Students use a variety of access technology for reading, writing and recording.
Screen readers users use specialized screen reading software (e.g., JAWS, NVDA, VoiceOver for iOS & OS X) that can read aloud each word on a digital document provided the document is not image-only and has been created with navigational cues such as headings and levels included in the formatting. The screen reading technology reads the content of documents including email, websites, formatted documents from a word processor or Adobe Acrobat and data entry into those documents by the user. Students using screen reading software while taking notes in class or when reviewing materials may wear earbuds to hear the content of what is being voiced or typed.
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Braille users use portable refreshable braille display devices about the size of a small laptop to both read and write content. Content prepared in electronic formats with formatting as above (e.g., in MS Word, websites, email, etc.) are typically accessible to these devices. Students may wear earbuds when using these devices to hear any audio output and not disturb others. Refreshable braille displays can connect to computers, tablets and other devices running screen readers and can be used in combination with them.
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Scientific and mathematical notation, musial notation and/or content that uses the visual placement of text to demarcate meaning (such as some poetry) requires substantial formatting alterations to be accessible to these devices. Consult with CAL when in doubt.
