Organisations should have support strategies in place before any disabled learner enrols. For learners on the autistic spectrum they will need to cover curriculum organisation, the timetable and teaching and assessment policies.

Autistic learners may be sensitive to sensory stimulation and struggle to cope with noisy environments. Teaching needs to be in parts of the building with little passing ‘traffic’ such as away from the canteen or common room.

Some autistic learners may not cope with changes in timetables or rooms. If possible, advance notification of any changes should be sent direct to the learner if appropriate. Many learners may prefer to use their own devices so infrastructure, technical and acceptable user policies need to be in place. If this is not possible, a device borrowed from within the organisation may be helpful.

Signage within the college needs to be clear with symbols in relevant areas if necessary. It is recommended that signage systems are tested with a range of disabled students to check their usability and appropriateness.

Staff must have an understanding of autistic learners' needs. Support staff need to be aware of the services available to learners and how to access them.

Teachers must provide a creative and productive learning environment and should be aware of the issues that learners may experience. Our recommendations below should provide a useful starting point.

Many learners on the autistic spectrum can only interpret language literally, so avoid using slang, sarcasm or even humour to explain concepts. Information needs to be given in a clear, unambiguous way that does not use idiomatic language. Often images or symbols may help in explaining more abstract ideas. 

They may have significant difficulty understanding what others may know or be thinking and do not pick up social skills automatically. Learners need to be told about specific classroom rituals or ways of working such as taking the register, getting apparatus together or sharing equipment with others.

Learning involves participating in activities such as listening to the teacher, dialogue and discussion with other students. Autistic learners may find face-to-face communication difficult and would prefer to collaborate with others using technology. Enabling learners to use their own devices ensures that they can communicate, work and learn in their preferred way.

Autistic learners may find the busy classroom environment too distracting and it is helpful for them to access and revisit content at a later stage.

Interactive whiteboards allow learners to contribute in lessons providing relevance and authenticity. The lesson or lecture can be captured enabling them to focus solely on the whiteboard content which may help them to understand the lesson objectives.

Learners can access the VLE at any time and from outside their learning organisation. It is good practice to make any presentations, teaching notes or recordings from an interactive white board available on the VLE after a session for ease of access. Many VLE’s have interactivity built into them including forums, wikis or other interactive modules.

Interactive and collaborative working for learners is fulfilling, productive and allows each learner to respond and work with their own skills and expertise.

Rich media such as video, audio or still images enhances learning and can be used for assessment. However many autistic learners find additional sensory input very difficult to ignore. If you or your students plan to create videos or audio, you need to:

• Avoid background music in audio or video - autistic learners may find it difficult to focus on the main message
• Focus on the main action when recording video to avoid difficulty in understanding.

"My name is Luke and when I was born I was diagnosed with autism and ADD and I couldn’t speak until I was five years old because I was learning really slowly. Now that I’m older I learn things quicker.

"At home I use a computer, an Xbox a TV and most of all phones and iPads. I use them to watch an amazing show or film; maybe to play against other players on any type of games; to find out some information on a building or a famous person that has been on the news; or to call or text someone to know that everything is fine for a date at the weekend or a show; and to listen to music and hang out with friends.

"At college I use iPads, Windows surface tablets and boring slow computers. I’ve been learning how to work the tablets. We can use the computers to mostly look up history and other important stuff from the past.

"It has proven to me that I can help other people to know how to work and use a Windows surface tablet. It’s been a good thing to actually help other people and not to just help myself because I love helping people and I love to see smiley faces on people when I help them out."

Any learner or member of staff who needs specialist access to a tablet will need to use their own device. Whether or not your organisation provides access, mobility impaired learners need to connect to the network via wifi when they are on-site. 

Learners may use a device for communication as well as accessing course content. 

Staff and students need to be aware of users’ needs and allow time for responses to conversations. Always include the learner in any plans for their participation – for example fieldwork or practicals. They will determine what aspects of the course they can take part in and those that may be challenging. 

However, there are some basic adjustments that teaching and support staff can make to ensure the learner can access and participate to the fullest extent. 

People with mobility needs may have particular hardware needs to access the curriculum. You also need to consider desk space, classroom layout and moving between lessons. Such hardware includes:

• Specialist input devices (joystick, tracker ball, adapted keyboard)
• Positioning aids to hold keyboard, tablet or pointing device at an optimum position
• Adjustable table to accommodate wheelchairs.

In some cases, bespoke DIY solutions can give the learner more independence (eg, a clip-on plywood desk shelf for a keyboard may be a more practical solution than an expensive adjustable table because the shelf can be unclipped and taken to the next room).

Organisations need to ensure that these inclusive practices are widely adopted by all teaching and support staff. Learning support staff provide a crucial role in supporting learners but teaching staff are key in reducing barriers to participation at source.

IT/network managers, learning resource managers, admissions tutors, marketing managers and administration staff all play a part in the total experience of a disabled learner or indeed a disabled staff member. Access, accessibility and disability awareness needs to be shared across all staff roles.

Learners who use specialised access devices are the experts so it is important to work with and listen to them. It is also important to encourage an open minded approach to other solutions, since openness and adaptability are key to long term independence. 

When working with learners who are using specialist technology, staff need to be aware of how that technology will render different types of content. It is imperative that staff are aware of accessible practice when creating learning content. The general rule is to work together and build up a list of sites and formats.

In general, good teaching will provide many of the learners' basic needs. Additionally:

• A mobility impaired user will take much longer to access and interact online - additional time or more selective tasks will need planning into teaching sessions
• Have a clear outline of each lesson, identifying times and situations when the user may need additional time to engage
• Present information in a format that is best suited to that learner. It may be that although the learner can access content, they are still more comfortable listening to text read out loud and will need it in MP3 format.

Technology can support creative and collaborative learning. While a learner with an access device may struggle to use an interactive whiteboard, they could contribute to asynchronous discussions via email or by using collaborative sites such as wikis. Whatever their form of access, learners can participate in a group session and the results can be saved onto the VLE.  

Where motor difficulties make writing laborious, consider allowing the learner to submit alternative evidence such as audio clips or video.

A particular app may be more accessible for a student using an access device than the equivalent website. Working with the student ahead of a session ensures that the content you are planning to use is accessible to their particular device.

People who are deaf have a lower exposure to incidental language learning (for example overheard conversations, background radio and television). This makes it more difficult for a fully nuanced understanding of written English.

For sign language users, English is really a second language with alien grammar and conventions. Therefore, their reading fluency can be similar to that of dyslexic learners or those for who English is an additional language.

Face-to-face teaching involves lots of spoken communication. There can be difficulties including:

• The tutor speaking indistinctly
• Poor room acoustics
• Inappropriate lighting for lip reading support 
• Inability for a sign language interpreter to keep up with a fast-paced tutor
• Tutor using technical vocabulary that doesn't exist in British Sign Language

Some teaching environments have poor access to technology such as audio loops, portable wireless microphones/receivers or mainstream teaching technology like interactive whiteboards and data projectors.

