Seven Accessibility Tools Teachers Should Tell Their Student About

Accessibility in education is about making sure every student can engage and access the content regardless of abilities or learning differences. It shouldn't matter whether a student is dyslexic, hard of hearing, limited motor skills, or if English is a second language. spent time investigating tools from Stockton University's Accessibility Toolbox, Common Sense Education, Google Workspace, and Microsoft. These are the seven I found the most helpful.

1. Microsoft Immersive Reader

Best for: Reading comprehension, dyslexia, visual processing difficulties

Immersive Reader is built directly into Word, OneNote, Teams, and Edge and does not require a seperate download. The most useful features include line focus where the lines get highlighted 1 or 2 at a time, syllable breakdown for difficult words, variable text spacing, and read-aloud that has an adjustable speed. It also adds translation in 100+ languages.

2. Read&Write by Texthelp

Best for: Reading, writing, and research support across multiple disability categories

Read&Write is a toolbar that provides text-to-speech, word prediction, a picture dictionary, screen masking, and a highlighter for collecting research. Stockton University provides this program for free to students on the goStockton portal. It works across platforms, so a student can use it in Google Docs, a PDF, or a webpage, The voice quality is also very natural compared to built-in screen readers.

3. Google Voice Typing

Best for: Motor disabilities, writing difficulties, ADHD

Voice Typing in Google Docs converts speech into text in real time. It supports punctation with verbal commands indicators like "period" or "comma" to allow for correct sentences. Google has made this feature available in other writing softwares like Slides or across all Chromebook systems. For students with motor challenges or ADHD, this allows them to be more organized and efficient.

4. Google Meet Live Captions

Best for: Deaf and hard-of-hearing students, auditory processing disorders, English language learners

Live Captions display a real-time text version of whatever is being said during a Google Meet call. Google also implemented a Companion Mode, which allows transcribing of in-person instruction through devices owned by students. Captions are also viable in Google Slides during presentations.

5. Microsoft Translator

Best for: Multilingual learners, language barriers in collaborative settings

Microsoft Translator lets a group of students join a conversation with a shared code. As each person speaks their words are translated in real time to each participant in their language. This is a valuable tool for classrooms with different linguistic backgrounds who need to collaborate. Translator is integrated into Immersive Reader that's available in any Microsoft 365 document.

6. NaturalReader

Best for: Visual impairments, reading difficulties, audio-based learners

NaturalReader converts PDFs, Word documents, ebooks, and web pages into spoken audio with voices that sounds similar to a real person. The free version provides 20 minutes per day of their premium voice access. Premium plans add OCR (Optical Character Recognition), meaning it can read scanned PDFs or images of text. This is a great solution for students who receive physical handouts. It is available on natural reader.com as a web app, desktop app, and Chrome extension.

7. Reading Progress in Microsoft Teams

Best for: Reading fluency, pronunciation, and confidence building

Reading Progress lets students record themselves reading a passage aloud inside of Microsoft Teams. It tracks reading speed, accuracy, and mispronounced words. Teachers are able to provide feedback of this recordings without putting them on the spot in front of others. The pronunciation tracking is very useful because it allows a private use. This software service is included in Microsoft 265 Education licenses.