Assistive Technology Resources
Assistive technology - any software or equipment that supports mobility, learning and communication - allows learners of all abilities to make their educational experience more accessible
Read&Write software
Freely available to all students for at-home use, this program can read PDFs, Word documents, and webpages out loud, including Moodle content. It includes a dictation feature called Talk&Type, so you aren't limited to your keyboard when writing. It can also help you make more efficient study notes, provide word prediction when writing essays and reports, and so much more. Read&Write is freely available (and completely optional) to all TRU students, staff, and faculty, and can be accessed by following these steps:
- Have a look at Read&Write for more information. You’ll see instructions to download Read&Write. Please sign in to Read&Write with the Microsoft option, and use your TRU email address.
- After you’ve installed Read&Write, feel free to play around with the program and see what it can do. If you find it helpful to learn from videos, we recommend a great YouTube playlist that goes over the features in more detail. IT Services has more resources on the Read&Write software.
Read & Write is an assistive program available free of charge to TRU students. This video explains how to download and explores program highlights.
If you have any questions about Read&Write, or encounter compatibility issues with Moodle or other online content, please don’t hesitate to email the Assistive Technology Specialist at as@tru.ca.
Assistive technology resources
General Links
- SNOW - Inclusive Design Research Centre, OCAD University, Toronto, Ontario
- Adaptech Research Network - Free and Inexpensive Adaptive Technology Database
- Assistive Technology BC - Skills Development
- Accessibility Quick Guide
Accessibility technology and tools
Assistive technology videos
K1000 v13
Dragon Naturallly Speaking V12
JAWS for Windows
- Quick Start Guide
- Webinars:
- Free Download available on Freedom Scientific
Read&Write
- Vocabulary List Builder
- Training Guide
- Tools for the Writing Process
- Support Tools for Students with Dyslexia
- Support Tools for International Students
- Study Strategies for Higher Education Students
- Read&Write Resource Links:
- Quick Start Guide
- Quick Reference Guide
- Let's Get It Read!
- Key Tools for Specific Higher Ed Needs
Apps and browser extensions
Focus, organization, and time management
- 2Do
- Any.do
- Be Focused
- Bear Focus Timer
- Brain Focus Productivity Timer
- Digital Wellbeing (Android feature)
- Doo
- Due
- Engross
- Flipd
- Focus Booster
- Forest
- Google Calendar, Keep, & Tasks
- HazeOver
- Microsoft To Do (included with your free TRU Microsoft Office 365 access)
- Mindful Browsing
- Momentum
- Motion
- OneDrive (included with your free TRU Microsoft Office 365 access)
- OneTab
- Priority Matrix
- Remember the Milk
- RescueTime
- Routinist
- Screen Time (iPhone/iPad feature)
- Toby
- Todoist
- uBlock Origin
Flash-card studying
Mind-mapping
Relaxation and mental health management
Please note: TRU does not officially endorse any of the following apps or extensions. Please read the terms and conditions carefully for any app, and use at your own discretion.