Courses that rely heavily on narrated video or audio can pose significant challenges, as well as those relying heavily on dense text resources.

Induction loops can be incorporated into key rooms (eg, auditoriums). Portable audio support systems facilitate support for learners anywhere on site.

Investments in wider e-learning can have significant benefits for learners with hearing loss:

• Well populated virtual learning environments allow learners to access resources in their own time. This is helpful for learners with literacy problems who need more time to work through them
• Interactive whiteboards allow lesson and lecture content to be captured visually. Lecture recording allows hearing impaired learners to replay missed information at a higher volume
• Bring your own device (BYOD) policies allow learners to create video and still images for evidence. Accessibility preferences will be pre-set, allowing learners to use the devices more easily
• Installing and supporting accessible content creation tools like Xerte Online Toolkits allow tutors to create visually rich learning resources

This should focus on pragmatic practices that influence daily work. There are three key aspects:

• Awareness of deaf issues and how to communicate effectively with deaf learners
• E-learning confidence - technology enhanced learning can make a significant difference to a tutor's ability to teach inclusively
• Creating deaf-friendly teaching resources and activities
   

Communication is important. Disabled staff and learners need to know what services are available to them. There is little point in making adjustments if no one knows about them.

Start with traditional learning activities that involve dialogue, discussion and questioning – such activities can be difficult for deaf and hearing impaired learners to engage in. They can be made more accessible by:

• Using pictures and visual prompts that reinforce the language and content
• Avoiding unnecessarily complex language in tasks or instructions
• Pre-teaching new vocabulary with signs if required
• Providing glossary summaries for technical terms
• Using technology to facilitate online and asynchronous discussions 
• Using interactive whiteboards and VLEs to capture notes from teaching sessions and make available to learners afterwards
• Incorporating activities that allow responses other than writing (eg use of images and videos)
   

Making learning resources more accessible

Technology can be used to level the playing field. For example, text walls and wikis like TitanPad or PiratePad can be used for instant online discussions. They can be easily embedded into phone-friendly tools such as Xerte, allowing discussion to take place in class using phones to contribute text to a page projected onto the whiteboard. Alternatively, Moodle and other learning platforms support discussion threads.

Presenting evidence in written form can be challenging for deaf learners since they are writing in a second language with an unfamiliar syntax and grammar. Consider how they could capture image and video evidence using their mobile phones.

Many of the educational resources created by teaching staff are text based. For learners with poor literacy skills it is imperative that the meaning of the information is not lost in the medium. Where staff use heading styles in documents and make the resources available online, learners can use inbuilt features such as the navigation pane or outline view.

These views allow the learner to see the entire document navigation ordered by heading level. This provides a very effective way for learners to find their way to the key points in a document.

A wide range of free technologies are available to support more engaging learning resources:

• Mind mapping may provide an effective way to support learners who cope better with visual materials
• Camstudio, Jing (pc) or ExplainEverything (tablet) can be used to create visual resources featuring video and audio
   

Text dense resources with high language levels may need simplifying, summarising or signposting to alternative resources. Where this process involves more advanced level resources it is essential the task of summarising is completed jointly by teaching and support staff.

Working with interpreters and learners

Working with interpreters requires some planning to give the learner the best experience. For interpreters to work effectively the tutor needs to be clear, precise and moderately paced in delivery. Interpreters also need breaks and these will need factoring into the delivery. There may not be signs for specialist vocabulary so warn about technical terms in advance - they may require additional explanation.

Be aware of subject specific signs. There are several subject specific glossaries like ArtSigns, ScienceSigns, EngineeringSigns and Technical Theatre signs. For a general signing background SignStation is a useful resource and also links to a signing app.

Don't sideline the learner by conversing only with the interpreter. Wherever possible, make resources available in advance (such as handouts and presentations) so the learner can come prepared.

Many techniques that are suitable for dyslexic learners work well with deaf learners also:

• Write in plain English and check the readability
• Use inbuilt heading styles in Word for an overview of content in the navigation pane - show learners how to use it
• Use pop up information over images to help contextualise explanations
• Consider using creative e-learning approaches that minimise text heavy resources and activities.
• Add notes to the notes field in PowerPoint to help clarify explanations
• Use animations to explain difficult concepts
   

For more detailed information on making your documents more accessible, see our guidance on 'institutional practice and accessible technology'

Watch the video for guidance on checking and improving your PowerPoint's accessibility.

For deaf and hearing impaired learners, multimedia can be as much an accessibility benefit as a barrier. The extent to which the deaf/hearing impaired user is disadvantaged by multimedia depends on a number of factors, including:

• The nature of disability
• The nature of the media (accessibility of legacy collections ie, video tapes of television programmes may be limited)
• The nature of the learning objectives
• The primacy of the multimedia resource in delivering the learning objectives
• The manner in which the multimedia will be delivered (for example with or without tutor support)
   

Start with…

• Adding accessibility at the start of a multimedia resource (easier than retrofitting it afterwards)
• Using videos and screencasts ensuring that any narrated content is available in text format
• Focussing on the learning objectives of the resource (ie the audio from a video)
• Using audio files (ie, recordings of fieldwork/practical observations, summaries of discussions) which learners can access online
• Providing a short description of the resource's purpose to give focus to the task eg, in a recorded interview, is the objective to find specific information? 
• Providing a summary rather than a word-for-word transcript for someone with poor English skills as not every word will be relevant
• Using subtitles where sequence and timing are important (such as explaining a process) especially if tone of voice is important
• Providing inline sign interpretation if you have the skills and resources
   

The basic check for accessibility to a deaf/hearing impaired user is 'Does it make sense with the speakers switched off?' If not, additional support will be needed in terms of a transcript, subtitling/captioning or inline sign interpretation.

Barriers

These are likely to exist where:

• The video strand does not convey the full impact of the narrative. For example, a video clip/animation of a four stroke engine may be visually sufficient to show how the pistons work but the audio narrative might also mention fuel types and engine efficiencies
• The audio stream is the key medium and the video is merely supporting eg, dialogue in a play. The body language will convey some of the drama but the dialogue and intonation will convey much more
• The audio creates atmosphere eg, the use of music to heighten tension as a scene develops
   

Adjustments

In general, reasonable adjustments may include:

• A transcript of the narrative
• Subtitles
• Subtitles/transcript with additional key information (eg, ‘(Ironically) 'You approve of me then?')
• Inline sign interpretation
   

Whether the transcript, captioning or signing needs to be a word-for-word script or a summative description will depend on the learning objectives.

Transcripts

Transcripts provide a text summary of the entire narrative. They have the advantage of being printable but the disadvantage of breaking the synergy between visuals and commentary.

