We make a variety of Accessibility tools available to our PALCS students. This guide will introduce you to them.
Text to Speech - Canvas ReadSpeaker and Chrome Extensions
Often in can be very helpful to hear the words on screen aloud. Built into Canvas is a tool called "ReadSpeaker." This can be activated by clicking this icon at the left side of the navigation options.
Clicking that button will launch the tool. Clicking the green play button will cause it to read start reading things on the screen. (Without selecting anything, it may just read page/module titles and not all of the content, depending on how the page is laid out.)
Once the tool is activated, you can highlight most text (and images as long as the teachers have set them up properly) and click on the "Listen" option.
It will begin reading the text out to you.
If it is too quick, you can adjust the reading speed by adjusting this bar.
For resources outside of Canvas, we generally recommend using a text to speech Google Chrome Extension. We have found this specific one to be reliable - Read Aloud: A Text to Speech Voice Reader Navigate to the Chrome Web Store link and click on the blue "Add to Chrome" button and then "Add extension" option.
This will add the extension to your Google Chrome browser.
You can also "pin" this add-on so it is easily available by pressing the puzzle piece icon in the top right of Google Chrome, then pressing the pin icon next to the Read Aloud extension.
Activating the extension by clicking on the pinned extension will bring up another window as it reads the text.
Press the stop button and then the gear icon to open the menu.
We recommend changing from the default robotic voice to "Google US English" as it is a much more natural voice to listen to. (The Google UK options also work for some fun variety!) The additional voices may not work as they are premium features/require additional subscriptions. So stick with either the default or "Google US."
You can also use this settings menu to adjust pitch, speed and volume.
This tool will be able to read most other websites and resources. For example, it can read most PDFs that have been shared with you and are open in Google Chrome.
Changing Default Fonts - OpenDyslexic Chrome Extension
For students that are having trouble reading text it might be possible to improve reading by changing fonts. While there is some debate (Do Dyslexia Fonts Actually Work? | Edutopia) it is certainly worth trying since everyone is different and you never know what will work for your student.
You can make use of the "OpenDyslexic" font. (OpenDyslexic) "OpenDyslexic is a typeface designed against some common symptoms of dyslexia." The easiest way to take advantage of this tool is the OpenDyslexic for Chrome Extension. Navigate to the Chrome Web Store link and click on the blue "Add to Chrome" button and then "Add extension" option.
This will add the extension to your browser. You will likely want to pin this extension, click on the puzzle piece icon and then click the pin next to the extension.
To enable it on a website, make sure it is not set to "Off", click on the
Once it is enabled, it will swap out the fonts that the browser displays with this much more Dyslexia friendly font.
This will not work on everything but can be very helpful for those who read better with this font.
Because it's changing the appearance of the website, it might cause spacing and layout to get messed up. (We've seen this cut off Canvas quiz answers when combined with a zoomed in screen.) It will NOT work on some Google Products unfortunately (Drive / Google Docs) but will work on Gmail.
A similar font inside of Google Chrome is "Lexend."
Font changes are not a panacea/cure all for reading issues/dyslexia. Sometimes selecting more legible fonts can improve reading. (Do Dyslexia Fonts Actually Work? | Edutopia) But do not be discouraged if these "dyslexic friendly" options do not improve things, because EVERYONE is different.
Other Tools Built into Windows and Browsers
You can also take advantage of a few tools built into Windows that we've covered in the following guides.
Improving Readability on PALCS Laptops - Adjusting Font sizes, scaling settings and browser zoom/magnifier.
Reducing Eye Strain on PALCS Laptops - Utilize various "dark mode" and night light settings to reduce eye strain.
Using the On-Screen Keyboard - Software based keyboard that might be helpful in some circumstances.
Google Translate Extension
By default, we have the Google Translate Chrome Extension installed on all PALCS devices. It will automatically activate when alternate language pages are detected and offer to translate into another language.
What really makes this tool powerful is that it does not have to translate the page into English, it can instead be changed into another language instead.
This could be extremely helpful in families where English is a second language. (However, it is important to point out that these translations will NOT be perfect, but at least can help aid in communication.)