Assistive Technology

What is Assistive Technology (AT)?

Assistive Technology (AT) are solutions that help people perform tasks despite an accessibility barrier they face.  This could range from a software that reads your books out loud to you; to a setting your computer that makes text more visible. Some of these solutions take the form of software, other times it is hardware. Any AT we provide to a student must be approved as part of a student’s accommodations by their coordinator. 

AT Examples

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Dragon Naturally Speaking by Nuance has become the leader in Speech to Text and Speech Command. They offer several different products, each which have been enhanced to fulfill a specific need. It is important you review the specification of each product to choose the right one for you.

Speech Command

It is recommended by Nuance to use Dragon Professionals Individual license for the desktop. This version has been optimize to control common operations on your computer. Specific software may require macros. For assistance with setting…

 

Glean is an application that can be used from a computer or mobile device for recording lectures. Users can embed PDFs to accompany the audio recording. Students can add their own text notes alongside the recording and can highlight sections of the audio for future reference. 

 

If you are registered with the Office of Disability Services and looking to utilize this as an accommodation please be sure to speak with your campus’ ODS Coordinator.Feature listFeature CategoryDetailsPlatforms:

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Kurzweil 3000 Read the Web Instructions for Google Chrome

1. You can…

BigBlueButton will appear in Canvas a Collaboration, and in Sakai as meetings. After you've clicked on join meeting, follow the instructions below:

1. The first thing you'll hear is "Join audio alert dialogue" . Click your tab key to select the Microphone or Listen only option.  Listen only, will enter you into the room with your microphone muted.
2. Press Spacebar. You'll hear the words "connecting" afterward.

 

Common Keyboard commands

Alt + Shift + M    Mute / Unmute…

Kurzweil 3000 is an accessibility software designed to help students learn course materials in school. With functions such as text-to-speech, highlighting, and integrated note-taking and brainstorming, this assistive technology enables students with learning difficulties to fully engage in what they are learning and to focus on the tasks at hand.

Summary

• Both offer text-to-speech, speech-to-text, OCR, and access to the cloud.
• Texthelp includes built-in math support, Kurzweil does not.
• Both offer Windows and Mac support; however, Texthelp offers better web and mobile applications.
• Kurzweil works better for reading Textbooks and PDFs while Texthelp is better at reading websites and EPUBs.

Messenger Pigeon is a full-featured note-taking suite that utilizes human note-takers.

Interacting with your Course Materials:

Our office provides both Kurzweil 3000 and Read&Write Gold as the recommended tool for interacting with the course content we offer you.

Comparison of Kurzweil and Read&Write

Based on Preferred PlatformPlatformRecommended OptionDesktopEqualMobileRead and WriteWebRead and WriteBased on Reading TypeReading TypeRecommended OptionTextbooksKurzweil 3000WebsitesRead and WritePDFsKurzweil 3000ePubsRead and Write

See our full…

Read&Write is a literacy software with text-to-speech and other note-taking functions to ease students' reading of text files and articles online. There are many features within this software that can help students write  their papers and read texts such as reading out loud, text prediction,  dictionaries, highlighters, and spelling, grammar, and confusable word checks. 

If you are registered with the Office of Disability Services and looking to utilize this as an accommodation please be sure to…

Mac OS- Laptop and desktop resources

If you are using an Apple laptop or iMac device the following items are useful for you to download and trial before classes start. Apple by default has many accessibility tools built into your device and requires no additional downloads. In some cases these tools are better then software available online. In those cases, where we felt it there was an equal or better solution we provided that information below along side the native IOS software.

 

Text-to-Speech (TTS) Reader

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Screen readers are used by individuals who are blind or have low vision, to read and navigate their computer. Below are some common types of screen reading software:

 

If you are registered with the Office of Disability Services and looking to utilize this as an accommodation please be sure to speak with your campus’ ODS Coordinator.

NonVisual Desktop Access (NVDA)

NVDA is a free, open-source Screen Reader, for…

There is a variety of Text to Speech tools that allow students who have a difficult time reading print text to listen to their textbooks, webpages, or pdf files with little to no training required. Many of these tools are now offered free and require no subscriptions to use. 

Below are some of our favorites:

Natural Reader

Features:

• Text-to-Speech software that can be used for Microsoft Word, Webpages, PDFs, and Email
• Customize reading voice and speed…

Turnitin Accessibility Topics 

(Information borrowed from University of Colorado Boulder's web site)

Service Overview

Turnitin is an originality-checking service that instructors can enable for assignments in Canvas. There are two layers of Turnitin that students can access: originality scores in Canvas and Turnitin Feedback Studio. Students may view the originality score within Canvas under Submission…

Automated Captions are now available for all Rutgers Zoom accounts. Once activated by the host, all users will have the opportunity to benefit from this feature.

Activating Automated Captions

To activate the automated captions for users, the host will need to start closed captioning. To do so:

1. After launching your meeting, click on the Live Transcript button, located at the bottom of the zoom window (next to Record).
   
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