Assistive Technology Software
CHC Assistive Technology Software
Find out more about specific software applications by clicking the links below. You will find descriptions of the software, tutorial handouts and videos, links to download software, and more. Once CHC's Assistive Technology Specialist provides your school login info, you can start using your software right way!
Vitac | Kurzweil 3000 | AVA | Learning Ally | ZoomText | JAWS | MS 365 | OneNote
Document Readers, Captions, Writing & Study Skills Software
Vitac
Vitac is a very easy to use state-of-the-art live closed-captioning and scribe-note-taking
/ transcription tool for SAS students who qualify. Vitac provides seamless real-time
captions, as well as live, interactive transcription of a student's classes. It provides
students with a real-time feed of what the teacher or class peers are saying, with
note taking abilities through an interactive transcript and more. Students can also
access their past class videos with transcripts later at anytime.
Please Visit the CHC Vitac Page for More Information, Demo Videos, Downloads and Tutorials
AVA
Ava is a Free Closed Captioning Tool and Note-taking App that works on Macs, PC's,
phones and tablets. For more information, visit our AVA resource page for guides, demos, links and resources.
Kurzweil 3000
Kurzweil 3000 is an assistive technology which provides a reading, writing and study platform aimed at people with learning or visual disabilities or other disabilities that make reading or writing difficult. Kurzweil 3000 can read aloud web-based, PDF's, digital or scanned print material, and can convert web-based, digital or scanned print materials into mp3 files to provide audible files to listen to on the go; use their iOS app on an iPad, or through its companion web app extension, users can use it to read web pages out loud using a Chrome or Firefox browser.
Key Benefits:
- Reading Support
- Writing Support
- Study Skills
- Comprehension Support
Watch The Short Demo Video Below to Learn the Key Features & Get Going Fast!
Quick Guide To Kurzweil 3000 with Video Demo Links of its Main Tools (PDF file)
Download Instructions for Windows and Mac
Download Kurzweil 3000 for free (Windows)
Download Kurzweil 3000 for free (Mac)
Kurzweil 3000 - Links to Notetaking Demonstration, Study Guides, Translation Demo
JAWS
JAWS enables people with vision loss to independently use a computer with a keyboard, speech, or Braille display. With JAWS, students can navigate the Internet, write a document, create spreadsheets and presentations, email correspondence, and much more from their office, remote desktop, terminal servers and from home. ZoomText is loaded on all SAS & TSC lab computers.
Key Benefits
- Quickly learn to navigate the Windows environment
- Translated into seventeen languages
Learning Ally
Learning Ally provides digital human-narrated audiobooks & textbooks, and in many
cases, provides not just text, but descriptions of important maps, charts, and diagrams.
Learning Ally Quick-Start handout...
Below is a getting started with Learning Ally Demo Video:
Adding a Book: A Student's Perspective
Join: Learning Ally’s College Success Program
Free for college students who are blind or visually impaired.
As a college student you share many experiences with your sighted classmates, but others are unique to you and your visual impairment. Learning Ally's College Success Program (CSP) gives you the support you need as you navigate your college journey.The CSP is designed to help facilitate educational opportunities. It accomplishes this through a robust series of free, self-led courses and on-demand resources. Explore their website to learn more!
Microsoft 365 Accessibility Tools
Dictation, Digital Notes, Transcription & Text to Speech
Download the CHC Flyer with Info on your Free Student MS Office 365 Account!
Microsoft OneNote:
OneNote acts as a digital notebook allowing the student to categorize notes into different
sections and topics.
OneNote is your free CHC note-taking software for Windows or Mac, with a companion app for
mobile devices. OneNote is aimed toward college students and the software also promotes
a more accessible way to take notes for students with disabilities. OneNote offers
a Dictate "Speech to Text" function, as well as a built-in "screen-reader! Like all
365 software, your notes auto-save to your free OneDrive cloud storage account! A
key difference between OneNote and basic note-taking solutions is that OneNote can
record audio to your device, splitting the recordings automatically when a pause
is detected. The student is able to type while recording, & highlight key points during
the recording for later reference. Students can add slides, diagrams, and "handwritten"
notes on their notes if using a smart pencil and a tablet. Microsoft OneNote syncs
across mobile and desktop devices, in addition to allowing easy sharing between users.
Students can add mixed media (audio, video, images, etc.) to their notes, in addition
to highlighting and annotations.
OneNote quick start guide
OneNote video training
Live-Captioning & Transcription Service
For our students who are deaf or HOH, CHC offers Ai-Live professional captioning for
online course lectures. The service is fully web-based, and easy to use. Afterwards,
students can download accurate text transcripts of their meetings and lecture audio
too! (Note: The use of this service is reserved for those who have a demonstrated hearing or
physical disability that makes it difficult to hear lectures or take notes.)
Ai-Live for Students: (5 minute read)
Ai-Live Video Tutorial: (3 minute video)
Screen Magnification Software
ZoomText
ZoomText Magnifier/Reader is a fully integrated magnification and reading program tailored for low-vision users. Magnifier/Reader enlarges and enhances everything on your computer screen, echoes your typing and essential program activity, and automatically reads documents, web pages, email. ZoomText is loaded on all SAS & TSC lab computers.
Key Benefits
- High-definition text that's easy to read at all magnification levels
- Settings allow you to fine-tune the thickness and spacing of text for added legibility
Coming Soon!
Digital Math / Equation Apps
This category of software assists students who may have difficulty writing math equations by hand. There are many different offerings, so we have created a page here to post a collection of top math apps for our students!
Master List of Free and Low Cost Accessibility Tools (Word file)
