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From swanky new PC setups to your trusty mobile phone - with a host of accessibility options now built into so many of our devices, are you getting the most out of your tech?
Technology is at the heart of the modern world. Most of us spend hours on a variety of devices scrolling through social media, working, and staying in touch with our family and friends. And it’s been a great thing, especially in the age of social distancing and national lockdowns—where would we have been without FaceTime in 2020 and 2021?
But sometimes, this growing prevalence of devices like phones, tablets, and computers can be difficult for people with dyslexia. The heavy reliance on text to communicate can sometimes be a problem, as can crowded layouts or interfaces where lots of things happen at once. There are a number of apps and platforms that you can download that are designed to simplify this user experience, however there are lots of ways to customise your devices that don’t require external software too.
There are some innovative and helpful ways to make sure that your device works for you. For example, iOS 13 users can activate a text replacement function that inserts a whole phrase when you type a set text shortcut. You can also use it to correct the spelling of commonly misspelled words. Modern Android packages allow users to change the amount of time that system messages stay onscreen for too, so that you never have to rush to read what flashes up. Many operating systems also allow users to amp up their digital assistant functions too, going beyond a simple voice search. Android Pie allows users to voice activate and instruct their Google Assistant to set alarms, call people, and even ask for travel directions, eliminating much of the need for typing.
There are more logistical alterations that you can make too: you can change your font size to something larger on practically everything, from your Microsoft Office package to your phone, tablet, smart watch, and desktop PC. iOS 13 also lets users make their standard text bold, which makes it much easier for some people with reading difficulties. Most of these devices and systems also have the ability to change their standard font to something more accessible too, as well as convert websites that might be using old-fashioned serif fonts that make it difficult for some people with dyslexia to read them.
It’s also usual these days for devices to have a ‘dark theme’ setting that some people find easier to read on, as well as a blue light reduction function. More modern handheld Apple devices can up the contrast and mute brighter colours. You can apply filters to help differentiate between colours onscreen for people who struggle with certain background hues or are colour-blind.
There’s also a lot of speech-to-text and text-to-speech functionality built into your technology these days. Both Windows, Chromebook, and Mac computers come with screen reader programmes installed, so that you can hear the text that’s currently onscreen. Some even come with narrator capabilities too, which is where a digital voice reads along with what you’re writing, making it much easier to spot any mistakes when you’re in the zone.
Phones and tablets can do this too. These days, most technology has speech-to-text functions, where you can address your phone or PC vocally and issue it a series of commands. It’s possible to type out entire essays like this, making it much easier for people who have slightly weaker literacy skills to produce long texts like theses or novels.
Assistive technology is the future, and it’s great to see it already being hard-wired into non-specialist devices as something that everybody can use and enjoy. AbilityNet has a full technical breakdown of what you can do on different devices and operating systems in: “My Computer, My Way”, to fine-tune your user experience and find out the accessibility capabilities of the tech you own.