Whether the transcript needs to be a word for word script or a summative description will depend on the learning objectives. A word for word explanation will help learners who want to cut and paste information into their assignment but a précis of the content may be better in other circumstances. For example, a summary of complex arguments or arguments based on complex vocabulary is a reasonable adjustment for deaf/hearing impaired learners.

Subtitles

There are two types of subtitles:

• Open captions - text information embedded in the video stream as subtitles. They have two main advantages:
  • They provide synchronicity between the video and the supporting information so the narrative is linked to the reinforcing imagery
  • They are embedded in the video stream so they are 'always on' and users do not need to understand how to switch them on
• Closed captions – text information provided as a separate information stream which can be turned on or off by the viewer. The advantages are:
  • Users can potentially archive and index video content and search for specific video content within these archives
  • They suffer no loss of quality when the encoded video is compressed since the caption is a separate stream
     

Subtitling to support the use of multimedia is adequate except where:

• The spoken element is complex (eg, clips where the narrative is fast and dense or overlain with emotional subtext) that the relevant information should be provided in hard copy
• Material is needed for repeated or high stakes use where providing additional notes or inline signing will be a richer and more meaningful solution
   

Inline signing

This requires a video of a signer creating a signed version of the narrative. This video is synchronised with the main video stream and placed as an insert clip.

Only in relatively rare circumstances would inline signing on multimedia be a reasonable adjustment. Formalised video signing is highly skilled requiring high production values and is expensive. For many deaf and hearing impaired learners having many cheap unsigned videos would be more accessible than having very few high quality signed versions.

Different reasonable adjustments relate to differing contexts, for example whether the materials form a major or minor element of a course, and are for repeated independent use or one-off support. Course materials with a long shelf life and high production values may require subtitling, explicit narrative and (if appropriate) video or audio description.

Where multimedia is produced by non-specialists using entry level software and hardware, the best adjustment is to ensure narrative, video and supporting text (eg, subtitles, text summaries, etc.) mutually reinforce the key learning objectives.

Where organisations create in-house multimedia using a specialist team, they should note the relevant web accessibility guidelines. The options available may depend on software used in production and the hardware used in playback. Where the options for accessible production exist, poor production techniques which render multimedia non-adjustable should be regarded as a breach of good practice and a barrier to reasonable adjustment.

Multimedia materials should be designed in such a way that the audio, video and text enrich and reinforce each other, and each fulfils the learning objectives. There are exceptions to this general rule which might present particular problems for deaf/hearing impaired learners, for example when the authorial intention requires:

• Ambiguity between media - where tone of voice says one thing while her face 'says' another
• Bricolage - where the elements are assembled but where the different media do not and are not supposed to correspond
• Tone - where playfulness and irony are important
   

In these circumstances, one-to-one support, audio description or supporting text notes might be appropriate adjustments.

Although tables present few problems for deaf and hearing impaired learners, there are some adjustments that can be made so that they are as accessible as possible.

A tabular summary is often preferable to a freeform text narrative but can present barriers if they use technical vocabulary or convey abstract concepts. Tables presented in Excel spreadsheets can take advantage of the comments field to add extra explanations.

Converting tables to charts may benefit all learners, particularly those with strongly visual thinking.

Adjustments

These are likely to include:

• Vocabulary and terminology in the table, especially column and row headers. These may need additional links to glossaries
• Tables involving abstract concepts. For example, tables involving gross domestic product (GDP) per head. This issue is not specific to tables but may become more apparent in a table where such information may be a key indicator
• Instructions where a table is used in a class teaching situation (for example, as a stimulus or a debating point). Ensure that instructions are clear and supported in some non-audio way eg, with notes on a handout or on a whiteboard
• Where the table data is particularly dense it makes more sense to plot a graph of the information rather than rely on numerical pattern spotting from the table
   

Technical and production issues

By having tables available in digital form it is possible to link to additional resources or even have pop-up comments providing additional explanation or hints. This can be achieved using comments in Excel or Word. Hyperlinks can also be used to take learners to supplementary information.

Context of use

Tables are used in a variety of ways – either to support independent learning, to stimulate collaborative learning or to form part of an assessment. The needs of the deaf/hearing impaired learner will vary with the context.

Where a table will be used for collaborative learning, it may be done more effectively online using discussion tools to maximise independence of the learner’s contributions. In a classroom/seminar setting the class will need clear protocols for discussion in order not to exclude the deaf learner.

They can present barriers due to technical vocabularies and abstract concepts.

In Word documents the pop-up screen tip trick can add extra information over images or vocabulary terms.

"My name is Megan, a student at East Durham College (Houghall campus). I am completing my Level 2 Diploma in animal care and will be moving next year onto the Level 3. I hope to go to university. I have used technology to assist me in my studies at college as I have a severe hearing impairment.

"I hadn’t enjoyed school and had been told I was disruptive. Much of this was due to my hearing impairment and I became frustrated. I don’t think the teachers understood this.

"Things changed at Houghall. I have been encouraged to use the VLE to help me with my studies. All of my work and lessons are on the VLE. The lessons on the VLE contain quizzes so I can check that I have learned correctly. At school it was wrong to use our phones but at college I can. I look up facts, use my phone to record lessons for clarification or if I have missed or misheard something. I then listen to them at home using sound enhancing programmes.

"The ATbar enables me to change the colour of the screen, the style and size of the font to make the text clear and easy to read. I also use sound enhancing to watch videos on the VLE and subtitles also help with this. If I need help tutors are online on an evening and weekend at the same time and we ask questions and get help with the lesson and our assignments."

Meet Nadia, a very busy young woman who gives talks, takes part in discussions and promotes the charity 1Voice. Nadia is deaf and can neither hear nor speak. In this video she demonstrates how she uses a combination of personal assistants, sign language and technology (Dynavox) to communicate.

Many dyslexic people experience difficulties with reading. These may be cognitive in nature (difficulties in decoding the meaning from text) or visual (for example difficulty seeing letters clearly on a certain background) or a mixture of the two. Skim reading can be very challenging for these learners.

Two common issues impact on many dyslexics:

• Difficulties in planning and sequencing can undermine written assignments
• Poor spelling can lose marks and create frustrations, both for tutors trying to interpret assignments and learners trying to revise from their own notes.

Dyslexic people can be original thinkers and creative problem solvers but in a text-based education system, they find themselves playing to their weaknesses rather than their strengths. This can have a corrosive impact on confidence.

It is common for bright dyslexic people to feel they are 'stupid.' This is not the case for sensory disabilities where the barriers to achievement are more tangible and so more likely to be tackled.

Dyslexic people can struggle with day-to-day organisation. It is not unusual for them to forget to hand in work or forget to attend appointments.

Dyslexia is part of a spectrum that can include dyspraxia, dyscalculia, dysgraphia and attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD).

