New 3-unit online college course:
Assistive Technology for Learning Differences

• Offered by UCSC Extension under their Educational Therapy Certificate Program (AET-approved)
• See Course Listing for description & registration
• See AT4LD.net for additional course details
• Next class begins January 2024

My Assistive Technology Toolbox

(Last updated 7/10/23)

I use a wide variety of technologies in my practice, both high-tech and low-tech – too numerous to mention here – but I'd like to list the most significant ones that I rely on and include in my trainings.

These are tools that I currently use or have used with clients, and tools that I know are effective based on inputs from colleagues who also employ and teach assistive technology.

Because many technology products and utilities perform multiple functions, it's difficult to list them by categories such as "Technologies for Reading" and "Technologies for Writing" – certain tools would show up in several places – so I've chosen to list them in a more eclectic manner that's still somewhat logical.

Use this information to guide your exploration of potentially helpful technology, and please keep in mind that there are far, far more tools out there than are listed below – this is merely the tip of the tip of the assistive technology iceberg.  In short, this is my AT Toolbox and it meets perhaps 99% of my clients' needs.  The contents of your AT Toolbox will likely be different. ;-) 

For each product or utility in the tables below, I've listed:

• Link to the main website
• Availabiity by platform (Windows, Mac, Chrome, iOS/iPadOS, Android, and/or online)
• Brief description
• Links to additional info about the tools and how to operate them (e.g., instructions and video tutorials).

Other notes:

• Most extensions for Chromebooks and the Chrome browser (Mac, WIndows) will also work with the Windows Edge browser (Mac, Windows) as it is based on Chrome.
• Amazon Kindle Fire tablets use a proprietary version of the Android operating system; therefore, they will run most, but not all, Android apps.

Recorded (human-narrated) Audiobooks

Audiobooks are recordings of human narrators reading aloud.​  Most audiobook apps only work with media acquired from that provider (e.g., audiobooks from Learning Ally can only be used with the Learning Ally Audiobooks app).  See the section "Resources for Alternatives to Printed Text - Electronic Text (E-text) and Narrated Audiobooks" (below) for more info about media providers including eligibility requirements and the contents of their media libraries.

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Simple text-to-speech (TTS), E-readers with text-to-speech and other reading tools

Text-to-speech reads aloud selected text with human-sounding synthesized voices.  All of these utilities and apps allow the user to choose different reading voices to suit their preferences (male/female voices, adult/child voices, different accents or dialects) and their reading needs (read different languages – e.g., select a Spanish speaking voice to read aloud text in Spanish).  For some apps, additional voices can be purchased.  All allow the user to adjust reading speed; some apps also provide a pitch adjustment.

Some text-to-speech utilities called screen readers are designed primarily for visually-impaired users.  Screen readers not only read aloud text – they also speak descriptive information such as number of rows and columns in a table, format changes, and alternative-text descriptions attached to images, and include features and settings that control how users hear, learn about, and interact with elements on the screen.  For users with significant visual impairments, screen readers might be more beneficial than other simple text-to-speech options.  In the table below, VoiceOver, Narrator, and ChromeVox are screen readers.

Most of these TTS apps and utilities work with accessible text on devices (e.g., documents, webpages) as well as accessible e-text obtained from e-text sources listed below under "Resources for Alternatives to Printed Text".

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Read, Write & Study Software Suites (also called Literacy & Learning Suites)

Software that bundles multiple supports for reading, writing, and studying.

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Resources for Alternatives to Printed Text - Electronic Text (E-text) and Narrated Audiobooks​

Eligibility: Accessible versions of copyrighted books provided by Accessible Media Producers (AMPs) are generally only available to individuals who have qualifying "print disabilities".  AMPs are non-profit or governmental entities authorized to produce and distribute accessible materials to eligible people.  The following page on the Bookshare website explains more:
https://www.bookshare.org/cms/bookshare-me/who-qualifies

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Graphic Organizers and "Idea Processors" – Outliner, Mind Map, and Table Software

Outlining, mapping, and table software can help students organize ideas for writing, take notes while reading, break a large project into smaller individual tasks, understand broad concepts or complex processes – any information that benefits from a structured framework and clarifying the relationship between the whole and its parts.  As such, I often refer to such tools as "idea processors" to help students externalize the ideas in their working memory and move them on-screen where they can be more easily manipulated.  Some of these programs, apps, and web tools also include ready-made templates (and allow creation of custom templates) to scaffold a student's thinking and learning.

Many of the tools listed below work primarily as visual mind maps and graphic organizers; they allow the user to export their creations as linear text outlines, but don't allow them to work in a separate "outline mode".  I've noted those that can switch between visual graphic and text outline modes (changes made in one mode are immediately reflected in the other).

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Speech recognition (speech-to-text)

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Assorted Reading Supports

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Assorted Writing Supports

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Taking Notes & Organizing Knowledge​

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Math & Science Notation, Graphing, and Drawing​

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Math Concepts

​Apps and resources to help understand abstract math concepts with visual manipulatives.

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Math Problem Solving and Processes

Apps and resources to help understand and practice multistep problem solving and sequencing steps.​

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Assorted Aids for Managing Digital Distractions​

Technology can be both a blessing and a curse: the laptops, mobile devices, and online access so important to 21st century learning and academic accommodations can also be a constant source of distraction, leading to off-task behavior and reduced performance.  For students who need AT and also have attention and executive functioning challenges (inattention, impulse control, sense of time, etc.), the drawbacks of using digital devices can sometimes outweigh the benefits.  Fortunately, many tools, strategies, built-in utilities, and services can help highly-distractible students use their digital devices for learning without getting sidetracked.

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Assorted Aids for Attention and Executive Functioning​

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Assorted Aids to Support Mental Health and Wellness

Many kids with learning and attention challenges also deal with psychological and emotional issues such as anxiety and depression.  These might be separate conditions, or they might be a product of having to cope with their learning and attention challenges.  The following are a sampling of apps and online tools to help students with sleep, exercise, social connections, managing stress, and balancing their life.  Many of these have been evaluated and recommended by students who found that they improve emotional well-being and resilience.​

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