Technology to help you study
There is a huge range of technology available to help you in your learning, working and daily life. There is specialist technology for people who have difficulty speaking, typing, writing, remembering, pointing, seeing, hearing, learning, walking and more. And there are general options that can be helpful for anyone.
Different disabilities require different technology options. As a starting point, AbilityNet's My Computer My Way is a comprehensive guide to setting up your Windows laptop, MacBooks, phone or tablet just the way you need.
Assistive listening technology helps deaf and hard of hearing users hear audio in noisy environments. You can find out more about the system and how to access it on the Assistive listening page.
Browser extensions
Browser extensions add features to your web browser and are simple to download and install. These extensions are all free and provide useful tools to support your studies. Most are designed for the Chrome and Edge browsers but where other browsers are supported, these are listed.
Recommended Browser Extensions
Reading
Reading - ReadAloud
ReadAloud is the easiest option for having your computer read text out loud to you. In the Edge browser, look out in the toolbar for the Read Aloud icon - a capital A with ‘sound waves’ coming from it. Click on the 'A' and an additional toolbar will appear, allowing you to play or pause the readout. You can change the reading speed, and ReadAloud comes with a huge range of voices.
Reading – Pixie Reader and Helperbird
Pixie Reader and Helperbird both have a range of tools to support reading in the browser, including the option to open webpages, online PDFs and Google Docs in Immersive Reader.
The basic tools are available for free in both. Helperbird has a paid premium subscription service for some of the more advanced options.
Once installed, settings can be accessed from the extension icons (when pinned), and features can be launched by right-clicking on the screen.
- Get Pixie Reader for Chrome, Edge, or Firefox, and see the Pixie Reader tutorials page for help.
- Get Helperbird for Chrome, Edge, or Firefox, and see the Helperbird tutorials page for help.
Focus
Marinera Pomodoro
Marinera Pomodoro is a timer based on the Pomodoro technique, used to aid concentration. Focus periods are customisable in length, and you can set an optional background noise or countdown tick.
The extension reminds you to take timed breaks between your focus periods and when to resume work.
It also tracks your completed pomodoros so you can see your progress over time.
Get Marinera Pomodoro for Chrome.
Noisli
Noisli provides a range of background noises which you can blend to help create a distraction-free working environment. The free plan allows up to 1.5 hrs of background noise streaming per day.
Get Noisli for Chrome and get more information on the support pages. Noisli is also available from the App Store and on Google Play.
Forest
Forest plants a virtual tree and sets a customisable timer for a period of focus.
Add distracting websites to your own blocklist, and then keep your tree alive by avoiding them while the timer is running. Trees which are grown successfully are added to your virtual forest.
Get Forest for Chrome. Also available for mobile.
Visual
Visual Stress - nOverlay
nOverlay is a fully customisable coloured overlay extension which can be toggled on and off with a single click. nOverlay colours only the background of the page and so it does not affect any images or text on the page.
There are several built-in colour options to choose from or you can create your own from the Options menu. Refresh your browser tab to see new settings take effect.
Get nOverlay for Chrome
Organisation and Referencing
Organisation – Todoist
Organise, plan and create task lists with Todoist, and share these with others. Upgrading to Pro (monthly subscription) gives you reminders/more projects and collaborators/larger file uploads.
The ‘Add website as task’ feature allows you to add online articles and research pages as tasks to review later.
Get Todist for Chrome, Safari and FireFox and see the Getting Started guide. Todist also has desktop and mobile versions so you can access your lists on any device.
Referencing – My Bib
MyBib is an online service which automatically creates fully formatted bibliography and in-text citations from webpages, books, journals, PDFs, and many other sources in over 9,000 different citation styles. There is a search function to quickly find books and journals, and citations can also be generated for videos.
The browser extension allows you to create a citation for the webpage you are reading, and then copy and paste it directly into your document or save it to a cloud-based project for export later. Reference projects can be exported into Word, copied to the clipboard, printed, or imported into tools such as Mendeley or Zotero.
