There are a variety of assistive software on the market, and only you can know which will work best for you. The software outlined below is either recommended by our eResource suppliers or is available for free to King's students, staff and faculty.
Library staff will do their best to help with uploading or troubleshooting software, but the IT Helpdesks would provide the best support for these needs.
Please note: As with all technology and software, the options are always evolving. The information on this page is accurate to the date it was published, but there might be inconsistencies as time goes on. For the most accurate information, please always consult the company's own webpage.
"Assistive Technology" usually refers to high-tech tools specifically designed for accessibility needs, such as braille readers, smart pens, or even talking colour detectors.
"Assistive Software" is something that can be installed on something you might already use, for example onto a laptop or a smartphone.
You won't know if certain tools are right for you until you try them out. Here are some places that will allow you to test out or borrow some assistive technologies before choosing to invest in your own:
See our list of low-tech Adaptive Tools to see what is available at King's Library.
Text-to-Speech software reads text out loud for better comprehension.
Free for King's Students
For more information on how to get started or learn about some of the features, visit the Read&Write academy page.
As part of the Microsoft 365 Office Suite, Word has its own built-in text-to-speech function called Read Aloud*. See Microsoft's "Listen to your Word document" article for full details and other speech functions, but to get you started:
*This function currently only works with the installed Word software, not the online version of Word. King's students, staff and faculty have free access to the Microsoft Suite through IT Services.
Different databases provide their own built-in text-to-speech options. See our Database Accessibility page for more details.
Some of the more popular internet browsers have their own built-in text-to-speech functions. Follow the links below for more details.
If the PDF you have isn't working with the text-to-speech software, the file is probably being viewed like an image instead of a text. This usually happens with scans of physical text or with older documents.
The easiest way to turn an image PDF to a text (aka OCR) PDF is to:
For more PDF conversion options, please see Adobe's article: How to make a PDF file searchable.
Dictation software that writes down what you say as you say it. Many people use it already on their smart phones to send texts or make lists.
Note: Speech-to-text software is rarely completely accurate, though it does typically adapt to your speech pattern the more you use it. Punctuation and grammar in particular don't tend to translate well.
It is also only recommended for personal use, not to transcribe lectures or interviews. For other in-class options, please connect with the on-campus Accessibility Supports, or the Student Accessibility Center to discuss long-term Accommodation Requests.
This is not a free option. While it is available for purchase, you can try it for free through the Student Accessibility Centre's Lending Library. This is considered by many to be the "gold standard" of dictation software.
The Microsoft 365 Suite has multiple built-in options for speech-to-text. See the Microsoft article "Dictate in Microsoft 365" to learn how to use Dictate in:
Dal and King's students, staff and faculty have free access to the Microsoft Suite through IT Services.