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Assistive Technology at Library Accessibility Services

Kurzweil 3000: For Students with Learning Disabilities (Reading)

Kurzweil 3000 is a text-to-speech tool designed for students with learning disabilities involving reading. It highlights and reads digital text aloud using customizable voices and variable speed options. In addition to text-to-speech, Kurzweil includes document annotation tools and writing features. 

What kind of reading difficulties does Kurzweil address? 

Kurzweil addresses difficulties with the mechanics of reading that can interrupt reading fluency. These interruptions can include losing one’s spot on the page (tracking), misreading words, and reading “word by word” (forgetting the beginning of the sentence before reaching the end). 

Benefits:

Kurzweil’s text-to-speech can assist the reading process by taking over reading pace and reducing the interruptions that interfere with fluent reading. This can help the reader move beyond the mechanics of reading and concentrate more on understanding the text. 

Limitations: 

Text-to-speech on its own does not address crucial learning skills such as knowing what is important in your readings or using active reading strategies to stay motivated and focused on lengthy or complex material. 

Schedule an appointment for studying and reading help. 

More information: 

Alternative text to speech options (free)

Glean: App for Note Taking

Glean is a note-taking app designed specifically for students and aims to enhance the note-taking experience by incorporating features that help with organizing, reviewing, and understanding class materials more effectively. 

Who might benefit from using Glean? 

Glean may benefit students with disabilities that impact their ability to take effective notes in class, including those disabilities that affect working memory, attention, auditory processing or writing speed. 

Benefits: 

  • Allows students who learn best through visual aids such as diagrams, charts, and structured notes can benefit greatly from Glean's ability to organize information visually and allow for interactive engagement with notes. 
  • Users who learn well through listening may find Glean useful because it supports recorded lectures and audio notes, allowing them to revisit information through sound. 
  • Organizational features like structured note-taking templates and tagging system, which help in maintaining a clear and organized study material. 
  • Individuals who are comfortable with technology and prefer digital solutions for notetaking and studying may find Glean intuitive and efficient to use. 
  • Accessibility features, such as customizable text sizes and colors, and its compatibility with screen readers, make it beneficial for students with diverse learning needs. 

Limitations: 

  • Glean operates primarily as a cloud-based platform, meaning it requires a stable internet connection for full functionality. Offline access may be limited, which could be problematic for students in areas with unreliable internet service. 
  • While Glean offers customization options, such as note templates and tagging, some users may find the degree of customization limited compared to other note-taking tools that offer more flexibility in personalizing notes and study materials. 

More information:

Dragon Speech Recognition

Dragon Professional is a speech recognition software that is used with a microphone to convert spoken language to digital text or to utilize verbal commands to control a (Windows) computer. 

What kind of writing difficulty does Dragon address? 

Speech recognition was originally used by students with mobility/physical disabilities or injuries that impacted the ability to type or write. However, Dragon can also benefit students with disabilities affecting written expression, including difficulties with spelling, the mechanics of writing, or transferring ideas to paper. Voice recognition may also be beneficial to students with health-related disabilities that necessitate lying down to work or a reduction in screen time. 

Benefits: 

  • Reduces reliance on finger, hand and wrist use – eases mechanical aspects of typing. 
  • Allows a variety of work positions, reduced time looking at screen, alternating typing and speaking. 
  • Shifts focus from physical typing to expression of thoughts. 
  • Can increase legibility of written output – more representative of true oral language skills. 
  • Can decrease anxiety – less worry about spelling, mechanics, getting started. 
  • Necessitates editing and proof-reading of written work. 

Limitations: 

  • Users must be mindful of vocal strain – breaks are especially important. 
  • Learning curve – it takes time, practice and patience for use with academic writing (quite different from conversational language). 
  • Some specific language disorders may make speech recognition more difficult or ineffective. 
  • Requires a quiet workspace and a well-functioning computer with adequate processing speed. 

More information: 

Alternative voice recognition options (free):

Mindomo: Mind mapping software for written expression

Mindomo is a mind-mapping tool that is designed to help capture, organize and present ideas visually. Maps can be converted to outlines and then exported to MS Office to facilitate the writing process. 