- Click the MyBib icon to generate citations for the webpage you are currently on.
- Click on the bibliography entry or the in-text citation to copy it or choose Save To Project.
- The reference style can be changed by clicking the Change Style link.
- Creating a project gives you the option to save several bibliography lists, and add references from a wide range of sources including books and videos.
Maths
The Edge browser features a Maths Solver tool to help you understand and solve equations. You can either type in your problem or select it from a webpage.
To access Maths Solver in Edge, click the 3 horizontal dots in the toolbar to access the settings, click More Tools, then choose Maths Solver.
Installing a Browser Extension on Edge and Chrome
On the extension installation page, click the blue 'Add To Chrome' button or click ‘Get’ if you are using Edge. Installation should complete automatically. If an extension needs specific access to files/microphone/camera etc, you will be asked to grant permission during the installation process.
It is good practice to review the developer’s privacy policy before installing any browser extension.
Manage your extensions
Click the jigsaw icon on the right-hand side of the toolbar in Edge or Chrome to see a list of all your currently enabled extensions. Click 'manage extensions' to see all your installed extensions. Options include:
- Pin / unpin your extensions to the toolbar to make them easier to find and access
- Disable or uninstall an extension to either turn an extension off or remove it altogether
- Troubleshoot by checking to see whether an extension is enabled if it does not seem to be working
Hardware available to borrow from the library
We have a range of ergonomic keyboards and mice, noise cancelling headphones, laptop riser stands and coloured overlays available for everyone to borrow from the library. If you want to check the library catalogue to see what is available, it helps to select ‘Equipment’ under the Format filter options on the right-hand side.
We also have extra-large monitors and height-adjustable desks in each library. Ask at the helpdesk for where you can find these.
Software for you to try
We have loan licences available for a range of assistive software packages. You can find out more about the software available for your to try in the sections below. If you would like to apply for a loan licence for any of this software, please email disabilityinclusion@napier.ac.uk.
Booost
Booost will help you make the most of your time, organise your workload and overcome challenges while taking good care of your overall wellbeing.
Booost allows you to identify everything you need to do, big and small, prioritise each task, set reminders and sync with your Google, Outlook or iCloud calendar. It will even make suggestions for how you could use your time most effectively.
At the same time, Booost is also making suggestions for how you can also focus on your wellbeing, de-stress and take good care of yourself.
If you would like to try Booost, please contact us to request a loan licence by emailing us at disabilityinclusion@napier.ac.uk
CaptionEd
CaptionEd produces accurate live captions in on-campus and online classes. Once the class has finished, you can then download a transcript of everything that was said to help you add to your notes.
CaptionEd is aimed especially at students with a hearing impairment. If you want help taking better notes, Glean might be the better package for you.
You can get an overview of how CaptionEd works and how it might help you from this CaptionEd tutorial video. If you would like to use CaptionEd, please contact us to request a loan licence by emailing us at disabilityinclusion@napier.ac.uk.
Genio
Genio is an audio recording app which allows you to annotate your audio recording by adding text notes and coloured category highlighting, either live or when listening back to the recording. You can add lecture slides, easily play back audio from any point and export your notes in a variety of formats.
Use Genio with online videos
You can use the features of Genio to work with online presentations in the same way you would in a lecture, meeting, brainstorm session or interview. To do so, simply select the record through microphone option from the Home Tab. This short tutorial video will walk you through the full process.
Genio offers a free 30-day trial. Find out more from Genio.
If you would like to try Genio after your free month’s trial, please contact us to request a loan licence by emailing disabilityinclusion@napier.ac.uk.
Miro
Miro is a platform which allows you to create mind maps to organise your ideas as you study and research. Miro is free for students using their education plan.
