Assistive Technology
Dragon Naturally Speaking
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 CommandIt 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…
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Getting Started with Assistive Technology
Hi, my name is Nicholas Russo. I am an Assistive Technology Specialist. Whether you are a life long user or just getting started with Assistive Technology (AT), below are a few helpful tips to remember:
- This is always a collaborative process.
- Recommendations are only Recommendations.
- Explore and try many different types of AT to determine what works best for you.
If you have been approved for Assistive Technology through the Office of Disability Services and recently received…
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How to install Kurzweil's Read the Web
Kurzweil 3000 Read the Web Instructions for Google Chrome
- You can…
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How to use BigBlueButton with JAWS
BigBlueButton will appear in Canvas a Collaboration, and in Sakai as meetings. After you've clicked on join meeting, follow the instructions below:
- 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.
- Press Spacebar. You'll hear the words "connecting" afterward.
Common Keyboard commands
Alt + Shift + M Mute / Unmute…
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Kurzweil 3000
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Kurzweil and Read & Write Comparison
- 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.
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Messenger Pigeon
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Overview of Recommended Tools
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 WriteSee our full…
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Read&Write
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…Campus
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Resources for Apple Users
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
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…
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Text to Speech Readers (TTS)
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 ReaderFeatures:
- Text-…
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Turnitin Accessibility Topics
(Information borrowed from University of Colorado Boulder's web site)
Service OverviewTurnitin 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…
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Using Zooms Automated Captions
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 CaptionsTo activate the automated captions for users, the host will need to start closed captioning. To do so:
- 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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