Disability and Access Services
Free and low cost assistive technology
The Office of Disability and Access Services (ODAS) is committed to identifying the latest assistive technology for students to use at little to no cost.
This page includes technology, software, or mobile apps that may be used to help students excel academically and/or in the workforce. These recommendations include technology that is compatible with Mac, Windows PC, iOS devices, and Android Devices. We strive to find assistive technology that can be obtained at a minimal cost for students. Many of these recommendations have free versions or trials that can be upgraded if the student likes it.
Read&Write
Technology: Software and Web App
Available on: Mac, Windows PC, and Google Chrome
Description: An easy-to-use toolbar that makes documents, files, and web pages more accessible.
- Read&Write integrates reading, writing, studying, and research support tools with common applications.
- Offers a variety of features, like reading out loud, built-in dictionaries, summary highlighters, and turning text to audio files.
Voice Dream Reader
Technology: Mobile App
Available on: iOS and Android
Description: Read just about anything that contains text using Voice Dream Reader.
- With advanced text-to-speech and customizable reading layout, it can be tailored to suit every reading style from completely auditory to completely visual, plus a synchronized combination of both.
- Designed for people with dyslexia, who are visually impaired, and have other learning styles.
NVDA
Technology: Web App
Available on: Windows PC
Description: Fast, functional, free screen reader assisting blind and vision impaired people to access and interact with the Windows Operating system and many third-party applications.
- Open source software
- Portable on a USB Stick; Tech support; Built in speech synthesizer supporting over 50 languages
Windows Narrator
Technology: Built-in Software
Available on: Windows PC
Description: Hear text read aloud with Windows built-in text-to-speech feature.
- Narrator lets you use your PC without a display or mouse to complete common tasks if you’re visually impaired.
- It reads and interacts with things on the screen, like text and buttons. Use Narrator to read and write an email, browse the internet, and work with documents.
Apple VoiceOver
Technology: Built-in Software
Available on: Mac and iOS devices
Description: VoiceOver does more than tell you what’s happening on your Mac or iphone. It helps you make things happen.
- For Macs, VoiceOver gives you auditory descriptions of each onscreen element and provides helpful hints along the way — whether you prefer using gestures, a keyboard, or a braille display. And it supports more than 35 languages, including multiple voice options.
- For iPhones, VoiceOver allows you to hear a description of everything happening on your screen, from battery level, to who’s calling, to which app your finger is on. You can also adjust the speaking rate and pitch to suit you.
- sVoiceOver works with any built-in apps on your Mac or iPhone.
BeeLine Reader
Technology: Google Chrome Extension
Description: BeeLine Reader makes reading onscreen easier, faster, and more enjoyable. We use a simple Cognitive trick— an eyeguiding color gradient— to pull your eyes from one line to the next. This technique increases reading speed and enhances focus.
BeeLine facilitates visual tracking and enables the reader to focus on other aspects of reading, such as decoding and comprehension. The technology facilitates a higher degree of reading comprehension among all students, but is particularly helpful for students with attention deficits, vision impairments, and dyslexia.
Sonocent Audio Notetaker
Technology: Software and Mobile App
Available on: Mac, Windows PC, Android, and iOS devices
Description: Capture all the important information simply and efficiently.
- Work with audio recordings taken on your laptop or with the free mobile app. It’s easy to go back to the key moments - audio is visualized, phrase-by-phrase.
- Type your notes, add photos, and add lecture slides alongside your recording.
- Annotate by highlighting typed notes and color-coding audio.
- Listen back to the key moments of your recording at your own pace, or search for keywords in your typed notes when reviewing.
Glean
Technology: Software and Mobile App
Available on: Mac, Windows PC, Android, and iOS devices
Description: Glean provides a streamlined audio recording solution accessed through the web browser.
- Designed to offer meaningful notes with minimal effort. Its clean workspace creates a distraction-free, stress-free process to help students focus in the moment and then later organize information to create useful notes.
- Its intuitive design means anyone can get started in just 2 minutes. Like most web apps, students can access their notes anywhere at any time. Unlike most web apps, Glean works completely offline!
Microsoft OneNote
Technology: Software/Web/Mobile App
Available on: Mac, Windows PC, Android, iOS, and Online
Description: Microsoft OneNote is a note-taking program that allows you to take notes, draw, keep to-do lists, and collaborate with other users.
- Easily access your notes from a computer and mobile device at any time.
- Record your lectures or meetings as you type your notes.
- Keep all your information in one place by importing your PowerPoint lectures into your notes or adding images/drawings.
Livescribe Echo Smartpen
Available on: Limited number of pens available for registered students to borrow from the Office of Disability and Access Services
Description: The Livescribe Echo Smartpen synchronizes audio to written notes allowing you to replay your lectures by simply tapping on your notes. Notes can be transferred to your computer and saved for fast and easy access to what’s important.
AudioNote
Available on: iOS, Android, Mac, Windows PC
Description: AudioNote combines the functionality of a notepad and voice recorder to create a powerful tool that will save you time while improving the quality of your notes. By synchronizing notes and audio, AudioNote automatically indexes your meetings, lectures, interviews, or study sessions.
Noteability
Available on: iOS, Mac
Description: Notability is a powerful note-taker to annotate documents, sketch ideas, record lectures, and more, on iPhone, iPad, and Mac. Notability is the one place to create, share, and manage your notes. It combines handwriting, typing, audio recordings, and photos so you can create notes that fit your needs.
GoodNotes
Available on: iOS, Mac
Description: GoodNotes transforms your iPad into digital paper. It’s a single place for all your handwritten notes and formerly paper-based information.
- Write and sketch with your finger or a stylus on digital paper and imported documents. You can add images, typed text, and perfect shapes to the page and reorder and resize them as you wish.
