How I use tools like Amazon Alexa, text-to-speech, and other reading applications to access course readings and listen to textbooks with low vision

A guide for how to create accessible documents for low vision and print disabilities with Microsoft Word, and how to make documents easier to read with assistive technology

In the context of web accessibility, cognitive accessibility refers to designing digital content and interfaces so they are understandable, easy to navigate, and usable for people with cognitive disabilities or learning disabilities. Cognitive accessibility addresses challenges related to information processing, memory, attention, comprehension, and decision-making,…

As a student with low vision that can’t read standard print, I rely on eTextbooks and accessibility settings like adjustable font sizes in order to access readings and required materials for my classes. Unlike physical textbooks that can be purchased from several dozen different sources…

I’ve been using eReaders to read books since I was in middle school, primarily using e-ink displays that mimic the appearance of paper and that don’t have distracting applications or features that take away my focus from reading. While I prefer e-ink displays from a…

Details about popular eReader apps and low vision accessibility features available for each app, including font sizes, page colors, display customizations, and reading tools.

I started using the Amazon Kindle app when I was in high school after a textbook for one of my classes was purchased from the Kindle marketplace. It quickly became one of my favorite apps for reading eTextbooks as a student with low vision, because…

Read-it-later applications are a popular tool for reading web content and saving information for offline use, and I started using Instapaper after both of the read-it-later apps I had been using for years shut down within a year of each other (Omnivore in 2024 and…

During the first week of an online graduate school class, students were prompted to create a biometric password with BioSig-ID, which would serve as an additional security measure for accessing course websites. I didn’t realize it at the time, but my first week of class…

I spend a lot of time in online spaces, so I often learn to identify people based on their usernames, display names, or similar account names. As someone with low vision and a print disability that makes it challenging to read standard print, accessible usernames…

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…

Tips for studying, scheduling, and self care for midterms and finals