Resources

Assistive Technology

These tools could be useful for all learners and many offer free versions.

Voice Recognition (Speech-to-Text)

These technologies can be especially helpful for people who have physical disabilities which makes writing or typing difficult or people who have attention disorders.

• Quick Voice Recorder: use this voice recorder for iPhone, iPad, iPod

• Dictation in Google Chrome: enable speech recognition to write emails and documents in Google Chrome

• SpeechTexter: use this multilingual speech-to-text application

• Windows 10 Voice Recognition: teach Windows 10 to recognize your voice

• Dictanote: take notes in this app with integrated speech recognition

Screen Readers (Text-to-Speech)

These technologies can be especially helpful for people who have vision impairments, struggle with reading on their own and/or reading comprehension, or people who have attention disorders.

• Microsoft Office Speak: use this built-in feature to have text read aloud in Word, Outlook, PowerPoint, and OneNote

• ChromeVox: enable the built-in screen reader for Chromebooks

• VitalSource: listen to eTextbooks with additional study tools, like color coded annotations and flashcard review

Note Taking & Concept Mapping

These technologies can be especially helpful for people who have cognitive impairments, those who struggle with organization and/or memory, and people who have attention disorders.

• SimpleMind: organize thoughts into a mind map

• Merriam-Webster Dictionary: use this online dictionary, which features voice search, thesaurus, and example sentences

• Pocket: capture and save content to review at a later time

• MindMeister: create mind maps to structure ideas

• Evernote: easily create text, photo, and audio notes

• Audio Class Notes: record and keep track of class notes

Captioning Services

These technologies are used to create closed-captioned videos, which can be especially helpful for people who have auditory impairments, English language learners, and people with attention disorders.

• Webex Assistant: live transcription, closed captioning and translations for Webex meetings

• Otter: live transcription, closed captioning and translations for Zoom meetings

• YouTube: automatic and editable closed-captioning for uploaded or streamed videos

Support Websites for UDL

These helpful websites provide additional information for educators.

• CAST - The UDL Guidelines

• CAST – UDL in Higher Ed

• DO-IT – Universal Design

• Understood.org – UDL Teacher’s Guide

• Access Project – UDL Teaching Resources

• AHEAD - Inclusive Teaching Strategies

• EDUCAUSE – UDL Resources

Support Websites for Accessibility

These websites provide information on how to create accessible documents.

• PowerPoint - creating presentations and checking accessibility

• Word - creating documents and checking accessibility

• PDF - checking accessibility with Acrobat Pro

• National Clearinghouse of Rehabilitation Training Materials has developed a playlist of video guides and tutorials on creating accessible documents along with checking and remediating accessibility issues.

• Poet Training Tool - Writing Effective Image Descriptions