Seven Accessibility Tools

Assistive technology is transforming the way we read, write, and engage with content. Whether you're a student, educator, or someone looking for accessibility support, there are many beneficial tools designed to make digital communication more inclusive. Let’s get into some examples of these incredible tools:

Google Docs - Voice Typing

Voice Typing in Google Docs is a hands-free writing tool that is perfect for anyone who finds typing challenging or simply wants to capture ideas quickly. This tool is very easy to use and is available right in a Google document. Just go to the “Tools” tab and select “Voice Typing.” A microphone will appear and users can just click on the icon when they are ready to use and click again to stop the voice typing.

Microsoft - Immersive Reader

Microsoft’s Immersive Reader is a built-in feature in Microsoft Edge and across many Microsoft 365 apps, designed to make reading easier for everyone. It offers adjustable text size, spacing, background colors, read-aloud features, and grammar tools. In the classroom, it’s a great resource for teachers to personalize support for students learning to read. Immersive Reader makes text more accessible, guided, and user-friendly for all kinds of learners.

Screen Readers

For individuals with visual impairments, screen readers are essential. These tools convert text on a screen into speech or Braille, allowing users to navigate websites, read documents, and interact with content independently. Some of the most widely used screen readers include JAWS, Dolphin ScreenReader, Microsoft Narrator, and NVDA for Windows. There are also tools like Orca, TalkBack (Android), and ZoomText for other platforms and needs. Screen readers help make sure everyone has equal access to digital spaces.

C-Pen Reader

The C-Pen Reader is a tool that helps to improve reading skills, aid comprehension, and promote independence for individuals with difficulty reading or who may be learning a new language. The C-Pen Reader is an easy, pocket-sized tool that scans words and reads them aloud, using text-to-speech technology. 

Google Slides - Speaker Notes and Live Captions

Google Slides presents a tool for speaker notes and caption features to help individuals expand their presentations while also benefiting others who are viewing the presentation. The speaker notes section helps presenters stay on track, while the live captions feature displays spoken words in real-time on the screen. This can be a game changer for those with hearing impairments, language learners, or anyone sitting in the back of the room. Speaker notes and live captions is all about making presentations more accessible and engaging.

Microsoft Windows - Color Filters

Although color filters are often associated with photography, they have another important role with accessibility. For individuals who are color-blind or have difficulty focusing on on-screen text, changing color contrast or applying filters can dramatically imp
rove one’s ability to read. Adjusting these settings can make text pop, reduce eye strain, and help maintain concentration. It’s a small tweak that can make a big impact.

Google Meet - Transcripts

Transcripts in Google Meet allows participants to review and edit meeting dialogue in written form. This is beneficial for referencing key points, creating meeting minutes, and keeping everyone on the same page. Transcripts also helps people of another language to receive the meeting dialogue in the language they know best. For example, the meeting transcripts are available in English, French, German, Italian, Japanese, Korean, Portuguese, and Spanish. 

 

 Seven Accessibility Tools in Microsoft 

Built in Dictation Functionality

This tool found in Microsoft allows for students to use speech to text to verbalize their ideas when writing. This can be helpful for students who have a hard time spelling or typing! This can be useful for elementary ed and secondary ed!

Magnify Reader 

This tool can be used to help zoom in on text and make it bigger. It can be useful to students who have disabilities regarding their vision. This tool also allows for the user to drag their cursor over words and the computer will read the text to the user. This can be useful for students who are still working on their foundational reading skills!

Color Filters 

This tool is available for students who may be color blind. They can change the setting to help assist them in distinguishing between visuals. The options are as follow: Inverted, gray scale, grayscale inverted, red-green (red weak, red-green (green weak), and blue-yellow. There are many different options for students pending on which lights their eyes can process and those they can not. 

Text Scaling

This tool can make text appear bigger or smaller depending on the user's needs. This does not distort the visual layout and may be useful for those who struggle reading smaller text or for those who need the text to be smaller! Whatever it may be Microsoft can make it happen!

Mouse Pointer

Microsoft offers a tool that allows for the mouse cursor to appear, larger smaller, inverted or a different color depending on the user's needs. This can make it easier for the user to follow along during instruction and navigation!

Narrator

It is a tool that is a screen reader. It can read and describe what is being seen on the screen aloud. This app supports more than 50 different languages and can be used for those who are learning in a different language and students who have vision differences. 