Given the range of strengths and weaknesses, the impact of personal strategies and the influence of personality, it is unlikely that any two dyslexics in your organisation will have the same support needs. Dyslexics who are confident with technology can develop many helpful self-support strategies.

Staff development is vital in empowering staff to teach inclusively. From the point of view of dyslexic learners small things can make a big difference. This includes training in:

• Making resources available online in digital format
• Ensuring documents and presentations comply with basic accessibility practice
• Training staff in using multimedia

There is a range of assistive technologies that can help dyslexic learners with reading, writing, planning and organising.

Reading for speed and meaning

This can be significantly enhanced by basic good practice in e-learning but the following technologies can benefit the reading speeds and skills of many dyslexics:

• Colour overlay tools and other similar features to reduce the visual glare sometimes experienced when reading black text on white backgrounds. For example changing the background colour on a Word document can help. When browsing the web, using the colour overlay feature on the ATbar or the colour overlay on the ClaroRead Chrome extension may be useful. Colour overlay tools such as RapidSet and SSOverlay can be downloaded as part of the MyStudyBar suite of tools from the Eduapps website
• Screen tinting features in commercial literacy/assistive technology software such as Texthelp Read&Write or ClaroRead can be useful and worth promoting, especially if your institution has a site license making it available to all
• Reading rulers such as the Reading Ruler extension for Google Chrome, ruler features and in commercial literacy/assistive technology software such as Texthelp Read&Write or ClaroRead. The VuBar reading ruler can be downloaded as part of the MyStudyBar suite of tools from the Eduapps website
• Browser plugins to de-clutter pages (eg Clearly), support speed reading (eg Spreeder) or to help read on screen (eg ATBar)
• Ensuring text-to-speech tools with high-quality voices are available across the network – this can also open up textbooks to dyslexics when they are available in alternative formats
• Providing tablet devices so learners can make use of their inbuilt accessibility features

Writing

Voice recognition tools like the inbuilt Windows voice recognition or commercial tools like Dragon NaturallySpeaking can support poor writers, however word prediction tools like LetMeType and Dasher may be more suitable in noisy environments. You can also set up AutoText or AutoCorrect in Word to provide shortcuts to commonly misspelled words or phrases.

Planning assignments

Mind mapping tools can be an excellent way to help learners organise their work. The combination of visual planning, drag and drop reorganisation and export to a word processing package (depending on the version) make it easier to separate the processes of recalling content and sequencing ideas.

Personal organisation

There are a range of personal organisation tools, both free and commercial, that could benefit learners but they need to be used habitually to make a difference. Some learning providers have facilitated informal 'app cafe' activities where learners can share tools and approaches.

E-book platforms or textbooks in alternative formats direct from publishers allow dyslexic learners to change colours or use text to speech.

They allow lesson/lecture content to be captured visually and stored online for learners to revisit afterwards.

Tutor handouts using the inbuilt heading styles (Heading 1, Heading 2 etc) allow dyslexic learners to rapidly navigate a document – a form of 'skim reading' that depends on the tutor’s accessibility awareness.

Lecture recording may benefit dyslexic learners as they can focus on understanding rather than note-taking and check details afterwards. However, having the lecture notes available online might be a better solution because navigating through 50 minute lecture recordings is not for the fainthearted.

Dyslexic people can often be very articulate in class discussions but face barriers in online discussions. They may be self conscious about how coherent their contributions are to discussion lists and they may be slower in keeping up the reading in fast moving discussions.

You can reduce these anxieties by making the value explicit – is it in participating, spelling or both?

Where comments count towards assessment (and where spelling will lose marks), it might be appropriate to allow dyslexic learners to copy the discussion thread so they can proof read their contributions and retrofit improved spelling and grammar.

Since written assessments present a barrier to many dyslexic learners, consider how you could adapt assessments and assignments to play to the strengths of dyslexic (and other) learners).

For example they could use their mobile phone to produce image, audio or video evidence.

• Write in plain English and check the readability
• Use the inbuilt heading styles in Word for learners to get a content overview in the navigation pane
• Use pop up information over images to help contextualise explanations
• Use creative e-learning approaches that minimise text heavy resources and activities.

Watch the video tutorial from Microsoft on creating accessible Word documents.

For presentations, add notes to the notes field in PowerPoint to help clarify explanations and use animations to explain difficult concepts.

Watch the video tutorial to check and improve the accessibility of your PowerPoint presentations.

Dyslexic learners can often benefit from simple and effective use of video and audio, however research suggests that overloading the learner with too much rich content can result in confusion.

Summaries of key learning objectives in video and audio can particularly benefit dyslexics who may have less developed note taking skills. 

These can be very challenging for learners with dyscalculia and dysgraphia but they can be made more accessible.

For tabular information in Excel spreadsheets use the comments field to add extra explanations.

In Word documents, the pop up screen tip trick can add extra information over images or row and column headings in tables.

Encourage them to be part of their own solutions - make them aware of free text to speech, mindmapping solutions and of relevant browser plugins.

Encourage them to use:

• Personal tools like Azzapt to get text in their preferred format
• Tools like Evernote or OneNote to keep track of research
• Inbuilt features or apps on phones for personal organisation, for example online calendars and task lists that can sync with a mobile device. 

If grammar, vocabulary or spelling are poor get them to try the inbuilt grammar checkers or synonyms function in Word.

The network manager in your organisation can ensure high quality text to speech is available across the network either using commercial tools or free voices like the Scottish or Welsh voices. They can also make content creation tools like Xerte or commercial equivalents available on the network to support staff in creating accessible mobile resources.

Library staff have a critical role to play in ensuring accessibility features are a procurement criterion for e-book platforms. They can also make learners aware of the accessibility features on e-book platforms and may be instrumental in obtaining textbooks in alternative formats direct from publishers.

They ensure that suitable staff development activities take place so that all staff can meet basic accessibility good practices. In turn their organisation can fulfil the reasonable expectations that any learner is entitled to anticipate in post 16 education.

"I’m studying English GCSE, maths AS and engineering BTEC at St Vincent College.

"I use technology a lot. For example I use my iPad to write up and access notes online and in class. The college is very technology-based especially for the maths and engineering so any feedback we get is via emails or on the VLE. We get any past papers from the VLE.

"The learning support department showed me how to set up text-to-speech on Microsoft Word so that I can hear my work read back to me.

"If I was to go online just to read something I would use Orato in MyStudyBar – it highlights the text as you go along and you can change colours, etc. But if I was just reading a Word document I would use the in-built text-to-speech. I’ve downloaded voices for use at home. The process worked okay but I was impatient about waiting to get the registration through – I prefer things to be instant!

"I’ve noticed that by using text-to-speech to proof read my assignments I’ve spotted (and corrected) a lot of mistakes so I’m handing in better quality work. The text-to-speech is good but is not as good as hearing your tutor speaking. It would be great if we could have podcasts with the tutor’s voice. That would be better than synthetic speech."

