Ready-to-use activityActivity: Riddle HuntSolve rhyming riddles to find the tools in this pathway, alone or with a group.
Review and Approval Sheet (opens in a new tab)A Google Sheet of all 26 tools, with links, short descriptions, and a column to mark each tool as approved for teacher use. Many schools ask their technology and data privacy specialists to check a tool before teachers use it. Make a copy, share it with your specialists, and keep track of their decisions in one place. You can view it without signing in.
Every resource here can be accessed at no cost and supports accessible learning experiences and environments. Not every tool or site is designed with accessibility in mind. This is a living list. My goal is to keep adding no-cost digital resources that live on accessible sites and comply with WCAG guidelines.
Accessibility involves people as well as digital tools. As you explore these resources, seek out the perspectives of people who live with disabilities every day, and look for resources that disabled people have created.
1. Access to Visual Information
Tools that reduce the barrier of visual-only content by making visual information available in more than one way.
An AI tool from ASU EdPlus at Arizona State University that generates draft alt text and longer image descriptions. These descriptions reduce the barrier of image-only content, opening visual information to people using screen readers and to those taking in content through sound rather than sight. Use it for drafts only. A person should always check and refine each description before sharing it, and avoid uploading images that identify learners. To decide whether an image needs alt text, and what kind, use the W3C alt decision tree (opens in a new tab).
A no-cost download for Windows and Mac from Vispero that checks whether text and background colour combinations are easy to see together. Strong contrast reduces the barrier of low-contrast text, supporting readers using small screens, reading in bright light, or seeing colour differently. Meets the Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG).
An open-source screen reader for Windows, built by NV Access, a non-profit founded by two blind Australians. NVDA reduces the barrier of screen-only content by speaking the contents of the screen out loud, or by sending the text to a braille display.
A no-cost app, designed with and for the blind and low vision community, that uses AI to describe the world out loud. It can read text, describe photos, identify products, and more. Reduces the barrier of visual-only information in the physical world.
An open-source app for Mac and iOS that shows how a design looks to someone with a different kind of colour vision. Educators and designers can preview slides, posters, or materials before sharing, and adjust colours so meaning does not depend on colour perception alone.
Tools that reduce the barrier of audio-only content by making sound and speech available in more than one way, through captions, transcripts, recorded audio, and translation.
An open-source subtitle editor that can create captions with speech recognition (Whisper), then lets you adjust timing, fix wording, and translate into other languages. Reduces the barrier of audio-only video by giving educators a no-cost way to add accurate, edited captions to instructional videos they create or share.
Record audio right in a web browser. No app or software to install. Recordings do not stay online forever, so check Vocaroo's note on expiry times and keep a copy. Reduces the barrier of text-only expression by letting learners share spoken feedback, respond by voice, or add audio versions of written materials.
Creates live captions in real time for meetings, presentations, and conversations. Reduces the barrier of spoken-only communication in live settings, and offers a backup when a professional captioner is not available. Live captions are also built into many devices at no cost: Live Captions in Windows 11, on Mac, and on iPhone, Live Caption in the Chrome browser, and Live Transcribe on Android. Look for them in your device's accessibility settings.
Tools that support many ways of reading, writing, and communicating. They reflect the understanding that there is no single right way to take in or express language.
A web tool for building symbol-supported pages. Pull from open symbol libraries (ARASAAC, Mulberry, Tawasol, Sclera) or upload your own images, then download the result as a PDF. Useful for creating a symbol companion that sits alongside an original text or a spoken conversation, supporting picture-based communication without replacing what is already there.
A browser extension for Chrome, Firefox, Edge, and Safari that adds reading and writing supports to most web pages. Read text aloud, highlight words as they are read, and adjust line spacing, font, and background colour. A no-cost demo is available. Microsoft's Immersive Reader itself is also available at no cost, built into Microsoft Edge (opens in a new tab) (no account required) and the no-cost Microsoft 365 web apps (opens in a new tab). Helperbird brings the same kind of supports to browsers other than Edge.
