You might think assistive technology needs to be extremely expensive (hello, $1500 copy of Kurzweil!), but did you know that Google Chrome has a ton of free browser extensions that might make using your computer a bit easier?
Try one of the following extensions, or feel free to find your own:
- Select and Speak
- Read and Write (browser version of Read and Write Gold, which we have installed on all our AT stations)
- Co:Writer
- Zoomy
- Change Colours
- Visor
- Voice Search
- Google Docs Dictation – accessible via Google Docs, no need to download and extension – info here)
- MindMeister
- Tiny Read
- Snapverter
Which extension did you use, and what does it do? What were its pros and cons? Could you see yourself using it in the future?
I decided to give it a try with Visor. It is a very intuitive and self-explanatory reading aid tool that allows the user to personalize the RGB color saturation on chrome. It can get buggy sometimes and from time to time I had to restart the browser. I will definitely stick with the tool because sometimes I have to use my laptop under dim light or in total darkness. I tested it out reading a few texts with under a cooler color balance (towards blue) and it worked out great as my eyes didn’t feel as fatigued. What I really liked about the app is how much the width controller really helps with focus and keeps your eyes from wandering away from the text.