[Zita]

Thanks very much for your replies and all the information, links etc - that's been very helpful!

To be honest, I wasn't sure whether the DRM could be removed from EPUB files, but I see now how to find out how to do it. I've always respected the right of copyright-holders to protect their software, music and ebooks from piracy/theft etc, and so I wouldn't usually try to strip off DRM. But in this case I wouldn't have an ethical problem with doing it, since it's only to allow someone to modify their own paid-for copy of an ebook for their own use, so that they can access it on a suitable device. The copyright-holder actually gains a sale as a result, and no-one loses.

Thanks for the suggestions of places to get non-protected EPUBs. And I'd never heard of Hanlin or Hanvon readers, but I see some of them are sold by Amazon.co.uk, so that's another possibility worth pursuing.

Piper, I hadn't realised that the voice can be slowed down on the Kindle's TTS. I tried that, switched to the male voice, and then played it over the phone to my sister, who thinks it's more usable that way. We'd also had the same idea as you about changing the font size so there are fewer words on the page, making it easier to stop and go backwards to repeat sections. It hadn't occured to me though that if you go too big, it'll drain the battery faster. It's a shame Amazon haven't made the TTS a bit more usable. With just a bit more work they could have made it as usable as it is on the expensive specialist devices for those with visual impairments (like my sister's VoiceNote). It would finally have given people like her the same access to books on the same affordable equipment that the rest of us use.

Thanks again! This all gives my sister several possibilities for finding a solution that'll work for her.