per month and offers a 30-day free trial.
Related links
How does Kindle Unlimited compare to other services?
Amazon Kindle offers a few different services for borrowing digital content like eBooks and audiobooks, which are separate from the Kindle Unlimited program. These include:
Prime Reading
Prime Reading is a free benefit included with a paid Amazon Prime membership, which provides access to thousands of eBooks, audiobooks, comics, and magazines. Prime Reading offers fewer titles compared to Kindle Unlimited overall, and fewer “popular” titles from major publishers. Any book that is available through Prime Reading is generally available through Kindle Unlimited.
Audible
Audible exclusively focuses on audiobooks, and offers options for buying audiobooks individually as well as a paid subscription service. Kindle with Audible narration offers a bundle deal where readers can purchase the Audible audiobook for a participating book offered through Kindle Unlimited, providing an option to read and listen to a book simultaneously. Alternatively, readers can search for books in their library that offer Audible narration by using the “Scan My Library” feature and purchase the tracks at a later time at the same discounted price.
Amazon Kids+
Amazon Kids+ is another subscription service that focuses on multimedia content for kids 3-12, including a selection of several books for younger audiences. Kindle Unlimited offers several middle-grade and young adult titles, but doesn’t offer many titles for younger readers.
Does Kindle Unlimited require special software?
To access Kindle Unlimited titles, users will need to own an Amazon Kindle device, download the free Amazon Kindle application to their device, or use the web application to access the Kindle Library. Kindle Unlimited titles cannot be downloaded, read in another application, or accessed on another device outside of the Kindle ecosystem. However, they can be downloaded to devices for offline reading.
Related links
- Amazon Kindle App and Low Vision Accessibility
- A to Z of Assistive Technology for Reading Digital Text
Searching for titles available with Kindle Unlimited
To browse for titles available on Kindle Unlimited, select the Kindle Unlimited check box when browsing titles on Amazon, or search for content on the Kindle Unlimited website. Kindle Unlimited offers a mix of independent titles self-published by authors, classic titles, bestsellers, fiction, nonfiction, and a wide array of genres. While most of the “Big Six” publishers do not offer books through Kindle Unlimited, there are still several titles available from small and mid-size publishers. One important thing to note for younger readers is that there is no way to filter out adult content, so this is something to keep in mind when browsing Kindle Unlimited titles.
To check out a book, select “Read for free with Kindle Unlimited” for a participating title to automatically add the title to the Kindle library. Users can check out up to twenty (20) titles at a time.
To return a book, select the title from the Kindle library or from the Kindle Unlimited account and select Return to Kindle Unlimited. This will free up space to check out another title from the Kindle Unlimited collection.
Kindle Unlimited accessibility for visual impairment
Since Kindle Unlimited is powered by Kindle apps and devices, there are several accessibility features available for readers with visual impairments or print disabilities that find it difficult or impossible to read standard print. This is where Kindle Unlimited shines, as it provides readers with access to a huge array of books that can be accessed in large print formats, many of which also provide support for screen readers and other accessibility settings.
Accessing Kindle Unlimited with large print/screen magnification
Kindle devices offer several options for large print reading, with the largest font size equivalent to about 32 pt font. This is comparable to the Kindle applications, which has a slider with 18 font sizes to choose from. The largest font size on the Kindle App (18 on the slider) is equivalent to 32-pt font.
Amazon Kindle apps offer the following font options for English text:
- Amazon Ember Bold
- Baskerville
- Bookerly
- Caecelia
- Georgia
- Helvetica
- OpenDyslexic
- Palantino
Accessing Kindle Unlimited with text-to-speech/read aloud
With the Assistive Reader, readers can listen to text-to-speech and have text read aloud with a synthesized voice. Reading speed can be configured in the Assistive Reader player in the bottom right corner of the screen, using a slider to set the speed between 0.5x and 3.5x. By default, real-time text highlighting is turned on, which highlights words as they are read by Assistive Reader or Audible. This feature is also known as word-level highlighting.
It’s worth noting that not all Kindle titles support Assistive Reader or text-to-speech, so readers will need to review product listings before borrowing any titles.
Accessing Kindle Unlimited with a screen reader
Amazon Kindle applications can be used with assistive technology like screen readers and refreshable braille displays to read text and access content in the library. Readers will still need to turn Assistive Reader on in order to have titles read out loud or displayed with a braille display. Alternatively, readers can enable Audible narration on participating titles and listen to content while reading with a refreshable braille display.
Titles must have support for text-to-speech and screen readers in order to be compatible with assistive technologies, though according to Amazon it is extremely rare for a title to support text-to-speech but not support screen reader access.
Accessing Kindle Unlimited with Amazon Alexa
Asking Alexa to read from Kindle will open up the most recent book in the Kindle library and start reading from the last saved location in the book. Books are read out loud with Alexa’s voice and users can adjust playback settings with their voice, including:
- Asking for a specific Kindle book title
- Sharing more information about the book being read
- Pause, stop, or restart reading the book
- Navigate through the book by chapters, or by time intervals
- Slow down/speed up Alexa’s reading speed
- Set or cancel a timer for Alexa to stop reading
To enable playing Kindle books, users will need to enable the Kindle Assistive Reader in the Alexa app in Reading Settings. Titles must have support for text-to-speech to be compatible with the Amazon Alexa.
Customizing Kindle Unlimited page layouts
As part of the Kindle app, users can customize the page layout for titles in the Kindle Unlimited library, and access settings that they use with existing Kindle content. Examples of settings include:
- Page colors: White, Sepia, Light Green, Black
- Continuous scrolling (on/off) for scrolling up/down to view titles or documents
- Line spacing: Small (1.0), Medium (1.5), Large (2.0)
- Alignment: Left or Justified
- Column: Single or Double-Column text
- Adjust brightness of screen with slider
- Reading ruler/line guide that shows 1-5 lines on the screen at a time
Related links
- Amazon Kindle App and Low Vision Accessibility
- Mainstream eReader Apps and Low Vision Accessibility
- A to Z of Assistive Technology for Reading Digital Text
Other options for accessing Kindle Unlimited titles with assistive technology
- Many Kindle Unlimited titles are also available from Bookshare, an online library for readers with documented visual impairment or other print disabilities. However, sideloaded content from Bookshare cannot be read out loud with the Kindle app. Learn more about Bookshare in Fast Facts About Bookshare
- For readers that are okay with waiting for popular titles, Libby is a free eBook and audiobook provider that is available with a library card. The audiobooks on Libby are the same quality as Audible titles, and titles can be read in the Kindle app as well. Learn more about Libby in Reading Magazines With The Libby App And Low Vision
- Looking for accessible children’s books? Check out How To Find Accessible Picture Books For Low Vision
- Want more resources for reading with low vision? Browse Reading And Writing Archives | Veronica With Four Eyes (veroniiiica.com)
Published March 10, 2019. Updated September 2024