Speech-to-text is an accommodation Texas already names.

Page 51 lists "Speech to text" among reasonable classroom accommodations for dyslexia; page 67 lists "Allow the use of technology (e.g., speech to text software, etc.)" for dysgraphia; page 87 says the ARD committee must consider assistive technology each time it develops, reviews, or revises an IEP, and points to the federal guidance quoted below.

Speech-to-text on STAAR does not need TEA approval; the ARD committee, the Section 504 committee, or the campus team decides. The same guide (page 6) requires that a student "routinely and effectively use" a designated support during classroom instruction before using it on the test. Daily use at school and at home is the precondition, not a nice-to-have.

The same guidance says AT "should be used across all environments" including home (Myth 11), that AT devices written into the IEP are the district's responsibility and that a family-owned device arrangement should address "subscriptions, software/app costs" (Myth 18), and that IDEA Part B funds are a funding source for AT (Myth 28).

NCEO's current research summary adds that with speech-to-text, "written text was longer and had fewer mechanics errors," and that it "facilitates greater independence from their reliance on a human scribe." The 2019 review also cautions that the evidence base was thin and recognition accuracy was the recurring problem; recognition engines in 2026 are a different generation, which is why we suggest a free two-week trial before anyone buys.

Matre and Cameron's scoping review of speech-to-text for pupils with reading and writing difficulties (Disability and Rehabilitation: Assistive Technology, 19(3), 1103-1116, 2024) reports: "Results suggest that STT may increase pupils' abilities to produce texts with fewer errors, provide help with spelling and improve reading comprehension and word recognition." A 2024 single-case study of students with severe writing difficulties in Nordic schools (Almgren Bäck and colleagues, same journal, 19(8), 3110-3129) found that "Removing the spelling barrier with STT provided an opportunity for students to improve their higher-order skills, such as vocabulary diversity and overall text quality," while noting that "the magnitude of the changes and development patterns varied." MacArthur and Cavalier (Exceptional Children, 71(1), 43-58, 2004) tested dictation to a scribe and to speech recognition software as test accommodations with 31 high-school students, 21 of them with learning disabilities that affected writing: both forms of dictation produced better essays than handwriting for the students with learning disabilities, and two thirds of students reached 85 percent recognition accuracy.

The TWC Vocational Rehabilitation Services Manual tells counselors that "Technologically advanced products not shown to be effective by independent clinical evidence ... should not be purchased with VR funds" and to verify "best-value purchasing criteria" (purchase price, life-cycle cost, training cost, reliability). Here is the comparison, with sources in the PDF.

HCS and TxHmL bill adaptive aids only from the appendix list; item 258 is "a personal computer or accessory necessary for the individual to communicate independently (SP)", and software is excluded only when it is "for purposes other than to augment expressive and receptive communication." CLASS lists "appropriate software" (three per year). The template is written so the recommendation describes Blurt as augmenting expressive communication in writing: what the person cannot do by hand or keyboard, what they can do by voice, the functional goal, the settings (Private mode), the price, and the under-$500 documentation steps. Download it above.

Blurt fits people who speak clearly but struggle to get words on the page: dyslexia, dysgraphia, ADHD, many autistic students, and motor difficulty with handwriting and typing. Non-speaking people need AAC, not dictation. Atypical speech is better served by a recognizer trained for it (Voiceitt). See the note on Get it funded, and what a good fit looks like in class on Schools.