Print Disability Support
Under the Copyright Act, a person with a print disability is:
a person without sight; or a person whose sight is severely impaired;
or
a person unable to hold or manipulate books or to focus or move hisor her eyes; or
a person with a perceptual disability.
https://www.humanrights.gov.au/our-work/copyright-and-print-disability-frequently-asked-questions
a person without sight; or a person whose sight is severely impaired;
or
a person unable to hold or manipulate books or to focus or move hisor her eyes; or
a person with a perceptual disability.
https://www.humanrights.gov.au/our-work/copyright-and-print-disability-frequently-asked-questions
What do all these people have in common? They all had Dyslexia!
Henry Winkler, Walt Disney, Orlando Bloom, Steve Jobs, Keira Knightly, Richard Branson, Erin Brokovich, Steven Spielberg, Tom Cruise, Whoopi Goldberg.
Henry Winkler, Walt Disney, Orlando Bloom, Steve Jobs, Keira Knightly, Richard Branson, Erin Brokovich, Steven Spielberg, Tom Cruise, Whoopi Goldberg.
Download from the iBooks Store: Dyslexia: Supporting Students
https://itunes.apple.com/au/book/dyslexia/id888163809?mt=11
https://itunes.apple.com/au/book/dyslexia/id888163809?mt=11
Accessibile Print Guidelines
- Use Fonts without Serifs (Use Sans Serifs) eg San Francisco, Verdana, Arial, Helvetica (Sans Serifs) rather than Times New Roman (Serifs)
- Increase the line spaces (at least 1.5)
- Increase the Font size (no less than 12 point)
- Use Left Justification
- Avoid using UPPER CASE, underlining and italics
- Be mindful of background colour & text colour (should be high contrast.
- Try the free Font, Open Dyslexic (http://opendyslexic.org) to see if student prefers.
Note: The above suggestions can easily be applied to digital text, so keep in mind when students are reading books from Sora/iBooks etc
Choose your Voice wisely
For those who need to listen to text being read aloud, the Alex voice will be your best choice. Alex reads ahead to correctly pronounce words in context. Alex will also 'breathe'.
Try these phrases using Alex:
Alex Phrases
The bandage was wound around the wound.
The farm was used to produce produce.
The dump was so full that it had to refuse more refuse.
We must polish the Polish furniture.
Since there is no time like the present, he thought it was time to present the present.
Dr. Love lives on Love Dr.
St. Mary's St.
Are you happy?
I am happy!
😊 👌🏾
Please note that Alex is a 869MB download, so we recommend making sure that you have enough available space on your device before downloading.
You can choose Alex for VoiceOver and for Speak Screen and Speak Selection. Follow these steps.
For iPad & iPhone: (iOS 13)
Go to Settings -> Accessibility -> Spoken Content -> Voices -> English -> English US -> Alex.
For Mac: (10.15)
Go to System Preferences -> Accessibility -> Speech -> System Voice -> Customise and choose Alex.
Try these phrases using Alex:
Alex Phrases
The bandage was wound around the wound.
The farm was used to produce produce.
The dump was so full that it had to refuse more refuse.
We must polish the Polish furniture.
Since there is no time like the present, he thought it was time to present the present.
Dr. Love lives on Love Dr.
St. Mary's St.
Are you happy?
I am happy!
😊 👌🏾
Please note that Alex is a 869MB download, so we recommend making sure that you have enough available space on your device before downloading.
You can choose Alex for VoiceOver and for Speak Screen and Speak Selection. Follow these steps.
For iPad & iPhone: (iOS 13)
Go to Settings -> Accessibility -> Spoken Content -> Voices -> English -> English US -> Alex.
For Mac: (10.15)
Go to System Preferences -> Accessibility -> Speech -> System Voice -> Customise and choose Alex.
Google Docs
- File > Page Setup > change background colour to suit student (always let student decide). Make default.
- Now increase Font size, line space 1.5 etc.
- Can now download Google Doc as ePub (File > Download As > ePub Publication
Read&Write is available as an Add on for Chrome and Safari has TextHelp Study Skills.
Be like a Dyslexic
Even Richard Branson has been won over by this amazing 12 year old Australian girl Isley and the inspiring Youtube video she has created all about being dyslexic.
Mac Support (Built-In)
Voice Control (can replace Classic Dictation if you wish)
How to turn on Voice Control
After upgrading to macOS Catalina (10.15), follow these steps to turn on Voice Control:
How to use Voice Control
Get to know Voice Control by reviewing the list of voice commands available to you: Say “Show commands” or ”Show me what I can say.” The list varies based on context, and you may discover variations not listed. To make it easier to know whether Voice Control heard your phrase as a command, you can select ”Play sound when command is recognized” in Voice Control preferences.