Who might benefit from mind-mapping software? 

  • Students with learning disabilities affecting written expression. 
  • Students with disabilities that impact cognitive functioning, including planning, organizing thoughts and ideas, memory and recall, problem solving. 
  • Students who are strong visual learners. 
  • Students with difficulty beginning the writing process. 

Processes mind-mapping can help with: 

  • Brainstorming and capturing ideas to start the writing process. 
  • Organizing and sequencing ideas to assist in planning a piece of writing. 
  • Breaking down complex concepts and ideas into smaller pieces. 
  • Exploring ideas and the connections between them for deeper understanding. 
  • Creating visual associations to trigger memory. 

Limitations: 

  • It can be tempting to spend too much time on a mind map making it look attractive. Keep in mind that the writing assignment/presentation of ideas is the end goal, not the map itself. 
  • Because there is no limit to the size and scope of a map, be wary of creating one that is too large and complicated to be useful as an outline. Remember to regularly review and re-assess the main idea. 

More information:

Alternative mind-mapping options (free):

Immersive Reader: Free Reading Support Tool within Microsoft Office

Immersive Reader is a multi-featured reading tool that supports the comprehension and readability of digital text for a wide variety of learners. It is built-in to many Microsoft platforms including Word, OneNote, Outlook, Edge and Teams. 

Features: 

Immersive Reader is highly customizable and includes text-to-speech to improve reading fluency as well as text enhancements such as font, size, and word spacing.  Users can also select from several colour themes to improve visual access. Other features include line spacing options and a focus mode to reduce visual crowding and help sustain attention. 

Benefits: 

Immersive Reader is free and embedded in existing Microsoft products that are already available and familiar to students. 

The wide range of features support a variety of learning styles and needs, including those that struggle with decoding, fluency, focus and English language learning. 

Training:

OneNote: For Note-Taking

OneNote is a multi-featured digital note taking and organizational tool free to all students with their Office 365 subscription. OneNote automatically saves and synchronizes notes across platforms and devices. 

Organization: 

  • OneNote’s use of colour-coded notebooks, sections and pages mimics the familiar look of paper notebooks and allows students to keep all their school and class information organized in one place. 
  • Additional notebooks can be created for work, project, leisure, and personal organization. 
  • Notebooks, sections, pages and notes can easily be moved, added, deleted or renamed. 
  • Tags and tag summaries can be used to categorize and prioritize notes and pages. 
  • Everything in OneNote is fully searchable by keyword within pages, and across sections and notebooks. 

Adding content: 

  • Type notes anywhere on borderless pages or use and customize one of the many available templates. 
  • Use ink to add drawings, diagrams or handwrite notes - convert ink to text or math. 
  • Insert tables, web links, screen clippings, and to-do lists. 
  • Add readings, documents and slides as file attachments or as file printouts to annotate. 
  • Embed audio recordings and videos that can be played directly within the app. 
  • Record lectures (with permission) and synchronize recorded audio with notes. 

Getting started with OneNote: 

OneNote: For Annotating Readings

OneNote is a multi-featured digital note-taking and organizational tool included in Microsoft Office. 

Why annotate when reading? 

Annotating helps make reading more meaningful and keeps the reader more active and engaged. Annotation slows down the reading process to increase understanding and retention and makes it easier to go back and find information later. 

How annotation works in OneNote: 

  • Insert a PDF printout of the document onto any page of a notebook. 
  • Use tools from the Draw ribbon to highlight text, circle, and add drawings or handwritten notes. 
  • Use Text Mode to add typed notes directly on top of, or alongside, the document. 
  • Add tags to the document. Search, filter or create a tag summary. 
  • Export the new document, with annotations, as a PDF. 

Why OneNote? 

  • OneNote is free and included in Office 365 that is already available and familiar to students. 
  • OneNote’s use of notebooks, sections and pages mimics that of paper notebooks and allows students to keep all their information organized in one place. 
  • OneNote automatically saves and synchronizes notes across devices. 
  • Everything in OneNote, including PDFs, is fully searchable by keyword. 

Other tools for annotation: 

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