Assistive Technologies Available to Students
The information below summarizes research on the assistive technologies available to students at CUNY, some of which are provided by the device, operating system, or web browser, and some of which are available through the Office of Special Services and .
Notes:
- There is a new CUNY Policy on accommodation:
- With Ally, faculty are in a better position to remediate inaccessible course content, and students have alternative formats available for them for course content that is not accessible.
- Students requiring assistive technology may already have their preferred assistive technology on their device(s) before attending CUNY.
Brightspace-Specific Assistive Technologies, Features, and Settings
| wdt_ID | Application | Assistive Technology Name | Assistive Technology Function | Use for | Information | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Brightspace LMS | Ally | Alternative course content formats | • ePub • Electronic Braille • MP3 audio • BeeLine Reader • Immersive Reader (online) • Language translation |
• | • Course content only (not student content or navigation) • Faculty use Ally to assess accessibility of content |
Device-specific Assistive Technologies, Features, and Settings
Android Device
| wdt_ID | Device | Assistive Technology Name | Assistive Technology Function | Use for | Information | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Android Device (phone/tablet) | TalkBack | Screen reader | • Navigating device • Navigating screen • Navigating website |
• • TalkBack tutorial |
• website • YouTube: |
| 2 | Android Device (phone/tablet) | Voice Access | Hands-free access | • Navigating device • Navigating screen • Navigating website |
• | website |
| 3 | Android Device (phone/tablet) | Assistant | Voice typing | • Control device and applications • Dictate text |
• | website |
| 4 | Android Device (phone/tablet) | Live Transcribe | Speech-to-text transcription | • Providing text transcription of audio | • | website |
Chromebook Device
| wdt_ID | Device | Assistive Technology Name | Assistive Technology Function | Use for | Information | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Chromebook Computer | Caret browsing | Keyboard navigation | • Navigating website | • | |
| 2 | Chromebook Computer | ChromeVox | Screen reader | • Navigating device • Navigating screen • Navigating website |
• | |
| 3 | Chromebook Computer | Live captions | Speech-to-text transcription | • Providing text transcription of audio | • | |
| 4 | Chromebook Computer | Magnify | Screen magnifier | • Increasing size of screen contents | • | |
| 5 | Chromebook Computer | Type Text | Dictation | • Dictate text | • |
iOS Device
| wdt_ID | Device | Assistive Technology Name | Assistive Technology Function | Use for | Information | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | iOS Device (iPhone/iPad) | Change display colors | Screen Contrast | • Making screen content easier to read | • | |
| 2 | iOS Device (iPhone/iPad) | Voice Control | Control and navigate iOS by voice command | • Control Windows and applications • Dictate text |
• • |
|
| 3 | iOS Device (iPhone/iPad) | VoiceOver | Screen Reader | • Navigating screen • Navigating website • Image descriptions |
• | |
| 4 | iOS Device (iPhone/iPad) | Zoom | Screen magnifier | • Increasing size of screen contents | • |
Mac Device/Operating System
| wdt_ID | Device | Assistive Technology Name | Assistive Technology Function | Use for | Information | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | MacOS | Change display colors | Screen Contrast | • Making screen content easier to read | • | |
| 2 | MacOS | Kurzweil 3000 | Alternative input and output | Alternative inputs: • Dictate text Alternative outputs for documents/content: • Read text aloud • Alternative fonts and text magnification • Contrast • Translation |
• | Additional reading, comprehension, and writing features |
| 3 | MacOS Computer | Live Captions | Speech-to-text transcription | • Providing text transcription of audio | • | |
| 4 | MacOS Computer | Voice Control | Control and navigate MacOS by voice command | • Control windows and applications • Dictate text |
• • |
|
| 5 | MacOS Computer | VoiceOver | Screen Reader | • Navigating screen • Navigating website • Reading application interface • Reading application, website, and web page content |
• | |
| 6 | MacOS Computer | Zoom | Screen magnifier | • Increasing size of screen contents | • |
Windows Device/Operating System
| wdt_ID | Device | Assistive Technology Name | Assistive Technology Function | Use for | Information | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Windows Computer | Contrast | Control display color and contrast | • Customizing Windows colors and contrast for easier reading | • | |
