I was officially diagnosed with dysgraphia when I was around five years old, which is a neurological disorder/specific learning disability that is characterized by poor handwriting and trouble with forming letters. I describe dysgraphia personally as a disconnect between what my brain wants to write and what my hands actually write.
Early interventions like occupational therapy and dedicated handwriting process have helped tremendously over the years to improve handwriting. That said, I still struggle with messy handwriting, issues with swapping letters, and random spelling mistakes. I still remember how embarrassed I was when a high school teacher commented on how horrible my handwriting looked in front of a group of friends. Now that I am a doctoral student, I jokingly tell people that I have always had stereotypical messy doctor’s handwriting!
Although I receive disability accommodations for dysgraphia and primarily type everything I write, I still use other types of assistive technology for dysgraphia to help with maintaining my handwriting progress, or use other high-tech tools to work on improving my handwriting further. Here are high-tech tools and strategies for improving handwriting and managing dysgraphia that I have personally used as a student with low vision and dysgraphia.
Writing on a whiteboard and scanning in images
One of the things I noticed in college was that my handwriting was much neater on a dry-erase board than it was on paper. I have a few guesses for why this is the case, including the slanted surface of a dry-erase board, the fact that markers are larger/easier to grasp than pens, and I can more easily erase mistakes. While there are instances where it is easier or more practical to type, sometimes I find it easier to work out ideas by hand.
Instead of writing on scratch paper and scanning in paper copies of my work, I would take a picture of the whiteboard or use an OCR scanning app to submit a copy of my scratch work. This was especially helpful for math classes, where I had previously struggled with writing numbers legibly and also found it harder to improve handwriting since I often had to write quickly on exams.
Related links
- How I Use Dry-Erase Boards With Low Vision
- OCR Scanner Apps For Low Vision Students
- How I Show Work For Math With Low Vision and Dysgraphia
- How I Take Math Tests With Double Vision
Handwriting with a stylus (e.g., Apple Pencil)
I started using an Apple Pencil when taking calculus during undergrad, and noticed that it was easier for me to write neatly with the Apple Pencil on iPad compared to writing on paper with a pen. There are a few reasons for this, including:
- The iPad has a slanted, adjustable display so I can write at a raised angle, compared to writing on a piece of paper on a flat table surface
- I can use pinch-to-zoom to write in a smaller area
- Digital ruler tools can help prevent me from writing outside of a specific area
- I can quickly erase/undo errors without having to cross something out or apply pressure to a page to erase it
- It is easier for me to adjust the backlight/brightness of the iPad to make things easier to see
- The adjustable display can be positioned under the bifocal in my glasses
When it comes to writing on an iPad using Apple Pencil with dysgraphia, I can either use the Markup tool or a similar application to write out handwritten text, or use the built-in free Scribble tool to convert my handwriting to typed text with a high level of accuracy— this is helpful for when I want to write something out by hand and display it in large print later on. I also find it much easier to write in cursive/script with Apple Pencil, though I don’t regularly use this strategy for notes since it doesn’t work with Scribble.
Another tool that can be helpful for improving technology with handwriting is paper screen protectors, which simulate the texture of paper. Apple Pencil tips can also be swapped out to further simulate the experience of writing with a pen.
Related links
- Apple Pencil Customizations For Writing With Low Vision
- How I Use The Apple Pencil With Low Vision
- Mainstream Technology and Low Vision: Tablets
Apps for improving handwriting
Writing on a tablet and writing on paper uses different muscles, but since I use dry-erase markers and styluses for most writing tasks, I wanted to have options for practicing my handwriting on a screen. I asked some occupational therapist friends for app recommendations that can help with improving handwriting and received the following recommendations:
- Writing Wizard ($14 USD; targeted at kids but has a bright colored display)
- Handwriting Success (free with in-app purchases)
- Dexteria ($8 USD)
- Writey (in-app purchases, lifetime access available)
- LazyDog (free, Android)
Many handwriting tracing apps do not provide sufficient contrast for low vision, as I can’t see the light gray tracing text against a white background. To make text easier to see, I turn on Classic Invert/Invert Colors on my tablet so that it is easier to see where to trace the letters.
Related links
- Writing Wizard – School Ed. App – App Store
- Handwriting Success App – App Store
- Dexteria – Fine Motor Skills App – App Store
- Writey Cursive Handwriting App – App Store
- Android Apps by I.H on Google Play
- How To Use Invert Colors With Low Vision
Modifying handwriting trace sheets for low vision
Handwriting workbooks and trace sheets can be helpful for improving handwriting, but may be challenging to access with low vision due to the thinner lines and small print. High-tech strategies that can make handwriting sheets easier to see include:
- Using a desktop video magnifier to enlarge print materials; this is easier than using a handheld video magnifier that needs to be moved around the page. Users can adjust the zoom level as well as display contrast for improved readability.
- Scanning tracing sheets and tracing/editing bolder lines, adding high-contrast colors, or adjusting line spacing/font size for editable sheets.
- Search for high resolution handwriting sheets and using a desktop projector/art projector for tracing. My previous desktop computer had a built-in projector, though I have encountered other art projectors that can be connected to a phone or tablet.
Related links
- A to Z of Screen Magnification For Low Vision
- A to Z of Assistive Technology For Low Vision
- High Contrast and Low Vision
- How To Create High Resolution Images For Low Vision
- Paper Colors For Low Vision Accessibility
Going back and handwriting typed notes/assignments
Handwriting notes in the classroom is not practical for me, as I often have to write quickly to catch information and end up making a lot of mistakes or end up writing words incorrectly. Instead of using handwriting as my primary way of taking notes, I will type my notes in class and then re-write them by hand to practice retaining information outside of class time. When I was in college, my favorite way to do this was by writing on cardstock that had large bold lines printed on it; I preferred cardstock because my high contrast markers/pens would not bleed through.
I don’t like to rewrite someone else’s handwritten notes, because I often have trouble reading other people’s handwriting with low vision. I discovered this when my friend let me borrow their notebook after I had missed class, and I realized I had absolutely no clue what their notes said. I felt bad calling them on the phone later that night and admitting that I had no idea what they wrote!
Related links
- The Best Study Tips For Low Vision Students
- Dictation and Audio-Based Assistive Technology For Writing
- Auditory Access Archives | Veronica With Four Eyes
- How I Outline Research Papers With OneNote
- AlphaSmart For Low Vision and Dysgraphia
Other strategies for using technology to improve handwriting
- Wondering how I read other people’s handwriting with low vision? Check out Reading Handwriting With Assistive Technology and OCR Scanner Apps For Low Vision Students
- To learn more about assistive technology for dysgraphia and my experiences with both low vision and dysgraphia, browse Dysgraphia Archives | Veronica With Four Eyes
- My dysgraphia is very obvious when I write by hand, but it doesn’t completely disappear when I type either. Learn more in How I Manage Dysgraphia In Online Classes
Published November 13, 2018. Updated August 2025