The library offers a range of helpful services. All of our appointments are free of charge and confidential.
This guide is adapted from Adaptive Technologist Support by Lake Porter and Ann Thomas, Accessibility Services, University of Toronto.
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.
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).
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
OneNote is a multi-featured digital note-taking and organizational tool included in Microsoft Office.
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.
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