| 2 | Windows Computer | JAWS | Screen reader | • Navigating screen • Navigating website • Reading application interface • Reading application, website, and web page content |
• | • Free to CUNY students (see for information) • CUNY-wide applications like CUNYfirst and Brightspace are tested with JAWS |
| 3 | Windows Computer | Kurzweil 3000 | Alternative input and output | Alternative inputs: • Dictate text Alternative outputs for documents/content: • Read text aloud • Alternative fonts and text magnification • Contrast • Translation |
• | • Additional reading, comprehension, and writing features |
| 4 | Windows Computer | Live Captions | Speech-to-text transcription | • Providing text transcription of audio | • | • Windows 11 |
| 5 | Windows Computer | Magnifier | Screen Magnifier | • Increasing size of screen contents | • | |
| 6 | Windows Computer | NVDA | Screen reader | • Navigating screen • Navigating website • Reading application interface • Reading application, website, and web page content |
• • |
• Open source provided by • |
| 7 | Windows Computer | Windows Narrator | Screen reader | • Navigating screen • Navigating website • Reading application interface • Reading application, website, and web page content |
• | |
| 8 | Windows Computer | Windows Speech Recognition | Control and navigate Windows by voice command | • Control Windows and applications • Dictate text |
• | |
| 9 | Windows Computer | ZoomText | Screen magnifier | • Increasing size of screen contents | • | • Free to CUNY students (see for information) |
Native Web Browser Accessibility Features/Settings **
** Some browser accessibility features may draw upon or be provided by the device upon which it is run, such as Safari running on a Mac or iPhone.
| wdt_ID | Web Browser | More Information | Cursor (Caret) Browsing | Image Descriptions | Keyboard Navigation | Live Caption | Read Web Page Content | Simplify Text Layout | Visual Focus | Zoom Text | Accessibility Extensions |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Chrome | Yes | |||||||||
| 2 | Edge | Yes on Windows PC | Yes via | ||||||||
| 3 | Firefox | ||||||||||
| 4 | Safari on MacOS or iOS | iOS | Yes | VoiceOver | Safari Reader | Yes |
ReachDeck vs Ally Feature Comparison
Based on initial research, the following table summarizes the accessibility enhancing features of ReachDeck Toolbar as compared to Anthology (Blackboard) Ally in Brightspace. If ReachDeck is added to Brightspace it is: a) not part of the current CUNY contract; b) must be manually started by the student; c) not universally available in all Brightspace iframes. Brightspace inserts icons next to course content to offer it in alternative formats.
| wdt_ID | Product Feature | Available in ReachDeck | Available in Ally | Equivalent in Device/Browser |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Content as ePub (for iPad or e-book readers) | no | As download | Chrome and extension for Firefox |
| 2 | Electronic Braille (BRF version for electronic braille displays) | no | As download | |
| 3 | Audio (MP3 for listening) | Selection as download | As download | |
| 4 | BeeLine Reader (leverages BeeLine reader features) | no | As download | Extension for Chrome and Firefox |
| 5 | Immersive Reader (read aloud) | See Note 4 | As download | yes |
| 6 | Language (machine translated version of displayed web page or document) | Realtime | As download | Extension for Chrome and Firefox |
| 7 | Picture dictionary for word selection | Realtime | no | Extension for Chrome and Firefox |
| 8 | Simplify displayed page | Conversion takes time and may not be useful in Blackboard | no | yes |
| 9 | Enlarge text as it is read aloud | Realtime | See Note 1 | |
| 10 | Screen mask | Realtime | See Note 2 | Browser extension |
| 12 | Read page or document content aloud | Realtime | See Note 3 | yes |
Notes:
- Arguably, Immersive Reader in Ally with Read Aloud provides similar capabilities, but content has to be downloaded first.
- While not a mask, BeeLine Reader can help with reading long passages and Immersive Reader may have a similar capability (Microsoft’s does).
- Many web browsers and operating systems can now read aloud. Additionally, Ally lets you download an MP3 to listen to or an Immersive Reader file that can be used with Read Aloud.
- Ally provides read aloud as MP3 or Immersive Reader download while ReachDeck can read displayed content aloud in real time.
Getting Started
To get ready for the move to the Brightspace environment, faculty are encouraged to do some clean up on their current Blackboard courses. Once cleaned up, it is advised that courses be backed up by exporting the course. Learn more about this .
Office Information
Brightspace Learning Management System
Email: brightspace@qc.cuny.edu