Learn more here:
support.apple.com/en-au/HT210539
After upgrading to macOS Catalina (10.15), follow these steps to turn on Voice Control:
- System Preferences, then click Accessibility.
- Click Voice Control in the sidebar.
- Select Enable Voice Control. When you turn on Voice Control for the first time, your Mac completes a one-time download from Apple
How to use Voice Control
Get to know Voice Control by reviewing the list of voice commands available to you: Say “Show commands” or ”Show me what I can say.” The list varies based on context, and you may discover variations not listed. To make it easier to know whether Voice Control heard your phrase as a command, you can select ”Play sound when command is recognized” in Voice Control preferences.
Learn more here:
support.apple.com/en-au/HT210539
Safari Reader
Safari Reader will be invoked when enough text is displayed on the page, such as News sites, Blogs.
The Reader strips the visual clutter from webpages of everything except text, images and embedded videos. Tap the three lines on the left side of the address bar and you're presented with a white page with black text and a button for controlling text size; tap it again and you're taken back to the original page. To personalise your text, tap (aA) icon to the. Tap this icon and make further changes to the way you wish the text to appear. You are able to: - Change the Font size - Change the Font (include the new San Francisco Font) - Change the background colour. |
Text to Speech
- Select text
- Right Click
- Speech
- Click on 'Start speaking'
Save to Music as a Spoken Track
- Select text from anywhere.
- Right click over the selection and choose Services > Add to Music as a Spoken Track.
- Choose Voice.
- Name your new track.
- Click Continue.
- Your new track will appear in your iTunes Library in a new album called 'Spoken Track'.
Hover Text
To turn on:
For more information click here:
https://support.apple.com/en-au/guide/mac-help/mchlb203bc78/mac
- System Preferences -> Accessibility -> click Zoom.
- Select Enable Hover Text.
For more information click here:
https://support.apple.com/en-au/guide/mac-help/mchlb203bc78/mac
3rd Party Application for Mac
Wrise
Accessible word processor designed to support reading comprehension and text composition.
Wrise is a word processor that makes reading and writing accessible for everyone. Designed to support reading comprehension and text composition it can also be beneficial for individuals with dyslexia. Read Article |
GhostReader |
Love this new version of GhostReader, nice clean interface with all the great features of the previous version plus some very cool additions like the new Tags feature. Tags provide added support for students by having control over the way text is spoken aloud. However, this inclusive feature gives ALL students the ability to ‘get creative’ with text! Students type their text and then add Tags to change the speed, language spoken, add silences between words, even change volume within their narrative! Export text as an MP3 and student now can insert into their projects!
Check out the new features and buy now with an introductory discount! http://bit.ly/1y84rYK |
Real Children & Adult Australian Voices for your Mac
You can now use real Australian children's voices on a Mac running 10.8.x onwards.
You can choose an Australian boy (Liam), Australian girl (Olivia) or an Australian adult female (Lisa).
Cost is around $7 per voice.
Installation Instructions:
Set as System Voice:
You can choose an Australian boy (Liam), Australian girl (Olivia) or an Australian adult female (Lisa).
Cost is around $7 per voice.
Installation Instructions:
- Install infovox iVox Voice Manager from http://www.assistiveware.com/product/infovox-ivox/downloads
- Launch and choose your desired Australian Voice.
- From Action menu, choose download and install.
- When installed you will be prompted to either Demo or Activate.
- Follow prompts to purchase.
Set as System Voice:
- System Preferences > Dictation and Speech.
- Select Text to Speech tab.
- Select System Voice.
- Select Customize.
- Select your new Australian Voice.
Read and Focus (note: needs to be updated for 10.15)
Available from the Mac App Store
This desktop application is similar to the index card you know so well but with more customizable features to help keep your place when reading. A transparent, colored window shows you the line of text to be read. The surrounding card blocks out distractions, keeping you focused on the text you are to read.
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iPad Support (Built-in)
Updated to iOS 12 (watch for iOS 13 & iPadOS in Jan 2020)
iPad Tips & Tricks is a Free Multi-Touch book which will guide you through all the basics of using your iPad.
There is a Chapter devoted to Accessibility which also contain video tutorials.
Download this iBook here:
https://itunes.apple.com/au/book/ipad-tips-tricks/id562515466?mt=119
iPad Tips & Tricks is a Free Multi-Touch book which will guide you through all the basics of using your iPad.
There is a Chapter devoted to Accessibility which also contain video tutorials.