- Quickly import PDF, Word, and PowerPoint files to annotate them or create a new blank notebook to take notes
Read&Write
Technology: Software and Web App
Available on: Mac, Windows PC, and Google Chrome
Description: An easy-to-use toolbar that makes documents, files, and web pages more accessible.
- Read&Write integrates reading, writing, studying, and research support tools with common applications.
- Offers a variety of features, like reading out loud, built-in dictionaries, summary highlighters, and turning text to audio files.
Ginger
Technology: Software/Web/Mobile App
Available on: Mac, Windows PC, Android, iOS, Google Chrome Extension, Safari Extension, and Online Web page
Description: Ginger is a spelling, grammar, and punctuation-checking program that provides valuable writing support.
- Go beyond the basic spell check and grammar check, get quick access to complementary writing tools like translation, definition, contextual synonyms, and sentence rephraser.
- Ginger corrects all types of grammatical mistakes including punctuation, sentence structure, and style.
Mindly
Technology: Software and Mobile App
Available on: Mac, Android, and iOS devices
Description: Mindly is a mind-mapping program that allows you to easily organize your thoughts in an effective way that helps you focus and develop your ideas further.
- Capture your ideas. Create quick summaries. Plan your projects.
- With you all the time, on all different devices.
Canva
Technology: Software and Mobile App
Available on: Online, Android, and iOS devices
Description: Canva is an easy to use graphic design tool that allows you to organize your ideas through mind mapping and other features.
- Data visualization made easy.
- Made to fast-track your work flow.
BookShare
Technology: Web Browser
Available on: Online, computers, Chromebooks, tablets, smartphones, assistive technology devices, and more.
Description: Bookshare is an ebook library that makes reading easier. People can customize their experience and read in ways that work for them.
- Bookshare is free for all U.S. students with qualifying disabilities and less than $1 per week for other members.
- Bookshare offers huge selection of digital books, textbooks, periodicals, and assistive technology tools.
VitalSource
Technology: Web Browser
Available on: Online, computers, Chromebooks, tablets, smartphones, assistive technology devices, and more.
Description: ETextbooks and E-Textbook readers. Compatible with screen readers, built-in text-to speech function; provides magnification up to 300%, keyboard shortcuts, image descriptions, color alterations, and more.
Learning Ally
Technology: Web Browser
Available on: Online, computers, Chromebooks, tablets, smartphones, assistive technology devices, and more.
Description: Large collection of audiobooks, specifically for people with demonstrated learning disability, visual impairment, or physical disability that makes it difficult to read using traditional print.
Audible
Technology: Web Browser
Available on: Online, computers, Chromebooks, tablets, smartphones, assistive technology devices, and more.
Description: Large collection of audiobooks and spoken word entertainment. Subscription service, with some discounted content for Amazon Prime members
Project Gutenberg
Technology: Web Browser
Available on: Online, computers, Chromebooks, tablets, smartphones, assistive technology devices, and more.
Description: Free ebooks
Otter.ai
Available on: Phone or Web browser
Description: Record and review in real time. Search, play, edit, organize, and share your conversations from any device.
- Record conversations using Otter on your phone or web browser. Import or sync recordings from other services. Integrate with Zoom.
- Get real-time streaming transcripts and, within minutes, rich, searchable notes with text, audio, images, speaker ID, and key phrases.
- Share or export voice notes to inform others and get on the same page. Create groups to invite collaborators and keep organized.
iOS Dictation
Technology: Built-in Software and Mobile Feature App
Available on: Mac and iOS devices
Description: Apple Dictation is a speech recognition feature that is built into iOS and Mac products.
- The program converts speech to text and allows you to control your device with your voice.
Windows Speech Recognition
Technology: Built-in Software
Available on: Windows PC
Description: Windows Speech Recognition is a feature built into Windows PCs.
- Converts speech to text and allows you to control your device with your voice.
- Works with Microsoft Word.
Google Voice Typing
Technology: Web Feature
Available on: Online in Google Docs when using Google Chrome
Description: Google Docs Voice Typing is a feature that can be used in Google Docs when using Google Chrome as a web browser.
- Write and edit papers using your voice.
- Select, format, and move text around a document with a few phrases and voice commands.
Quizlet
Technology: Web and Mobile App
Available on: Android, iOS, Chrome Extension, and Online
Description: Improve your grades by studying with flashcards, games and more.
- A study resource that allows you to create and study your own flashcards
- Flashcards that have been created by other users can also be used as resources.
- Great for all learning styles, as it can be used to study visually and auditorily
Equatio
Technology: Software and Web App
Available on: Mac, Windows PC, Google Chrome, and Web Resource
Description: Easily add equations, formulas, graphs and more to your notes on Google Docs and Microsoft Word.
- Predicts what math expression you’re trying to write, transforms your handwriting into text, and ignores ‘umms’ and ‘errs’ when you dictate aloud
- Type, handwrite, or dictate any expression, with no tricky coding or math languages to master.
- When you’re done, just add the math to your document with a click.
- Works with Read&Write
myHomework
Technology: Software and Mobile App
Available on: Mac, Windows PC, Android, and iOS devices
Description: myHomework is an easy way to manage school life.
- Tracks classes, homework, and projects so deadlines can always be met.
Reminders
Technology: Software and Mobile App
Available on: Mac and iOS devices
Description: Reminders is a feature built into iOS and Mac products.
- Allows you to create and manage to-do items in order to organize any aspect of your life.
Google Calendar
Available on: Android, iOS devices, Online
Description: Google Calendar lets you keep track of your own events and share your calendars with others. It will send you reminders as emails, text messages, or notifications directly on your phone. When you link your calendar with your email account, any email about an event will add to your calendar automatically. It’s a great way to keep track of and balance your school, work, and/or social life.