Accessibility Tools

Texthelp Read&Write is a literacy support tool that offers help for everyday tasks. With tools to meet the needs of different learners, right across the curriculum. Like reading text out loud, understanding unfamiliar words and proofing written work.

It is installed by default on all open access computers. 

To download and use this on your own device please follow the steps below:

• Login at https://mysmusoftware.apporto.com/
• Use St Marys credentials username@stmarys.ac.uk or regnum@live.stmarys.ac.uk
• Click Read&Write – Windows or Read&Write - OSX.
• This shows the License Key and URL to the KI for instructions.
• Click the Download button to take you to the software website.
• Click Try Read&Write.
• Select your operating system.
• Once you have installed the downloaded file, launch Read&Write from the desktop icon or Start Menu.
• Read&Write will open and you will see a small window in the top right of your screen.
• Application Window for Read&Write.
• Click on the purple icon to open the login menu.
• Select the option Sign in with Microsoft Login menu for Read&Write Log in with your Office 365 username and password - for students regnum@live.stmarys.ac.uk (staff - username@stmarys.ac.uk).
• If you are prompted to accept permissions for the app to access your account, click Accept.
• The app should now be fully logged in and ready to use.

Guidance for TextHelp Read & Write is available below:

• How to play back text from word or a web site, and customize the playback voice
  
• How to use the talk & type feature using Read & Write
• How to playback from a PDF using Read & Write

• How to set up and use the screen masking feature using Read & Write

There are a number of paid screenreading tools available, but there are also some free third-party tools available, as well as tools built-in to Microsoft and Apple operating systems.

• NVDA is a free screenreader available for download:
  • NVDA can be downloaded from the NVAccess website
  • A full user guide is available from the NVAccess website.

• For Microsoft's Windows 10, there is the Narrator tool. A complete guide for using Narrator is available from Microsoft.
• For Apple's macOS, there is the VoiceOver tool. A complete user guide for using VoiceOver is available from Apple.

There are a number of free online tools that can be used to convert your spoken words into text for you to save, or copy and paste into a document.

• Dictation.io - allows you to copy, save, publish, tweet, email and print the dictated text.
• TalkTyper - allows you to copy, print, email, tweet and translate the dictated text.
• GBoard - Google's smartphone keyboard allows for voice dictation for typing. It also iuncludes handwriting typing, glide typing, and google translate.

In most browsers, you can navigate using the Focus by pressing the Tab key. This should then show the object which is currently focused, and progress sequentially.

You can try this by going to a webpage of your choice, and seeing if you can navigate through using only your keyboard. While the Tab key is the most commonly used, a full array of navigation keys and descriptions of keyboard shortcuts can be found online.

Browser specific navigation information can be found below:

• Mozilla - Accessibility Features in Firefox
• Google - Keyboard Shortcuts in Google Chrome
• Microsoft - Accessibilty Features in Microsoft Edge
• Apple - Accessibility Features in Safari

Control your computer with your voice

Windows and MacOS have built-in voice recognition tools that can be used to control your computer

• Use voice recognition in Windows 10
• Use Voice Control on your Mac

For information about the accessibility features available in Zoom, Microsoft Teams and Panopto Screen Recorder, please click the relevant link below:

• Zoom accessibility features
• Teams accessibility features
• Panopto accessibility features