When I was working on adapting a math worksheet for one of my classes, I noticed that it was challenging to keep track of scratch work and problems written in a vertical layout with double vision. I was looking for a way to draw lines on my screen or partially obscure other visual elements I didn’t need, preferably with a stylus so that I didn’t have to click and drag multiple lines. I remembered that several of my favorite productivity applications had a digital ruler tool, so I started using this to help with making math worksheets accessible for low vision and for supporting academic access in other ways. Here is a list of ideas and strategies for using digital rulers with low vision and dysgraphia.
Purpose of digital ruler for dysgraphia and low vision
The purpose of using a digital ruler with low vision and/or dysgraphia is to:
- Provide a physical barrier to prevent writing or drawing in a specific area
- Assist with drawing straight lines or dividing sections of a page, especially vertical or angled lines
- Serve as a line guide for reading and/or writing tasks
In this context, a ruler isn’t necessarily being used to provide precise measurements, rather it is to serve as a writing aid for dysgraphia or poor handwriting (or a reading aid for low vision).
Related links
- Ten “Odd” Things I Do With Double Vision
- How I Manage Dysgraphia In Online Classes
- A to Z of Assistive Technology for Reading Digital Text
- Writing Aids For Low Vision: My Personal Superlatives
Why I don’t use lined paper with low vision
As part of having low vision, I have decreased contrast vision and find it impossible to read gray pencil lead on white paper, or to see the light blue lines/squares on white lined paper. I also have trouble writing in a straight line or spacing text evenly due to dysgraphia. Instead of using pencils, I used colored pens, markers, or similar tools on unlined paper, and divide the paper into sections as needed on my own. This is where the digital ruler is helpful!
Even though I prefer to use unlined paper, there are still strategies for using lined paper with low vision in the math classroom that I have used with other students— I have an entire post on this topic linked below.
Related links
- Strategies For Using Lined Paper With Low Vision
- How I Show Work For Math With Low Vision and Dysgraphia
- Adapting Page Layouts: Math Problems and Low Vision
- Math Test Accommodations For Low Vision
- Common Classroom Accommodations For Low Vision
Characteristics of digital rulers
In this context, digital rulers are used to assist with drawing or writing on a screen, and are not being used to measure real-world objects. Characteristics of a digital ruler for writing or drawing that benefit individuals with visual impairments can include:
- Options for rotating the ruler to create a horizontal, vertical, or angled surface that can be repositioned/dragged across the screen
- Partial opacity for blocking out surrounding areas of text or graphics to prevent accidental markings or erasing.
- White or light-colored background color for rulers, which may be more visible on darker colored pages or backgrounds
- Ruler can be used with other drawing tools to draw lines or prevent writing in area where the ruler covers the display
Unfortunately, most digital rulers do not provide options for customizing the opacity or have large print numbers/high contrast dashes for getting precise measurements. Users can also only have one ruler visible on the screen at a time. However, digital rulers can still be helpful for students that are writing on a page or for drawing tasks.
Related links
How to find the digital ruler in multiple applications
Digital rulers are built-in to several notetaking, drawing, and productivity applications, so users can easily incorporate them into their existing workflows. A list of digital rulers and where to find them in various applications are listed below:
- Notability: For the iPad app, select the Ruler icon in the toolbox (users may need to swipe past the pen icons to find the Ruler)
- Microsoft OneNote: OneNote for Windows has a Ruler tool in the Draw tab
- Markup: For iOS, the Markup tool has a ruler icon in the toolbox, near the pens
- Microsoft Whiteboard: Select the Ruler icon in the Draw tab
- Apple Notes app and Freeform app: Select the Markup icon and select the Ruler tool
- GoodNotes: Select the Ruler icon from the toolbar. Users can type set values for the angle or position on the screen, or rotate/drag the ruler across the page.
Ruler is not available in applications like Pages or Microsoft Office for iPad, and I have not personally encountered any built-in digital rulers for Google products or Android apps.
Related links
- Notability and Low Vision
- How I Use Microsoft OneNote With Low Vision
- Using The iPad Markup Tool With Low Vision
- How I Use Microsoft Whiteboard With Low Vision
- How I Use The Apple Pencil With Low Vision
Digital ruler alternative for low vision: Insert Shapes
Another option to provide a straight edge is to insert a rectangle or square shape, which can be deleted when the user is done writing. Similar to a ruler, the shape can be rotated, enlarged, or rearranged, creating a physical barrier to keep text or drawings from appearing in a specific area.
When using shapes as an alternative to a digital ruler or writing guide/line guide, the following settings can be customized:
- Level of opacity (transparency)— shapes can be completely opaque or solid
- Color customization
- Size/width
- Option to draw multiple shapes on the screen or stack shapes on top of each other
- Lock shapes into place to avoid accidental clicks (shapes can be unlocked at any time)
Some students I have worked with have trouble seeing a white ruler on a white page, such as in the Notes app. Enabling dark mode or inverting colors can improve the contrast and make the ruler easier to see on the page.