"I’m studying English GCSE, maths AS and engineering BTEC at St Vincent College. I’m very comfortable with using lots of different types of technology. For example I bring up notes on my phone. I’ve got concessions to use technology in the exams and I use the computer for practice papers in English.

The main way I use text-to-speech is for proof reading my work. When it’s read back to you, you notice your mistakes. I’ve tended to use text-to-speech a lot for assignments and English coursework.

"The built-in text-to-speech in Microsoft Word is handy. There is also text-to-speech in MyStudyBar but the only problem with that is you have to open a separate programme. If I hear a mistake I want to correct it there and then so it is better for me to work directly in Word than listening to one programme and correcting it in another. However it does help to see the text highlighted as it’s read out and Word doesn’t do that!"

"Although the text-to-speech is helping me with the written work the thing that would really benefit me would be to have more videos explaining things."

Omar studies HNC social care at the City of Glasgow College.

Using AudioNote, Omar finds that taking notes is now worthwhile where before his efforts to make notes during a lecture was frustrating, distracting and ultimately unrewarding. Using AudioNote has enhanced his abilities to learn as an individual, and to participate in group work more effectively.

He now uses it at work for team meetings, to take notes and to capture all the extra comments and pertinent asides from teachers and fellow students which he could not do before.

The structure of the curriculum and timetable needs to acknowledge students' abilities and vulnerabilities. In some cases discrete provision is delivered within one section of the organisation. This may result in the learners feeling excluded from the organisation's general atmosphere and culture.

Signage needs to be clear with symbols in relevant areas if necessary andshould be tested with a range of disabled students to check their usability and appropriateness. If symbols are used for signage and as part of the curriculum, there needs to be a single set used across the organisation for consistency. The virtual learning environment (VLE) could also be accessed by symbol navigation.

Some courses may not have an accredited qualifications associated with its completion. These may be independent living or pre-vocational courses that are personalised for each individual student. In these cases it is recommended, and is a requirement for study programmes, that the organisation uses the Recognising and Recording Progress and Achievement (RARPA) framework for supporting learners' progression and creating personalised objectives that can be reported on and tracked.

If RARPA is required and necessary for the type of course being offered, there needs to be a process and tools in place to record data on achievement. Learners with learning disabilities need tasks breaking down into their constituent parts with achievement occurring in very small steps.

The majority of organisational data management tools do not have the ability or capacity to track the detail of these achievements. Using mobile or tablet devices will allow students to access rich content, or use it to record evidence in the form of audio, photos or video.

Enabling learners to use their own devices ensures that they can communicate, work and learn in their preferred way. The necessary infrastructure and both technical and acceptable user policies need to be in place to enable this to happen. If this is not possible, a device borrowed from the organisation may be helpful.

If a learner uses their own device, ensure they are familiar with any collaborative applications you are planning to use. Finding the right type of software or app is important so that learners gain confidence to actively participate in lessons.

They can be used for discussions, planning or providing information in a wide variety of formats. Learners can provide their own input as a group and the results can be saved onto the virtual learning environment (VLE). Being able to access the session at a later date and time is helpful to consolidate and reinforce the information.

Involving learners in decision making about the use of technology and resources is a powerful way to increase their knowledge and confidence. There are a number of solutions that should be available across the organisation. Encourage your learners to have a copy of their favourite applications on a USB stick that they can then use at home, or in a work placement.

Many learners with learning disabilities need support with reading, writing or comprehension. Ensuring that text-to-speech options are available throughout the organisation means that any learner can listen to text on a computer rather than struggle to read and/or understand it.

Installing high quality voices will encourage learners not to put off using text to speech options because of robotic sounding voices. Free voices are also available in Scotland and Wales.

Text-to-speech options include:

• Clipspeak and Orato for browsing which will read aloud any text copied to the clipboard
• There is a read aloud option in both Microsoft Word and Adobe Reader
• Free software applications like Balabolka and DSpeech can convert text into MP3 files
• DiCom - a text prediction application which can assist learners with writing.

This is a useful way to clarify thinking, plan and organise a piece of written work. Having content displayed in a visual way means that the user can move their ideas around, reorder them, and add notes and additional branches. This can then be exported as text and used as a basis for further writing.

A learner who has difficulty concentrating may find themselves reading onwards to questions two and three rather than deliberating on the response to question one. To help avoid this scenario, it may be helpful to insert a space or visual separation between questions. In e-assessment, however, try to avoid using rows of hyphens or spaces to demarcate question boundaries, as this will unnecessarily hinder users of screen reading technology.

The use of plain English reduces the cognitive load associated with interpreting lengthy and complex sentences, and allows the learner to focus on answering the questions.

This is not to say that assessments should be free from the appropriate technical jargon, but should be presented in a way that is commensurate with the academic level being tested. The more straightforward the language used, the less need there will be for learners to apply for or use allocations of extra time.

The instructions for an assessment may read as follows:

“It is important that you shall read the notes, advice and information detailed opposite then complete the form overleaf (all sections) prior to commencing the assessment in its entirety at an approved and invigilated assessment centre.”

It may however be of more use to the majority of candidates to say the following instead:

“Please read the notes opposite before you fill in the form on the back. Then you will be ready to start the assessment as instructed by the staff member in charge.”

There are a number of schools and colleges that offer specialist provision for learners with vision impairment. However there are an estimated 40,000 people under the age of 25 with a severe impairment - the majority of these will have some sight. This means many will attend mainstream organisations that don't have the expertise to support these learners.

Courses with a high visual content can be particularly challenging. This includes science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM) courses. It is important that learners have support in their subject of choice as they have valuable contributions to make to these fields.

Learners with more severe visual impairments often need additional skills to access the curriculum. For example, they may need advanced braille or screenreader expertise. At all levels, they may need additional mobility and independence training so they can take part in fieldwork or work placements.

Websites, intranets, VLE's and e-book platforms must be designed and tested for accessibility. If not, they are likely to create barriers.

Visual resources can be of great benefit to many learners. Images, mindmaps, flow diagrams and videos can still be used as long as they are annotated, described and transcribed appropriately.

Teaching staff

They will need training on producing accessible learning resources. This includes:

• Accessible documents and presentations
• Delivering accessible digital learning.

IT staff

They must be aware of built in accessibility features in operating systems and ensure they are enabled. There is a lot of free and open source software that may be useful to visually impaired learners which IT staff should also be aware of.

Library staff

It is likely that visually impaired learners will need books in an electronic format; library staff need to know how to obtain these. 

Disability staff

Disability staff should be aware of accessibility features in Windows, Mac OS or in mobile devices like phones and tablets. They may also find it useful to know about free and open source assistive technologies.

Software

No two learners with visual impairments have the same issues so there is no simple solution that will suit everyone. However, there are a number of basic enabling technologies that are useful and should be made available, for example text-to-speech tools and the accessibility tools built into Windows and Mac OS.