TalkType
TalkType is an accurate dictation package. If you haven’t used dictation before, there are free options you can try in Word and other Office apps and GoogleDocs. You can sometimes improve the accuracy of these free options by using an external microphone.
TalkType is a professional package so offers much better accuracy. You can find out more from this video from TalkType.
If you would like to use TalkType, please contact us to request a loan licence by emailing disabilityinclusion@napier.ac.uk.
Immersive Reader
Immersive Reader is a free tool to support reading and writing for readers of all ages and abilities, with easy-to-use text settings to aid readability, a reading ruler and pop-up dictionary definitions. The Read Aloud feature aids comprehension as well as being a useful tool for proof-reading essays.Improve reading skills with Microsoft Immersive Reader
The Microsoft Immersive Reader is a free tool, built into Word, OneNote, Outlook, Office Lens, Microsoft Teams and the Edge browser, that implement proven techniques to improve reading and writing.
Watch the short 90 second YouCan video on how you can improve reading skills with the Microsoft Learning Tools Immersive Reader.
Hi, I'm Mike. Today I'm going to demonstrate how you can improve reading skills with Microsoft Learning Tools. To get started go to office.com and sign in into your office 365 education account.
Click on Word to open a Word document and now go to the View tab and click on the Immersive Reader. You'll see all of the page is reducing distractions and I can really focus on the text. When you press the play button you hear the text read aloud and you see the words highlighted you can easily follow along. You can increase and decrease voice speed really easily.
You can increase the font size, you can also increase the spacing which is a proven technique to help reduce visual crowding, you also can click on a page colour that gives better contrast and can make it easier to see the letters. You can turn the syllables on as well and break them down with a single click. I can highlight the different parts of speech like nouns, verbs, adjectives, and adverbs.
Reading rulers are something that teachers have used for a long time for focus and with a single click here I can turn on line focus and really give that extra focus for students. With the Picture Dictionary, I can click on a single word and see a picture of that and also play it back to have that multi-sensory processing. A great tool for reading comprehension.
Learning Tools are available in OneNote, Outlook, Office Lens, and Edge as part of Office 365 in Education. Which is free for you teachers and students - go check it out!
Further information on Immersive Reader
Where to find It
Immersive Reader is part of Office 365 and can be found in Word, OneNote and the web version of Outlook, as well as Teams and the Office Lens app. The latest version of the Edge browser also has the Read Aloud feature available in the right-click menu.
Log in to Office with your Edinburgh Napier username and password. Office can either be used in the browser, or you can choose to download Office365 onto your own device.
Quick Start - Microsoft Word
In Word, find Immersive Reader on the View tab. Click to open the document in Immersive Reader mode.
Settings
Use the three menus on the right-hand side of the screen (Word online), or the toolbar buttons (desktop Word) to adjust the text to make reading easier.
Your settings are saved and re-applied automatically when you reopen Immersive Reader.
Reading ruler
Apply a reading ruler highlight using the Line Focus settings. You can choose to highlight 1, 3 or 5 lines of text at a time.
As you scroll through your document (use the mouse or the keyboard arrow keys), the line focus highlighting will remain comfortably in the middle of your screen.
Translation
To translate the whole document, select a language from the Translate dropdown and click the Document toggle.
The translation and the original document will now appear on separate tabs, and Immersive Reader can read aloud in either language.
Hear text read aloud
Use the Read Aloud toolbar button (desktop Word) or the green play button at the bottom of the screen (Word online) to hear the text spoken aloud, with highlighting. If you have a ruler setting applied, this will automatically move with the text as it is read aloud. Adjust the reading voice settings by clicking the gear icon.
Individual words can be read aloud by clicking on the Word and then on the popup listen option.
Close Immersive Reader
Click on the Close Immersive Reader button (desktop Word) or the back arrow (Word online) to return to the standard document view.
How-to guides
See the Immersive Reader in 90 seconds video, as well as in-depth documentation including an interactive user guide.