Related links
- How To Use Invert Colors With Low Vision
- Secret Microsoft Office Accessibility Features I Use Every Day
Ways that I use digital rulers with low vision and dysgraphia
With low vision and dysgraphia, I often have to zoom in to read information and have trouble writing or drawing in a straight continuous line— my handwriting tends to be uneven in terms of size and alignment, so whatever I’m writing often ends up higher or lower on the page than I intended. The best visual I can provide for this is comparing it to a blanket on an unmade bed, especially when it comes to text or drawings “spilling over” at the edges.
Specific ways that I have used digital rulers to help with writing, drawing, and reading with low vision and dysgraphia include:
- A quick way to partially obscure surrounding text and use a line guide when reading is to move the ruler underneath a line of text, or to block out another part of a multi-column layout
- If I am reading a chart, I will place the ruler at a vertical angle to block out text from other columns.
- When filling out a template, I will place the digital ruler as a landmark underneath a text box or bubble so that I don’t write or draw outside of it— the ruler prevents any text from being inserted in the covered area
- When writing on top of forms, writing in charts, or writing on a digital whiteboard, I will add a digital ruler to ensure I don’t write outside of a specific area, or accidentally write over someone else’s text/drawings
- When drawing symbols or writing notes for music, I will enable a digital ruler to ensure my writing doesn’t cover any other notes (written or musical) or to help with tracing dynamics
- Instead of drawing lines freehand or browsing the insert shapes menu for a line and trying to see the line on the screen, I use a digital ruler to draw with a stylus or my finger instead.
A better tool for reading with a ruler is appropriately called a reading ruler, which provides a tinted overlay that can be positioned over a set number of lines on a webpage, in a book, or in a simplified reading display. These types of tools have more options for customizing size and opacity, but I still use a digital ruler when writing on top of text or other templates.
Related links
- Using The iPad Markup Tool With Low Vision
- How I Use The Apple Pencil With Low Vision
- Filling Out Medical Forms With Low Vision
- My Large Print Music Binder
- Disability Accommodations For Fluctuating Eyesight
- A to Z of Assistive Technology for Reading Digital Text
How I use digital rulers with dysgraphia for math and science
Specific ways I use a digital ruler with dysgraphia and low vision for math and science classes include:
- When working on math problems, I will draw a line under each “step” to provide a visual separation between different components of the page, which helps me keep track of letters/symbols more easily with double vision. This is much easier than writing on lined paper, and I can delete the lines when I finish if needed (see example screenshot)
- If I’m working with a multi-column layout or two-sided equation, I will place a vertical ruler on the other side of the column I am working on so that my writing or drawings don’t spill over into the next column
- For graphs and charts, I will place the ruler at the appropriate coordinates so that I can mark different points or assist with drawing— I noticed that I would often draw parabolas lower than I had intended in my math classes, so I started using a ruler to provide a barrier
- When circling answers on a multiple-choice test, a ruler can be used to block out surrounding answer choices to ensure that the correct choice is circled
- If I have to write an answer in a text box or defined area, I will place the ruler underneath the box or lines so that I physically cannot have my writing extend below that area. This is really helpful when I am already using pinch-to-zoom to enlarge text and can’t see the entire page at once.
Image description: Screenshot of Notability page showing the steps to solving the inequality 3p > 15 for P. A red line is drawn underneath each section to visually separate areas, though the text itself is not written on the lines. The Notability ruler is visible on the screen and is angled at zero degrees, extending in a horizontal line across the page.
Related links
- Adapting Math Sketches: Math Problems and Low Vision
- Adapting Coordinate Planes: Math Problems and Low Vision
- Adapting Math Symbols: Math Problems and Low Vision
- Adapting Accessible Charts: Math Problems and Low Vision
- Adapting Accessible Z-Tables: Math Problems and Low Vision
- Free Accessible Periodic Tables For Low Vision
More strategies for using rulers with dysgraphia and low vision
- I don’t use physical rulers very much when writing because plastic rulers have a lot of glare and I don’t want to get markers on them. Instead, I use a typoscope to block out text, use a straight edge of a card, or fold the paper. My handwriting still isn’t very neat, but these strategies have helped over the years— How I Use Technology To Improve Handwriting
- Whenever possible, I try to customize page layouts to avoid having multiple columns— learn more in Adapting Page Layouts: Math Problems and Low Vision
- My handwriting is much neater when I use a dry erase board or write with a stylus on a screen, because I can use a slanted display and easily erase mistakes. Learn more in Assistive Technology For Dysgraphia
- If I have to measure something, I have a large print ruler and a phone camera/magnifying aid to read the numbers on it. I mention this in Common Classroom Accommodations For Low Vision
Published October 3, 2024. Updated January 2025