Download this iBook here:
https://itunes.apple.com/au/book/ipad-tips-tricks/id562515466?mt=119
OpenDyslexia Font for iOS
Launch this link on your iPad and follow the prompts to install this Font
https://app.box.com/OpenDyslexiciOS
https://app.box.com/OpenDyslexiciOS
Text to Speech
To Setup:
- Settings -> Accessibility > Spoken Content -> Speak Selection.
- Tap Speak Selection to turn on.
- Choice a Voice.
- Choose a Speaking Rate.
- Turn on Highlight Words.
- Tap and hold at beginning of text.
- Take finger off and move the blue dots to cover the amount of text you wish to have read aloud.
- Tap Speak.
- The Speak button changes to Pause while speaking.
Speak Screen
- Settings -> Accessibility > Spoken Content
- Tap Speak Screen to turn On
- Choose a Voice (ideally, Alex)
- Choose Speaking Rate
- Highlight Content
Wherever there is significant amount of text, using 2 Fingers flick down from top of screen
A floating toolbar will provide you with options to personalise your listening
Speech enhancements
Highlight Content: (Settings -> Accessibility -> Spoken Content)
Tap Highlight Content and configure to suit your needs including whether to highlight with a background colour or underline.
Typing Feedback: (Settings -> Accessibility -> Spoken Content -> Typing Feedback)
For those who find they are entering the incorrect text, you can now choose how you wish to hear the last character or word you typed (or both).
Character Feedback: specify a delay after which the character will be spoken (including the ability to hear a hint ("xxx")
Hold to Speak Predictions: Tap and hold on a word to hear it spoken if you're unsure whether you are choosing the right word.
Tap Highlight Content and configure to suit your needs including whether to highlight with a background colour or underline.
Typing Feedback: (Settings -> Accessibility -> Spoken Content -> Typing Feedback)
For those who find they are entering the incorrect text, you can now choose how you wish to hear the last character or word you typed (or both).
Character Feedback: specify a delay after which the character will be spoken (including the ability to hear a hint ("xxx")
Hold to Speak Predictions: Tap and hold on a word to hear it spoken if you're unsure whether you are choosing the right word.
Display & Text Size
Here you will find:
- Bold Text
- Larger Text
- Button Shapes
- On/Off Labels
- Reduce Transparency
- Contrast
- Differentiate Without Colour
- Smar Invert
- Classic Invert
- Colour Filters
- Options for those who are colour blind
- Choose a colour filter for those who use visual-perception issues
- Options for those who are colour blind
- Reduct White Point
- Auto Brightness
Voice Control (Classic Dictation still available)
To Setup:
Get to know Voice Control by reviewing the list of voice commands available to you: Say “Show commands” or ”Show me what I can say.” The list varies based on context, and you may discover variations not listed. To make it easier to know whether Voice Control heard your phrase as a command, you can select ”Play sound w read texthen command is recognized” in Voice Control preferences.
Learn more here:
support.apple.com/en-au/HT210539
- Settings -> Accessibility -> Voice Control
Get to know Voice Control by reviewing the list of voice commands available to you: Say “Show commands” or ”Show me what I can say.” The list varies based on context, and you may discover variations not listed. To make it easier to know whether Voice Control heard your phrase as a command, you can select ”Play sound w read texthen command is recognized” in Voice Control preferences.
Learn more here:
support.apple.com/en-au/HT210539
Apple Books
- Shop for books from within the App.
- Books stored in iCloud for easy access across devices.
- Ability to highlight, take notes, look up Definitions.
- For study texts, any updates are ready to install when available.
- Share quotes on Social Media.
- Use VoiceOver to have content read aloud.
- Take notes.
- Select text and read aloud.
- Speak screen
- Change Font size, line spacing.
- Inverse Colour.
- Brightness Control.
Tutorial on how to use VoiceOver in the Books Application
The Dyslexia Wheel of Apps
Apps to support Dyslexia and Learning Difficulties
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Sources for Dyslexia support
- Australian Dyslexia Association (Solutions for those that Learn Differently)
- Central Coast Dyslexia Association
- SPELDNSW (Specific Learning Difficulties Association of NSW)
- Special Needs Toys Australia
- Evian Eyecare
- Jolly Discoveries (Phonics Under the Big Top)
- Neuronauts Brain Science Club (Take part in research)
- Alison Lawson Centre (Remedial Dyslexia Therapy)
- Australian Literacy Clinic Pty Ltd
- Get Reading Right (the tools to read and spell)
- Sydney Dietetics (Kids Nutrition Workshop)
- Writeboards
- Quantum (Assistive Technology Solutions)
- Help for Struggling Readers
- A Success Story by James Nuttall
- eReaders are fast rivaling print as a dominate method for some with Dyslexia (Research Paper)