Learners who require screen readers will have access to their own commercial application but it is worth making a free screen reader tool available. NonVisual Desktop Access (NVDA) can run from a memory stick and is popular with many screenreader users. Window-Eyes is also free for Office 2010.

Mainstream technologies from VLEs to e-book platforms may also offer accessibility options.

Many users can benefit from the range of apps on tablets and phones – for example magnification tools, colour identification and object identification.

Hardware

Magnifiers are helpful. These may include CCTV, handheld electronic devices and low tech magnifying sheets or lenses.

Scanning and reading devices allow visually impaired people to read physical copies of textbooks and magazines. Key features to look for include:

• Audio feedback during operation
• Accuracy of the optical character recognition (OCR)
• The ability for displayed text to reflow when magnified
• The ability to output to synthetic speech audio including saving to MP3 format.

Some apps on tablet devices can now compete with bespoke hardware tools and learners may prefer to use a mainstream device like an iPad, rather than having additional equipment to carry around.

Tools that identify or describe objects can be invaluable in labs, workshops, kitchens or salons. These include optical identification (OID) and radio frequency identification (RFID) devices. Small tactile markers can be assigned an audio message and attached to the object. When the user scans the marker with a receiver they get the message played back to them.

Hardware focused on tactile senses includes refreshable braille devices for writing or reading on a laptop or phone, a talking tactile tablet or the low tech alternatives of bump ons with braille labels. Wikki Stix and plastic embossing film (German film) allow tutors to create instant tactile diagrams.

Other tools for different areas of the curriculum include talking thermometers for science or talking scales in food technology.

Browser plug-ins

The choice of browser installed on the network can make a difference. Browser plug-ins like Spreed can help people with limited visual field read much more quickly. Other plug-ins enable the user to change the contrast or speak out loud text content. 

Accessible platforms

Where your organisation subscribes to e-book systems or other e-content, the procurement policy can make a substantial difference. Ensuring that the organisation subscribes to an accessible platform can provide substantial savings on additional support costs.

Start with...

• Giving learners access to the lesson resources in digital format before the lesson
• Considering how visually impaired students will access interactive whiteboard content
• Involving the learner with testing online - accessibility can vary with the assistive technology used and the learner’s degree of skill.

Progress to...

Traditional learning activities like dialogue, discussion and questioning can work well with learners with sight impairment. Remember that screenreader users rely on audio feedback through headphones to both read and write. This makes it harder to read or write when discussions are going on. When working with visually impaired learners, you should:

• Allow adequate time and adapt tasks if necessary
• Provide as many resources as possible in digital format
• Make resources available before the lesson - reading with magnification or screenreader software takes longer and learners struggle to access everything at the same time
• Where learners have some functional sight, make use of cameras or interactive whiteboards to record transient information
• Make use of existing technologies ie, free tools that synchronise a learner's laptop with an interactive whiteboard/tutor PC for accessing content with magnification software
• Be aware of mobility issues. Changing the desk layout for different lessons might be a good idea for most learners but could disorientate a blind learner
• Anticipate hazards in practical, workshop or outdoor activities but let the learner grow in confidence by encouraging independence
• Try to anticipate which parts of your lesson may create conceptual barriers to people who, for example, have never seen a colour or whose experience of a tree is tactile not visual
• When setting group tasks play to the strengths of the visually impaired student. Are they better researchers or presenters? 
• Liaise with the learner and support staff to anticipate barriers in planned activities. The Web2Access site includes accessibility tests and scores for a variety of online tools
• Ensure assessments are accessible to screenreaders and, where necessary, consider how they could be adapted to minimise barriers
• Where learners study subjects involving maths, ensure the learner can access additional support where appropriate. This might involve extra tuition in braille Maths or, for those accessing via screenreader, getting specialist guidance in creating and using MathML

Visually impaired people may need to work with text at much higher magnification levels. This makes any resource they are working with more difficult to navigate. If tutors use the inbuilt heading styles when creating documents, the navigation pane makes it simpler for magnification or screen reader users to rapidly move around the document.

Presentations tend to be very visual and may be inaccessible for visually impaired learners.  If you are making them available to learners:

• Save them in PowerPoint presentation (.ppt or .pptx) format rather than PowerPoint show (.pps or .ppsx). Learners with a visual impairment cannot easily zoom in on slides in presentation format
• Include notes in the notes field so that you can import text as a Word document and read in the user’s chosen way
• See the video resource for guidance on checking and improving your PowerPoint presentation's accessibility

Here are some of the issues to consider with audio and video and how to address them.

Start with...

• Adding accessibility at the start of a multimedia resource than afterwards
• Checking that screenreader software can access the media controls - if you can control video using only keystrokes like 'Tab', 'Spacebar' and 'Enter', it is likely to work for a blind user
• Checking that the media content is accessible to the user. If you are using video that contains important visual content that isn’t explicitly described, learners with a sight impairment will be disadvantaged.

Progress to...

Making multimedia accessible to people with sight impairments. This depends on:

• Where the audio strand does not convey all of the information in the pictures and text
• Where the video quality creates a difficulty for someone with limited vision. A video taken on (or viewed on) a phone may create difficulties; a video with good lighting, better image resolution and displayed on a plasma screen may be ok.

Alternatives include:

• Audio description (an additional voice track describing the scene or the action)
• Separate notes describing the visual content or one-to-one mentor support to describe the visual content

The best solution will be dependent on the local context. In many cases, describing the gaps to a learner is the most appropriate adjustment, allowing the learner to ask questions for clarification where needed. Audio description is worth considering for resources that will be used a lot or for a long time. Other learners can also benefit from the extra explanations.

Describing video

Redundant material that can often be ignored includes:

• The colour and style of clothes of participants (usually irrelevant to the content of their dialogue)
• Most background activity
• Maps, diagrams and text captions (they usually just reinforce the audio track).

However, multimedia will need additional explanation in circumstances where the visual content is delivering relevant additional information, for example where:

• Body language or facial reaction are significant to the message
• Images convey emotional content such as irony or suffering
• Key information is conveyed by vision alone – for example
  • Action happening on the screen -“he is creeping up behind her”
  • On screen text – scribbled notes, signs, name captions, locations, telephone numbers etc.

Range of adjustments

Different reasonable adjustments relate to differing contexts, for example whether the materials:

• Form a major or minor element of a course
• Will be used for repeated independent use or one-off supported use
• Are available commercially (eg, video of a mainstream film)
• Are created by in-house experts or by modestly skilled teaching staff

In almost all cases, verbal description (either one-to-one or in the class setting) or summary notes to support the use of multimedia is adequate.

Technical and production issues

If you're producing multimedia resources but you're not a specialist, the best adjustment is to ensure the narrative, video and supporting text (eg, subtitles, text summaries, etc.) mutually reinforce the key learning objectives.

