The purpose of accessibility tools in education is essential to help all students learn and reach their full potential even when faced with various challenges such as visual impairments or reading disabilities. As education moves into the online space and the world becomes more and more reliant on technology, technology must be also made accessible for everyone including persons with disabilities or any impairments requiring special consideration. It is therefore also crucial for all educators to become familiar with accessibility tools that can be integrated into their classrooms to ensure that every student can follow along with lessons, learn and collaborate freely. The following are some accessibility tools that I found very interesting and easily applicable to my classroom:
- Rocketbook Beacons
Rocketbook is a particularly useful tool for educators that turns traditional whiteboards into portable smartboards. The tool allows educators to easily set up a traditional erase whiteboard into an interactive smartboard. The tool uses four beacons with an adhesive backing placed on the four corners of a whiteboard. The educator can then take pictures of any notes taken on the whiteboards and sync them with any cloud service to share with students in real time. The tool also allows educators to add widgets and stickers to make the notes more interactive. The tool can easily be implemented in resource-strained areas to allow students to have greater retention of information shared in class as it can be accessed later on.
2. Read&Write
Read&Write is a tool that aims to make education more accessible to everyone who needs it. The tool works in a variety of ways including reading texts on various platforms out loud for students. The tool also helps students in identifying and understanding unfamiliar words, conduct research on multiple platforms such as Google and Chrome, and also proofread written work on platforms such as google docs or Word online. The tool has a toolbar that allows users to select the option or assistance they require within specific settings such as websites, google docs, or word online. The tool is particularly useful for students with learning or physical disabilities, allowing them to participate in education spaces effectively. The tool is available as an extension in Chrome and can easily be accessed through a toolbar provided on download.
3. Glean
Glean is an audio note-taking tool that allows students to make the best of classroom time. The tool can take notes for students from classrooms allowing them to more actively engage in class. Taking notes for students helps students who struggle with written notes and frees up time for more engagement in class. The note-taking tool allows students to fully participate in the classroom which means they are less likely to miss out on important information while stressing about taking notes. Beyond note-taking, the tool also helps students organize their notes, refine their notes and also demonstrate their learning through various assessments. The tool is available for download and uses across multiple operating systems which make it even more convenient, though it comes at a cost. Schools and campuses can minimize this cost to their students by registering and applying the tool across their campuses allowing all students to access the tool.
4. Chrome Keyboard Access
Chrome commits to being completely accessible through the keyboard. The keyboard accessibility includes several shortcuts for certain tools that allows persons with physical disabilities or impairments that prevent them from using a mouse to still use the application. One of the most useful shortcuts provided by Chrome is F6 or Shift+F6 which allows one to switch between different tabs on the screen. Shift+Alt+T allows one to access and navigate the toolbar and Shift+Alt+B allows one to navigate to their saved bookmarks. These options make Chrome more accessible to students and users alike.
5. Chrome Visual Support
Chrome Visual support increases accessibility to the application for users with visual impairments or reading disabilities. For instance, one can zoom in on different websites on the app making reading much easier for people who struggle with smaller texts. The option is available on the toolbar and allows one to make texts larger or smaller depending on personal preference. Chrome also allows one to change the font type and size for texts which makes it easier to read for persons with visual impairments or learning disabilities. The tool is available on the Chrome options page and allows the settings to override any presets made within a website to change the font options.
6. VoiceOver
VoiceOver is an application that is available on Mac computers and allows people with severe visual impairments or blindness to use Mac computers. The app reads out various aspects of a Mac computer to the user such as icons, texts in documents, menus, and other content. The majority of the content on a screen can be read out to the user with relatively easy navigation through the app admits that it would take a bit of training and practice to understand and use some complex commands. The users can use the program’s built-in commands to navigate their computer screens and hear on-screen content from their devices.
7. Speak It
Speak It is the final accessibility tool that allows users to convert text to speech. The tool is available as a Chrome extension and can therefore be used on a variety of websites allowing for greater accessibility. Using the tool is relatively easy as all one has to do is select the desired speech, right click and select the speak it option. The tool is available in a variety of languages including English, Dutch, Spanish, and French. Other aspects of the sound can also be adjusted to one’s preference such as the pitch, volume, and rate of the sound.
These tools can be easily integrated and used by students to make education more accessible. Accessibility tools are necessary to create a more inclusive and integrated learning environment. Therefore, all educators should be aware of the various tools available to provide the necessary support to their students when needed.