5. Study hacks

• Productivity = flexibility
• Tools for all
• Text-to-speech
• Speech-to-text
• Extract text from an image

Productivity = flexibility

Several tools created to enhance online content accessibility have gained widespread adoption among various user groups. Companies market these tools as versatile productivity aids. Using these tools can be a great way to hack your studies.

 Disability-led innovations for the masses (YouTube, 18m 35s) demonstrates how accessible technologies have been at the forefront of digital innovation for decades, and how current assistive technologies can help us predict the future of computers.

When you search ‘productivity tools’ on a search engine, you’ll discover various apps and programs tailored to assist in different aspects of life. Technologies originally designed to be assistive can have major benefits for everyone. These tools can assist us with everyday tasks, such as reading and taking notes, providing a flexible approach to how we work and study. Why not try out some of these tools to see if they improve your productivity?

Tools for all

Many operating systems, both for computers and mobile devices, come with inbuilt features designed for accessibility which can also be used as productivity tools. For more about these in-built features see the Apple accessibility and Windows accessibility pages.

Most browsers also have a number of accessibility options that users can change to suit their needs. There are also many browser extensions available to improve web accessibility. ATbar is an example of this kind of extension which has a host of accessibility features. It enables you to magnify text, alter the color contrast of a webpage, and even have passages read aloud, eliminating the need to adjust settings for each web page individually.

Text-to-speech

Some people find it easier to absorb information when it’s read aloud, prompting the inclusion of text-to-speech tools in various programs. Unlike screen readers, these tools specifically read designated text rather than the entire screen, making them more user-friendly and accessible. They vary in features such as the amount of text read at once and the sources they can read from, including documents.

Speech-to-text

Many smart assistants such as the Google Home and Amazon Echo use voice recognition functions to identify users and personalise their experiences. It’s also one of the key ways that certain groups of people interact with their digital devices.

Extract text from an image

Sometimes text is contained in an image. Optical Character Recognition (OCR) software can extract the text from an image and convert it into editable text that you can copy or read aloud.

Find more study tools in the Choose the right tool module.