Assistive Technology in Your Pocket

Do you or a loved one have difficulty with print?  The following list of apps and software might be able to help you.  Taken from E-School News and the National Center for Learning Disabilites, it is accessible technology that spans all age groups.  You might already have some of them in your pocket.  Found at http://www.ncld.org/students-disabilities/assistive-technology-education/free-assistive-technology-resources

Name	Description
Bookshare	An accessible online library for people with print-based disabilities. Bookshare offers over 204,000 digital books, all available free for K-12, college, and adult education students in the United States (must submit proof of disability to Bookshare).
Dictation for iOS	Got an iPhone 4S or 5 or an iPad 3 in your backpack? Dictation, a feature that allows you to speak instead of typing, is built right in.
Dragon Dictation	A speech-to-text app that allows you to speak and instantly see your email and text messages. Available for free download from the iTunes store for iPad and iPhone devices.
Firefox with Add-Ons	If you use the web browser Firefox (a free download) you’ll want to check out this set of add-ons that offer features like text-to-speech, dictionaries and more to make your internet browsing easier.
Gmail	A free email account that comes with a text-to-speech reader, spell check, built-in organization systems and more. A Gmail account also comes with Google Calendar, which allows you to keep track of multiple responsibilities and plan a schedule.
Google Calendar Reminders App	If organization and scheduling is difficult for you, this is a must-have app. It syncs all of your day’s tasks and to-dos and can send reminders to your phone or tablet. It’s available free for iOS and Android devices.
Google Drive	Need to easily share and collaborate on documents with a teacher, tutor or classmate? Google Drive lets you create documents, spreadsheets and slideshows and share them with others...all for free.
Library of Congress	The Library of Congress provides a free library of audio materials for circulation to eligible borrowers with reading disabilities.
LibriVox	LibriVox is a volunteer-run organization that provides audiobooks of works in the public domain, including works like religious texts and classic literature.
Project Gutenberg	Got some Charles Dickens or Mark Twain on your reading list this year? Project Gutenberg provides free ebooks (in multiple formats) of non-copyrighted works, including many classic and historical texts.
Siri	If you have an iPhone 4S or above, you have one of today’s best AT tools right in your pocket. Siri is a “personal assistant” that is more than just dictation: It lets you use your voice to ask your phone questions or give commands. You can use it to make calls and set reminders.
Vlingo	Like the sound of Siri, but use an Android, BlackBerry, or Windows Mobile device? Vlingo is a virtual assistant that uses speech-to-text technology to help you send messages and find information, and is available free on all major smartphone and tablet platforms.
WordTalk	A free plugin for Microsoft Word (available only for Windows users) that will speak the text of any Word document and highlight as it goes.

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This article is adapted from the LD Resources Foundation, which assists college students and adults with LD and ADHD by granting assistive technology awards to meet their educational and vocational needs.