Assistive technology supports the success of all students with tools to provide various formats of written text and audio presentations.
While some programs are specifically geared for students with disabilities, many resources are free and available to everyone. Below are tools available and links to better understand how they can help you.
WCC students may contact the Assistive Technology Specialist in Learning Support Services (LSS) with questions about assistive technology tools.
Text to Speech
Text-to-speech (TTS) is a type of assistive technology that reads digital text aloud; also called “read aloud” technology. TTS will take words from a computer or other digital device and convert them into audio. TTS is very helpful for students who struggle with reading.
Free Resources Available to Everyone
WebReader and DocReader within Blackboard
Allows students to read aloud course content (free for current WCC students).
Within Readspeaker:
- WebReader allows text content on a website (HTML) to be read aloud
- DocReader is a cloud based tool that displays and reads aloud online documents includes: PDF, PowerPoint and Word
ReadSpeaker TextAid within Blackboard
ReadSpeaker TextAid is a Web-based platform with text-to-speech (TTS) technology to translate written documents into spoken language. It is a tool that helps students overcome accessibility challenges while reading, writing, and studying.
Natural Reader Online converts any written text to audio. It allows you to listen to text instead of reading it on the screen and translates from DOC, DOCX, RTF, HTML and accessible PDF files.
Kurzweil 3000 reads text aloud from pdf files, Word documents, eBook and ePub files. It can synchronize with mobile devices. It allows making notes on files with various tools.
EquatiO is a tool designed to support students in mathematics and STEM courses. With this tool the user has the availability to type, write, and dictate expressions and equations. It also can predict expressions and transform your handwritten expressions into text. It also allows the user to grab an equation and transform it into digital text. Users can take a picture of a written equation and upload it into a digital format.
Immersive Reader with Microsoft Lens
Microsoft Lens and Immersive Reader with VoiceOver, the built-in iOS screen reader, will read scanned text, decode complex text, and focus on the text in documents out loud with simultaneous highlighting along with other special features.
Office 365 (free for all students with a ”.edu” email address) | IOS, Android
Text to Speech for Reading Web Pages
Kurzweil Read the Web extension
The Kurzweil Read the Web extension for Firefox, Microsoft Edge, and Chrome allows you to have web content read aloud.
Immersive Reader in Microsoft Edge Browser
Immersive Reader in Microsoft’s Edge simplifies web page layouts, removes clutter, and helps you customize your reading experience in Windows 10 and Windows 11.
Free for all students.
Speech to Text (Dictation)
Speech-to-text is a type of software that takes audio content and transcribes it into written words in a word processor or other display. This type of speech recognition software is extremely valuable to anyone who needs to generate a lot of written content without a lot of manual typing.
Free Resources Available to Everyone
Dictate is an Office add-in for Windows Outlook, Word and PowerPoint that converts speech to text using speech recognition behind Cortana and Microsoft Translator.
Office 365 (free for all students with a ”.edu” email address).
Google Voice Typing in Google Docs
Google Voice Typing lets the user dictate using your computer’s microphone.
Speech Notes is a voice recognition software that enables speech to be converted automatically into text.
Screen Reader
A screen reader is a form of assistive technology (AT) that provides text and image content as speech or braille output. Screen readers are essential to people who are blind and are useful to people who are visually impaired or have a learning disability. Text must be specially formatted to be read with a screen reader.
Free Resources Available to Everyone
ChromeVox is a screen reader created by Google that allows users to browse the Internet with the aid of synthesized speech played through their speakers or headphones.
Free Chrome plugin.
NVDA (Nonvisual Desktop Access)
NVDA is a free and open source, portable screen reader for Microsoft Windows.
VoiceOver is the free built-in screen reader available on all Apple computers running Mac OS X Tiger or later.
Screen Magnifiers
Enlarge screen content making the information accessible to students with visual disabilities/low-vision users.
Free Resources Available to Everyone
Zoom is a screen magnification accessibility tool available on all macOS and iOS products. Enable the feature from the Apple menu.
Note Taking
Instructor permission is required for recording unless an approved accommodation by LSS.
Free Resources Available to Everyone
Microsoft OneNote is a note-taking program for free-form information gathering and multi-user collaboration. It gathers users' notes, drawings, screen clippings, and audio commentaries.
Office 365 (free for all students with a ”.edu” email address) | iOS, Android
For Purchase (All Students)/Loan from LSS (Qualified Students)
The Livescribe Smartpen may be purchased by anyone. WCC students may borrow equipment if eligible as a student with a disability. Contact Learning Support Services.
The Livescribe Smartpen records what the user writes, draws and hears. A camera tracks what is written or drawn and the built-in microphone records the audio.
A digital voice recorder is media-free. It converts sounds to digital files and doesn’t require a cassette, CD, or another type of media to store the files. Instead, the files are saved on small, lightweight memory cards that you can easily remove from the device.
Captions for Video
Free Resources Available to Everyone
Closed captioning is a method of presenting sound information to a viewer who is deaf or hard-of-hearing.
Closed captioning provides a text display of the spoken part of a video presentation for viewers who are deaf or have difficulty hearing. It is also useful when learning to speak a non-native language or where audio is difficult to hear or intentionally muted.