Each week, my professors assign several online readings that students are expected to review before the next class meeting and/or before completing module assignments. Some of these readings come from articles in the university library or textbooks, while others come from online publications, news websites, blogs, or other non-scholarly sources that can be challenging to read with low vision.
While it can be tempting to bypass required readings in favor of completing graded assignments or just reading from the textbook (especially if there are a lot of readings to complete), this can make it more challenging to participate in discussion-heavy classes or present other barriers when working on papers and final projects; trust me, I speak from experience! Here are my favorite strategies for accessing online readings for college classes with low vision, including tips for accessing content with large print and strategies for blocking visual distractions like ads. This post does not cover accessing online textbooks or articles in library databases; I share more resources for these topics at the end for further reading.
Make a plan for accessing online readings
The number of online readings assigned each week often depends on whether or not the course uses a textbook. In a lot of my no-textbook courses, the professor will assign online readings from multiple sources and typically includes at least two online readings for each module. Sometimes, I will have as many as ten online readings for a particular class, but they are either very short articles or students are expected to pick which reading(s) to complete based on their interests in a given topic.
Reading everything in one session can lead to intense eyestrain, so I find it helpful to make a plan for how I will access online readings so that I am prepared for the next class. Here is how I approach this process:
- As soon as the readings are posted, open each of the links to confirm they are working as intended.
- Quickly check how long each online reading is. This could involve checking the number of pages, estimated reading time (available in some articles), word count, browsing a table of contents, or just seeing how long the scroll bar is. Alternatively, identify which reading(s) are particularly short or particularly long.
- Write down the name of each reading and its length on a to-do list. The professor typically specifies if readings need to be completed in a specific order, and writing down the length can help with planning out reading sessions.
- Complete readings across multiple sessions or days, taking vision breaks to minimize eye strain or cognitive fatigue that can make it more challenging to understand what is being read.
- Identify flexible options for reading content; this can include using text-to-speech tools or audio modalities to decrease visual demands, increasing the font size or enabling a high-contrast background/display mode, or accessing responsive file formats like HTML and docx over fixed layouts like PDF.
Instead of having a dedicated reading day (which I have done in the past), I find it helpful to “schedule” reading sessions throughout the day, which typically last around 40 minutes and take place after meals. Sometimes I will read longer, or I might skip a session if I have a lot of visual fatigue, but I find readings to be a good “warm-up” task before working on assignments or writing since it gives me a chance to connect the readings to whatever I am working on.
Related links
- How I Keep Track of Assignments With Low Vision
- How I Find Research Sources In Accessible Formats
- Must-Have Tech Skills For Online Classes
- Make Online Learning Accessible For VI Students: Quick Start Guide
- The Best Study Tips For Visually Impaired Students
Write down guided reading questions and summary prompts
Something that has helped me a lot with online readings (and required readings for class in general) is having guided reading questions or prompts for summarizing content on a particular topic. This makes it easier for me to focus on what I am reading more intentionally and connect it back to what I am working on for a module/project, and can also help with taking notes or annotating content. Here is an example of how I approached this process for an online reading in one of my classes:
- Title: The use of Assistive Technology in Education: A Guide for Teachers and Schools (Section 3)
- Summary: 1-3 sentence description of the reading
- Guiding questions:
- What are strategies for integrating assistive technology and Universal Design for Learning (UDL)?
- List of frameworks from the chapter and descriptions
- What are the steps for lesson planning with AT?
- How is AT integrated into IEP?
- Examples of differentiation
- Favorite quotes, notes, and ideas to incorporate into other projects
I came up with these guiding questions after reviewing the assignments for the upcoming module and skimming through some of the headings for the content, as well as considering the topics that I would be exploring in my final project for the class. I keep all of my notes organized in one place with Microsoft OneNote, but one of my friends likes to take notes directly on webpages using a tool called Hypothesis, which is a social annotation platform that allows them to share notes with others and has several accessibility features.
Related links
- How I Write Research Papers On Accessibility Topics
- How I Use Microsoft OneNote With Low Vision
- Meet The Cast: Supporting Literacy For Students With CVI
- Highlighting Information With Low Vision
- Hypothesis | The #1 Social Annotation Tool for Higher Education
View text-only layout on Mac: Accessibility Reader
Unlike Hover Text that enlarges text under the cursor, Accessibility Reader displays text in a full-screen view with the option to customize fonts, layouts, and background colors. Accessibility Reader can be used in any application for Mac, and can be enabled in Menu > System Settings > Accessibility > Read & Speak > Accessibility Reader. Users can select if they want to activate Accessibility Reader with a keyboard shortcut or as part of the Accessibility Shortcuts menu. To customize the appearance of text further, select the Aa icon to set up customizations for fonts, layouts, and display colors. This is a really helpful Mac accessibility feature for reading with low vision!
