Sheila Godfrey

I did a little research to find some tools that I thought would be useful for students with accessibility needs. The first tool I investigated was Sonocent, but encountered a message and was encouraged to try Glean. I went to the Glean website, and was happy with what I had learned. Glean helps students with concentration, cognitive overload, staying organized, and knowing how to study. Students are able to do all of this by recording the class lectures, and then listening to it at their own pace while annotating with different note types. Students are able to refine their notes, organize the information, and apply back to their studies. The second tool that I checked out is called, Read&Write. This literacy support tool is beneficial to literacy level students, whether it is used to boost ones vocabulary, or it is used to help a dual language learner. Read&Write is also for students with learning disabilities, or any type of literacy challenge. It has many helpful tools such as text to speech, vocabulary lists, talk and type, audiomaker, text and picture dictionaries, and a feature called, check it, which is a proofreader and grammar check. Here is a short video about Read&Write. Another great tool is JAWS, (Job Access With Speech) it is a screen reader that was developed for computer users with vision impairments. This tool can read the text that is displayed with a speech synthesizer or Braille display. This tool will help students navigate the internet, easily fill out webforms, scan and read documents including PDF, read emails, websites and apps. The fourth tool that I checked out is called, C – Pen Reader. Students can use this reader to scan text, and hear the words read with natural voices, and it will give the definition of a word. This reader does not require wifi, it has a voice recorder for note taking, and to practice vocabulary and pronunciation. This reader will also scan and store text internally, and it scans to computers as well. It may be used in English, French, or Spanish, and the voices can come with an accent if one desires. The fifth tool that I investigated is called, FM systems. This really great for students with hearing impairments.They can wear the receiver, usually along with hearing aids, and someone else speaks into a microphone. This would be great to use in classrooms, maybe on a field trip, a theater, and restaurants. The sixth tool that I found is called, handheld magnifiers. There are a few different types of magnifiers. The handheld is easily portable, may come with a light, and some can be mounted to a stand. The video magnifiers use a video camera to display the magnified image. This can help with reading, writing, and other activities. Screen magnifiers enlarge everything on the computer screen, including the menu and navigation buttons. The final tool that I thought could help students is called, Thunder T3. These are noise canceling earmuffs. This is great for students who have a hard time focusing when hearing conversations and other background noise. There are so many more wonderful tools out there, and I encourage you to do some research to keep yourself informed so you can better help your students.