Where educational organisations create multimedia in-house using a specialist team, they should note the relevant web accessibility guidelines. The options available may depend on software used in production, the hardware used in playback or the expertise available in the team.

If you are providing audio description, it must be carefully scripted so that it fits conveniently into the gaps between speech in the original product.

Explore other media

There are thousands of educationally focused podcasts that may suit your learners. Consider creating your own audio summaries or get the learners to create their own audio files to support their learning.

Tables can be difficult to navigate when viewed at large magnification and even more difficult if accessed by a screenreader. 

Start with...

• Only using tables where appropriate, for example, for displaying data but not for formatting and layout of pages
• Splitting tables up into smaller subsets of data, if they include lots of rows and columns. For example, instead of a big table of economic data for 50 countries, use separate tables for European countries, Asian countries etc
• Lay out the rows and columns so that screenreader users can explore the data they need
• Where possible provide a text summary of the key teaching points to accompany the table. 

Progressing further

Tables can be difficult to navigate when viewed at large magnification and even more difficult if accessed by a screenreader. Screenreader users have to interpret the data from left to right, one line at a time. Their only way of comparing data on different rows is by remembering the first item, navigating to the right place in the next row(s), listening to the new value and comparing it (by memory) to the one they had previously remembered.

Problems with tables arise from the following factors:

Size - tables that are too large for a page of braille or print. The largest piece of braille paper used in standard braille writers and embossers contains 40 characters width. Using magnified text can also create additional problems - by the time detailed tables have been enlarged, the table is too big to successfully navigate, the user is disoriented and cannot see line or column headings.

Layout – screenreaders read a table from left to right and top to bottom. This provides a limited and restricted view, unlike that of a sighted person who can easily scan by columns or rows depending on the question asked. The two tables below show identical data with two different layouts.

In the first layout it’s easy for a screenreader user to answer the question 'which was the best day for hiking?' because all the information for the day is read in one go. This is much harder to answer using the second table because the information for each day is disaggregated across separate rows.

The second layout is better for answering questions like 'how did temperature vary through time?'

Range of adjustments

Tables rarely constitute such a proportion of course material that they provide an obstacle to success (although great care must be taken before proceeding in such courses as economics and statistics). They do however frequently present an unexpected obstacle in a wide variety of courses. Typical ways of dealing with tables are as follows:

Description - this can be the most efficient way of enabling a learner to access a table as it gives the learner the immediate option of choosing between horizontal or vertical axis

Paragraphing - it is generally not recommended to render tables in braille. Tables can be written in paragraph form with each cell separated from the next by a semicolon. This can be difficult to interpret, though, because they have to mentally 'translate back' into spatial information from the paragraph form

Enlargement - this is the most common method of providing tables for people with limited vision, but the enlargement required for reading might compromise navigation and the ease with which they can grasp overall trends.

If a graph or image supplements or summarises a text description then it may not need any further work. If it replaces a text description or conveys significant information then an alternative text description should be made available.

If learners are required to demonstrate specific skills in interpreting visual media like graphs, maps or flow diagrams, a tactile version might be more appropriate. You can create these to some extent using high tech tools like the talking tactile tablet, or low tech solutions such as plastic embossing film, swell paper or WikkiStix.

These staff members have a crucial role in ensuring barriers are minimised in mainstream installations. This includes accessibility testing on the VLE and support with assistive technology solutions.

They have a critical role in liaising with publishers, teaching staff and support staff to ensure the learners have access to accessible digital copies of textbooks.

They have a crucial role to play. Success may depend more on their braille skills, screenreader skills and mobility skills than native abilities in a subject. A willingness to try new formats (eg, DAISY, EPUB) and new tools helps to:

• Find more efficient ways of working
• Encourage flexibility in the face of difficulties
• Develop more independence as a learner.

In this video Matt demonstrates how he uses the TextGrabber app and the ClaroSpeak app to help with printed text.

"My name is Jake and my story tells you about changing computer accessibility settings, talking watch and mobile phone accessibility settings.

"I can go on the computer when I am at home and at college. I can get to college on time and know what time to come back after a break by using my watch. I keep in touch with my family when I am out using my mobile phone."

"About four years ago I was introduced to Anne Aust and Julie Duffy (Portsmouth Central Library). I explained that I had never used a typewriter or a computer and as I could not see to read the words on television, I doubted I would be able to see to use a computer.

"I was shown how to use ZoomText, which magnifies letters and numbers and allows me to read the screen whilst sitting away from the computer and reducing the glare.

"I also use earphones to listen to what has been written on the screen. There are also attachments which can magnify photographs and pages in magazines.

"With these aids I have learned to explore the internet for information and have discovered that I can write short stories which some people seem to like. I am happy that I have shared my stories which other people can enjoy.

"I have found these aids have helped me to experience a much broader and fuller life."

"Since learning to use a computer 14 years ago I can write my own letters, correspond with friends via email and read magazines and newspapers, which I was unable to do before, being totally blind.

"I am also able to catch up with radio and TV programmes if I haven’t been able to hear or watch them when they were broadcast or shown.

"Having an MP3 player means I am able to listen to books and magazines and listen to music wherever I am."

In March we met Rosie, who is studying business and IT at Royal National College for the Blind. 

In this video she also demonstrates Genius Scan, an app that allows her to take pictures of documents and enhance them to make them easier for her to read.

Fran is studying NVQ administration at Royal National College for the Blind in Hereford. In this video, Fran demonstrates her iPhone and VoiceOver, and shows us how she uses it to write text messages.

Meet Saleh, a student at Royal National College for the Blind in Hereford.

In this video, Saleh shows us how he uses his VoiceOver on his iPhone with the social media apps Facebook, WhatsApp and Instagram to stay in touch with his friends.

"For many years before I was diagnosed and treated for macular degeneration, I struggled to read the menus on my computer. Following my diagnosis I was fortunate enough to attend a workshop for partially sighted people where I was told about weekly meetings for people interested in using computer programmes which magnified the text and, if you would like it, an encouraging voice tells you what you have written so if necessary you can correct it.

"This sounded great to me, just what I had been searching for, so I started to go to the Wednesday meetings organised by Julie Duffy and her guide dog Marble.

"Over a few sessions Julie showed me some of the details of a talking and magnification programme called Dolphin Guide and I realised that this programme was what I required to enable me to continue using my laptop. So I obtained a copy of Dolphin Guide and since it was installed, I have enjoyed dealing unaided each day with my emails, scanning and storing photographs, and sending these as attachments to some of my emails.

"I appreciate that Dolphin Guide will enable me to independently do other computer skills in time and I am looking forward to the challenge.

"I now look forward to using my laptop whereas before Dolphin Guide, I made so many errors I felt frustrated and gave up using it. I love trying my luck and feel my confidence is returning due not only to the Dolphin Guide programme but because of Julie’s weekly help, and also because I know if something goes wrong with Dolphin Guide and the laptop, I have a telephone number for Dolphin Guide for help."

