Skip to Main Content
Spalding University Library Logo

Accessibility

This guide is created for department chairs, faculty, and staff working with students needing accommodations.

Accessibility Checkers

The following apps may be used to check accessibility:

  • Canvas Accessibility Checker- This tool can help you design course content while considering accessibility attributes and is located in the Rich Content Editor menu bar.
  • Axe- A free web accessibility checking tool which can be installed as an add-on to Google Chrome and Firefox browsers.  Not only will it report the number of accessibility violations, but also the Highlight feature navigates you directly to the specific visual element on a webpage that is in question.
  • Microsoft Accessibility Checker helps you find and fix accessibility issues, just like Spell Checker tells you about possible spelling errors. The Accessibility Checker works in Word, Excel, and PowerPoint.

Screenreader Tools and Devices

​Most of these programs are freeware.  In some cases, users can utilities for a specified period of time or for a specified number of trials for free. Once you have reached the limit, you will need to register the program and pay for a licensed copy in order to continue use.

Apple Voiceover- Apple VoiceOver includes options to magnify, keyboard control and verbal descriptions in English to describe what is happening on screen.

NVDA Screenreader- Free screen reader reads the text on the screen in a computerised voice. NVDA can also convert the text into braille if the computer user owns a device called a “braille display.” works with Microsoft Windows. You can download it to your PC, or to a USB stick.

SeroTek System Access-This downloadable and complete screen reader can be used even outside your browser, thus making it one of the quickest ways of getting a screen reader up and running on your system. Windows based.

Thunder Screenreader-Free screenreader for blind people on Microsoft Windows. It is not open-source, but it is free for individuals and organisations. It works on Windows XP Service Pack 3 or later, including Windows 7 and 8. ​

On-Screen Keyboard Tools and Devices

​Most of these programs are freeware.  In some cases, users can utilities for a specified period of time or for a specified number of trials for free. Once you have reached the limit, you will need to register the program and pay for a licensed copy in order to continue use.

Click-n-Type- Free on-screen keyboard which allows multiple keyboard layouts, predictive text, resizing, different languages, and key layout is highly customizable.

Dasher- Dasher can be used when operating a computer one-handed, by joystick, touchscreen, trackball, or mouse; when operating a computer with zero hands (i.e., by head-mouse or by eyetracker); on a palmtop computer; on a wearable computer. 

Free Virtual Keyboard- An OSK designed with pen computing in mind, and should be of good value to people using touch/pen-screens and assistive pointing devices. Contains a slider control that allows users to alter the OSK transparency from almost 100% opaque to almost 100% transparent.

Microsoft On-Screen Keyboard- It can be found in: Start/All Programs/Accessories/Accessibility/On-Screen Keyboard or alternatively from Windows key + U. It has a very clean interface and allows for switching between extended keyboard layout and the standard layout, in which the numeric pad and cursor-control keys are omitted to save space.