Immersive Reader

This tool allows for detraction free reading experience. Students can adjust the text to make it easier to see as well as having text read aloud to them. This supports students who are learning parts of speech and can translate words for students who have learning disabilities or language differences. 

Seven Helpful Accessibility Tools

Accessibility tools are total amazing for students who need a little extra support whether that’s with reading, writing, communicating, or just navigating technology. After exploring some helpful resources, I have found seven tools that really stand out compared to the others.

Read&Write

This is a powerful tool for supporting students with learning differences like dyslexia or ADHD. It works as a toolbar and offers features like text-to-speech, word prediction, and a dictionary. What makes it so effective is how it helps students engage with text in ways that suit their individual needs, so no matter who uses it there is something that can be gained.

Voice Typing

Voice Typing allows the words that you speak to be automatically written down on the page. It is perfect for students who have difficulty typing or expressing themselves through writing. Instead of worrying about spelling or punctuation, they can focus on getting their thoughts out onto the page. It’s also great for when students are doing brainstorming activities so time can be saved by avoiding the need for writing everything down manually.

Microsoft Immersive Reader

Microsoft Immersive Reader creates a space free of distractions for reading and lets students customize the experience. They can change the background color, adjust text size, break text into syllables, or even have it read aloud. This tool is especially helpful for students who struggle with paying attention when reading. 

Snap&Read

This might be one of the most versatile tools out there. It can read any text on a webpage aloud, translate it into different languages, simplify it, or even help create an outline of the content. It’s a lifesaver for students who are overwhelmed by heavy reading assignments or for those who benefit from simpler language and visual supports. 

ChromeVox

ChromeVox is great for students who are blind or visually impaired. It is a screen reader that reads everything on the screen aloud, making it easier to navigate documents, web pages, and assignments without relying on sight. It gives students the independence to use their device fully and participate in class just like everyone else. 

Beeline Reader

Beeline Reader changes the color of text across lines to guide the reader’s eyes more smoothly. This color gradient helps students stay focused and improves reading speed, especially for those with attention or tracking issues. 

Ava

Ava is a live captioning app that provides captions during conversations. This is especially helpful for students who are deaf or hard of hearing. Whether it’s an in person class discussion or an online lecture, Ava transcribes speech instantly so students can follow along and participate with the rest of the class. 

These tools all help education become more accessible. Everyone learns differently, and with the right support, every student can feel empowered to succeed.

Presenter Coach: AI presentation assistance

For many people, presenting is difficult. Although they try their hardest to be prepared, they ultimately may do so without proper assistance. What exactly is the goal when practicing for a presentation? Is it memorization? Is it sounding good? Is it sounding like you know what you're talking about? In the pursuit of practice, we may focus on one or none of those things. Microsoft saw this issue and, alongside their PowerPoint and with the explosion of AI, developed Presenter Coach. Which is quite literally a presentation coach. Released in 2022, Microsoft's presenter coach is "an artificial intelligence-powered technology assistant that can help teachers and students prepare for presentations," and it works by "listening to your voice as you present, scanning the slide for content, and determining what you may need to work on"(Sail the 7 Cs with Microsoft Education, communicators chapter). This tool enables the PowerPoint itself to grade how well you are presenting. Instead of consulting a multitude of websites, people, or anything else, Microsoft's AI can run and aid you from the comfort of your desk, couch, chair, or really anywhere you can set up and work. As AI continues to become refined, this tool will surely be improved to understand more within whatever context is presented to it. Now, safety and privacy could be a concern with voice recording. However, Microsoft does not store information or voice logs, instead, Presenter Coach simply gives feedback and deletes voice logs afterwards(Sail the 7 Cs with Microsoft Education, communicators chapter). This is important because it reinforces Microsoft's stance on privacy and really shows that they care for the protection of students or youth who use their tool.

In the classroom, both students and teachers can utilize this tool. Teachers, to prepare for a lesson that involves lecturing off slides; Students, to prepare for a project that has them reading off slides. Of course, eventually, maybe with the aid of Presenter Coach, both students and teachers should become capable of presenting and not reading off slides. With the ability to publically speak so important, Presenter Coach proves to be a valuable tool to aid those who struggle in that sector and to help those who are skilled refine said skills. Tools like this, built in for free, are reasons why PowerPoint is the number 1 presentation software worldwide. As long as Microsoft continues to produce new tools and refine preexisting tools that aid students and teachers alike, it will continue to be on top of the presentation software industry. PowerPoint Presenter Coach is a perfect example of Microsoft adapting to the rise of AI and harnesing it to create opportunities for their users.