"I lost my eye sight about three years ago. After this I contacted the Royal National Institute for the Blind (RNIB) for some help and support. They thought it would be a good idea to get some new apparatus to help me to get my life back on track.

"The first thing I decided to do was to get a guide dog so I could get out and about again. The dog was a must for me and it well and truly changed my life. They then suggested I try to learn to use a talking computer, a talking phone and have a go at learning braille.

"The computer and phone were the scariest thing I had to learn, I had never used a computer in my life. As I had a lot of time on my hands I gave it a go. So off I went to the city library where I met Julie Duffy who worked with blind people on computers and taught braille. After four or five lessons I was surprised at how much I had learnt.

"I then purchased a new laptop and bought Dolphin Guide and away I went. I then had a few more lessons and practiced at home.

"A year down the line I can write a letter, send emails, search the web and have set up an address book. This has exceeded my expectations of what I thought would be possible for somebody like me to do.

"I then purchased a talking phone. After a few more lessons with Julie in the library I was back in touch with the world and have never looked back. I’m now taking braille lessons.

"What I have learnt in the past three years has exceeded all expectations. If you told me three years ago that I would be able to use a talking computer, a talking phone, have a guide dog and be learning braille I wouldn’t have believed you but now I can do it all.

"Modern technology has made a positive impact upon my life. I am able to perform basic tasks on a computer with support from speech synthesis such as JAWS. I felt a great sense of achievement when I learned to boot up a computer, listen to menus, read letters, access some sites on the internet, send and receive emails and access information stored on other devices.

"I currently use my tablet, which has the excellent Google voice actions to access my information. I have found that using the touch screen in conjunction with the keyboard gives me much better access to screen functions. My tablet currently stores all of my books and music.

"Lastly I have an iPhone 4S which is invaluable and it’s the best piece of inclusive technology that I have experienced to date. My phone enables me to make calls, store contacts, send and receive messages as well as allowing me to browse emails and download media such as BBC iPlayer. I also use my phone as an alarm, reminder and as a diary.

"Modern technology has improved my life because I can communicate with others, perform tasks and function independently with others in a way that was not previously possible. If you have partial vision or, like me, no vision, these facilities are extremely important so that we can be part of the community and have as much independence and control over our lives as possible.

Meet Hubert, a student at the Royal National College for the Blind in Hereford.

Hubert is studying music technology and A-level media. In this video, he shows us how he uses the TuneIn Radio app in combination with VoiceOver to listen to the radio.

Michael lost his sight unexpectedly. The optician told him to see his GP as a matter of urgency and two years later he was registered blind. Michael had never used a computer before but the Portsmouth City Council visual impairment (VI) advisor put him in touch with Julie Duffy, the vision impairment officer at Portsmouth Central library. Julie introduced Michael to the library’s computer facilities and helped him get to grips with the accessibility features.

Michael says:

“I wanted to research my family tree but my sight wouldn’t handle the normal text sizes on menus and pages. ZoomText made a great difference enabling me to increase the size of the text on the monitor screen to a much larger size.

It does have disadvantages because the monitor does not increase in size so on you are only able to see parts of the web page and you have to navigate with the mouse around the page to see it all. This can be a bit difficult and some people feel quite seasick at first but with practice you soon get to it. Although expensive it enables you to carry on using a computer.”

In addition to using the library for family tree research, Michael was a keen user of the library’s audio books. However, most libraries can only stock a limited range of audiobooks. Michael came across the Calibre service and suddenly found over 8,500 audiobooks available to him.

“You can go through the catalogue picking titles that appeal to you – they are sent by a free nationwide postal and Internet service. I personally have found this a very good service as I can once again read lots of books like I used to do.”

Although Calibre is mainly used by people like Michael with age-related sight loss, there is a special Young Calibre service providing books aimed at a younger audience.

Michael’s adventures in technology extend beyond research and reading. For day-to-day living he recommends his Alcatel One Touch Mobile.

“This is a relatively cheap mobile phone which is most helpful for visually impaired people as it has talking numbers which also light up so that you know what number you have pressed. It has a very clear screen with large display plus many other features including FM radio, alarm clock, torch and calculator.

It also has a SOS key which you can pre-program with any numbers that you may require in an emergency situation. I have found it a very useful and convenient mobile phone.”

David is a student at the Royal College for the Blind and plans to study for a degree in creative writing. In this video he explains why he finds it easier to write his scripts on his iPhone rather than on his personal computer.

Meet Allan, a student at the Royal National College for the Blind.

In this video, he demonstrates the Fleksy app which replaces the on-screen keyboard of his mobile phone, and explains why he finds it easier to use than the default keyboard.

"I am registered partially sighted. I have a field of vision problem called Homonymous Hemianopsia which was caused by a brain tumour in 1968 when I was seven years old. I have no left field of vision in both eyes so my field of vision is about 90 degrees (normal field of vision 180 degrees). I have always found the mechanics of reading a book tiring, and getting in the way of a good read.

"So the bit of technology which has changed how I read a book is a Daisy player by Humanware called the Victor Reader Stratus, the device is about eight inches by eight inches and about two inches thick.

"The Victor Reader is very easy to use it can play Daisy Books, music, podcast and can even convert text files into speech. It runs off the mains and also via a built in rechargeable battery.

"The audio reproduction is very good you can alter the speed of the speech to make it go faster and slower, you can effortlessly go from one chapter to another chapter using the navigation keys in the middle of the player. And the most important thing for reading a book is the ability to book mark the precise place in the book where you stopped.

"In combination with the Victor Stratus I have joined the RNIB talking books service.  The only bit of technology not on the Victor Stratus is some sort of sensor which will detect when I fall asleep and either stop the book or wake me up."

"Hi, my name is Kieran. I am studying for a BTEC in information and music technology at the Royal College for the Blind in Hereford. I am a confident braille user and I also like using technology.

"I regularly use a braille display with my iPhone. This is a small device that converts the text on my phone to braille so I can read it easily.

"The phone and the braille display are linked together via Bluetooth. You use the text-to-speech voice over (on mute so nobody else hears it) to read the text and whatever is being said comes up on the braille display. It works both ways so I can use commands on the braille display to navigate around my iPhone and use its different features. It's really useful in a classroom or lecture because I can search for and read up on things that the tutor mentions.

"The best thing about it is how discreet it is. I can have my iPhone in my pocket and my braille display on the desk in front of me. Nobody knows if I am working or texting my friends! It is a really nice piece of kit (but it isn’t cheap)."

David is currently studying performing arts at the Royal College for the Blind and is into all things creative. In this clip, David explains how he uses a variety of applications to create comic strips.

In this video, Rosie explains how she uses VoiceOver to help her read when she is tired or has a lot of text to get through.