Related links
- Listen to or change how text appears in apps with Accessibility Reader on Mac – Apple Support
- Low Vision Accessibility Settings For Mac Computers
- Implementing Shared Folders For Online Classes
Reduce visual clutter with text-only view: Textise
One of my favorite free tools for reading online content is Textise, which converts websites and articles into a text-only view and hides images, ads, and other distracting background elements to display text in a consistent font size and style– this is fantastic for decreasing visual clutter and other elements that can subtly contribute to eye strain and fatigue for users with low vision and/or cortical visual impairment (CVI). Textise has helped tremendously with accessing online readings as it blocks auto-play videos and other distracting content that can contain strobe or flashing lights and makes it easier to just focus on content. When available, Textise will also display alt text for images instead of the images themselves.
To use Textise, copy and paste the URL for the article/online reading into the text field on the Textise website, and then select the Textise button. Alternatively, Textise can also be used as a text-only search engine. To further customize the reading experience, open the Textise Options page to adjust the font style, font size, and text/background colors. Note: Textise does not work with PDFs.
Related links
- Textise – Text-Only and Accessibility Tools
- File Formats For Low Vision and Print Disabilities
- Accessing The News With Assistive Technology
Sideload content on an eReader: Send-to-Kindle or USB file transfer
Reading on a bright computer screen can be annoying, so I find it helpful to sideload online readings onto an eReader or tablet so I can angle the display underneath my lined bifocal glasses. Since I have an eInk display for my eReader, the process of completing my online readings mimics the experience of reading on paper, except I can adjust the font size more easily.
Send-to-Kindle is an easy sideloading option that is completely free to use, though requires users to have an Amazon account. Once content is downloaded to the Kindle library, it can be accessed offline with the option to have reading progress synchronized across connected devices. Sideloaded content can be read on a Kindle device, mobile application, or in the web browser with no additional downloads required. I prefer to copy and paste the article text into Microsoft Word and share the Word document with Send-to-Kindle, though I can also use the Send-to-Kindle web browser extension to save content as well. I prefer the Word document option because I like to save copies of my readings for offline access.
Because Nook Glowlight devices only support PDF and EPUB, I have to convert Word documents to EPUB before transferring them to my Nook eReader via USB. I use the free WordToEPUB software provided by The DAISY Consortium, and then follow these instructions to sideload content for an eReader via USB:
- Connect the eReader to a computer via USB cable
- Once the computer recognizes the eReader, select the option to open the device to view files.
- Locate the device file folder for content or books
- Copy/paste files from their computer into the device folder to add the content to the device library
- Once finished, ensure that the device is safely ejected from the computer and restart if needed to refresh the library.
Related links
- How I Use Send-To-Kindle With Low Vision
- How I Use My eReader For School and Online Classes
- Sideloading and Low Vision
- Designing Accessible Documents With Microsoft Word
- WordToEPUB – The DAISY Consortium
Enable a simplified reading display: multiple options
Simplified reading displays apply a consistent font size, layout, and page color to remove distractions from a page, and can be useful when accessing online readings in a web browser. I often use simplified reading displays like Reader View, Immersive Reader, or Reader Mode when reading blog posts or other longform text content in my web browser because I can view text in large print with a single-column layout, and use a tinted background to help with reducing eye strain from bright colors. Unlike text-only websites, users can also view pictures when reading with a simplified reading display, though video content is blocked.
Related links
- Simplified Reading Displays and Low Vision
- How I Use Microsoft Immersive Reader With Low Vision
- Google Reader Mode and Low Vision
- A to Z of Assistive Technology for Reading Digital Text
Use a read aloud tool or text-to-speech: multiple options
Even though I have low vision, I prefer to access information visually whenever possible; I love using large print, screen magnification, simplified reading displays, or high contrast displays to support visual access. That said, I’m not immune to developing eyestrain or misreading words due to double vision, and using tools like read aloud or text-to-speech in lieu of or in addition to reading large print content makes it easier to follow along with content or make sure that I am identifying words correctly.
Some of my favorite tools for accessing online readings with low vision have built-in text-to-speech or read aloud features, or can be used with tools like Read Aloud (Windows), Speak Text (Mac/iOS), or Select-to-speak (Android/ChromeOS). My university also provides free access to Natural Reader and Kurzweil 3000 for reading content out loud, which can be helpful for completing online readings with low vision.
Related links
- How I Listen To Textbooks With Low Vision
- How To Use Text-To-Speech With Low Vision
- Customize Microsoft Edge Accessibility For Low Vision
- Activity Ideas For Vision Breaks
- What I Wish I Learned About Assistive Technology Before Starting Grad School
More tips for accessing online readings with low vision
- Looking for strategies for accessing digital textbooks? Check out Ten Questions To Ask When Buying Digital Textbooks and Reading VitalSource eTextbooks With Low Vision
- Need to read an article from a university database or journal? I share several strategies in How I Read Research Sources With Assistive Technology
- While this is not a perfect tool, another built-in option for converting online readings to accessible formats available at my university involves Using YuJa Panorama and Anthology Ally With Low Vision. Another option is to request alternative formats through Disability Services, and I share more about this process in How To Request Accessible Textbooks In College
- Assigned a Veroniiiica post as an online reading? Select “Text Only” in the navbar to hide all images and expose alt text. This can also be paired with system dark mode! I share more about this feature in How I Optimize My Website For Cognitive Accessibility
Published April 7, 2026. Updated April 2026