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Assistive Technology

What is Assistive Technology?

Assistive Technology is defined as “An item, piece of equipment or system, whether acquired commercially modified, or customized, that is used to increase, maintain, or improve the functional capabilities of (individuals) with disabilities.”  Disabilities Education Act of 1990, (Public Law 101-476).
Macalester believes that effective assistive technology not only aids students with disabilities in the classroom but provides increased options for support in daily living and work-life. 

Assistive Techology Software

  • Kurzweil 3000

    Kurzweil 3000 is an educational software designed to provide literacy support for those who need assistance with literacy in the classroom, at home, or in the workplace. Built-in features for reading, writing and study skills helps students to become independent learners and active participants within the classroom. Students can use Kurzweil 3000 throughout their school career and beyond, utilizing the literacy support to become lifelong learners.

    Kurzweil Quick Start Resources
    The following resources from Kurzweil are designed to help you get started quickly using the Kurzweil 3000 web app (aka, Kurzweil3000.com). The links below lead to short videos from Kurzweil Academy. Also, Kurzweil provides a helpful PDF guide with additional details and guidance to help you get started.

    Getting started
    Kurzweil3000.com’s key features
    Uploading and opening files
    Zooming in and out of documents
    Read The Web Chrome Extension (for text web pages)

    Read & Study
    Reading voice options
    Document view menu options
    Multicolor highlighters
    Customize highlighter and extract options
    Language options
    Multi-language reading

    Writing
    Writing process basics

    How to login to Kurzweil for the first time

    1. Navigate to https://www.kurzweil3000.com/KLogin.php
    2. Use the ‘Sign In with Google’ button
    3. Enter your @macalester.edu user credentials
    4. When prompted to provide Kurzweil 3000 with access, check the boxes next to all of the requested permissions (all are required) and choose ‘Continue’.
  • Read&Write

    Read&Write is a program that supports users when they read, write, study and research. The Read&Write toolbar includes over 20 tools which work within the common places students engage with course content daily such as your LMS, websites, GSuite and OneDrive, Word, Google Docs, ePubs and other academic environments. Read&Write is available to anyone withing the Macalester community with a @macalester.edu email address.

    Read&Write can give users the ability to:

      • Read text out loud (text-to-speech

      • Highlight and annotate course readings

      • Define unfamiliar words

      • Research subjects for papers and projects

      • Dictate written work

      • Proof written work

      • And more

    To  Download Read&Write:

    Read&Write for Google Chrome can be installed from the Chrome webstore using the following link: Read&Write for Google Chrome – Chrome webstore

    Once installed, sign-into the tool by choosing the Google option and enter your Macalester email address.

    For more detailed information to support with installation, refer to the following video and instruction set:

    Read&Write Resources
    Texthelp Academy for Read&Write – videos, printed resources and other self-paced training guides
  • Equatio

    Equatio is a tool that makes it easy to create and engage with digital and accessible math and STEM content. Through a powerful equation editor with prediction, speech-to-math (dictation), the ability to read math and STEM content outloud, along with other tools built on Universal Design for Learning Principles, students, faculty and staff are supported when creating or consuming STEM based course content. Equatio is available to anyone within the Macalester community with a @macalester.edu email address. 

    Equatio can gives user the ability to 

    • Read STEM based course content outloud (text-to-speech)
    • Type out math and STEM expressions using typed text, prediction, and LaTeX
    • Dictate math & STEM content
    • Take handwritten math and turn it into typed text
    • Graph using Desmos Graphing Calculator
    • And more

    To  Download Equatio:

    Equatio for Google Chrome can be installed from the Chrome webstore using the following link: Equatio – Chrome webstore

    Once installed, sign-into the tool by choosing the Google option and enter your Macalester email address. For more detailed information to support with installation, refer to the following video and instruction set

    Equatio Resources
  • Orbit Note

    OrbitNote provides users the ability to read, annotate and engage with PDF documents. With a toolset similar to Read&Write, users can engage with PDF documents in a similar way, with additional tools to support annotating or marking up documents and scanning image-based documents. OrbitNote is available to anyone withing the Macalester community with a @macalester.edu email address.

    Features include:

    • Read PDF document content out loud (text-to-speech)
    • Highlight and annotate (mark up) PDFs
    • Provide feedback and comments
    • Scan image-based PDF files into readable PDFs to read and engage with documents
    • Take pictures of printed text and convert the the text into readable content you can read and interact with. 

    To  Download OrbitNote:

    OrbitNote can be installed from the Chrome webstore using the following link: OrbitNote – Chrome webstore

    Once installed, sign-into the tool by choosing the Google option and enter your Macalester email address. For more detailed information to support with installation, refer to the following video and instruction set:

     

    Users can also head directly to the website orbit.texthelp.com to access the OrbitNote Dashboard and start reading and engaging with PDFs directly without the Chrome extension. 

    OrbitNote Resources
  • GLEAN

    Glean is a note taking tool that helps students capture information from class. Through classroom recordings, you’re able to add labels, text notes, lecture slides, definitions, images and more to your workspace. This software is available for students with disability. For more information, please contact the Center for Disability Resources.
  • Otter A.I.

    Otter A.I. records audio and automatically takes notes and provides real-time captioning. This software is available for students with disabilties. For more information please contact the Center for Disability Resoures.

Document Remediation Tools

  • Sensus Access Document Remediation

    Macalester provides SensusAccess as a self-service solution for automating the conversion of documents into a variety of alternative formats for students, faculty or staff. If you need help using SensusAccess please contact the ITS Help Desk at [email protected] or 651-696-6525.