Two fonts designed to reduce visual stress and support readers with low vision or anyone reading in small sizes or poor lighting. Atkinson Hyperlegible from the Braille Institute shapes every letter to be easy to tell apart; the new Atkinson Hyperlegible Next (2025) supports 150+ languages. Lexend (opens in a new tab) is a variable font with adjustable letter spacing readers can tune to find what works best. The Aiming for ALL collection uses both fonts.
A web tool that reads written text aloud. Paste text or upload PDF, DOCX, or TXT files, and choose a voice. You can save the spoken version as an MP3 audio file, with no account needed, so learners can listen offline, on a phone, or while travelling. It is one of the few no-cost tools we found that saves audio files. Guests can convert up to 10,000 characters at a time, and a no-cost account raises that to 20,000. To listen without saving a file, use the read-aloud feature built into most browsers and devices. Reduces the barrier of print-only content by giving readers a spoken version they can listen to alongside the original text.
Paste in your writing to see its reading grade. Hemingway Editor marks sentences that are hard or very hard to read, words with simpler alternatives, and passive voice. The sidebar also gives these as counts, so the feedback does not rely on colour alone. The web editor is no cost with no sign-in; the AI features are paid. Because it checks your writing rather than rewriting it, the words stay yours. For guidance on what to change, pair it with the Plain Language Guide Series from Digital.gov (opens in a new tab), and for Easy Read, the Inclusion Europe standards (tool E). Reduces the barrier of complex text, supporting readers who need clear, direct language. Everyone deserves access to original complex texts, so offer a plain version alongside the original, not in place of it.
A toolbar of reading and writing supports from Texthelp (now Everway). Text-to-speech, picture dictionaries, word prediction, and study tools. Reduces the barrier of independent reading and writing and works across browsers, Word, and Google Docs. No cost for educators.
Estimates how long a piece of text will take to read. Reduces the barrier of unknown time commitments, supporting learners who plan their energy and educators deciding whether a reading fits within a learning experience.
Tools that support different ways of using a computer and moving through a learning space, including with the eyes, voice, or other assistive devices. Physical and motor access is central to digital participation, and often missing from accessibility conversations.
A no-cost checklist from DO-IT at the University of Washington for finding and reducing barriers in physical spaces. It covers planning and policies, appearance, entrances and routes of travel, fixtures and furniture, information resources and technology, safety, and accommodation. It is a plain web page, with no downloads or sign-in. A companion checklist, Equal Access: Universal Design of Instruction, is in pathway 3. Some items refer to US disability law, so adapt them to the laws and context where you are. Reduces the barrier of inaccessible spaces, supporting everyone who learns, works, or visits there.
An on-screen keyboard that learners can control with their eyes, a low-cost eye tracker, a touch screen, a switch, a mouse, or head movement. Learners can type, or select symbols to speak out loud. Reduces the barrier of hands-required computer interaction.
5. Managing Time, Energy, Focus, and Personal Environment
Tools that support extra structure and control over a digital environment, energy, and time. They recognise that attention and energy take different shapes for different people.
A collection of small, simple tools that break tasks into steps, estimate how long things will take, turn a brain dump into actions, and rewrite text to match a clearer tone. Reduces the barrier of decision overload and planning tasks independently.
A small no-cost app with a toolbar that makes the accessibility features built into a computer easy to find and use. It also lets assistive technology users use their tools on any computer that has Morphic installed. Reduces the barrier of hidden or hard-to-reach settings on shared devices in a learning space.
Adjustable ambient soundscapes from rain to coffee shop hum to pure tones. Reduces the barrier of distracting sound environments by letting learners shape the soundscape that helps them focus, rest, or regulate.
A no-cost visual timer that runs in a web browser, with no sign-in. A large dial empties as time runs out, and a full-screen button makes it easy to see on a projector or whiteboard. At the end, a voice counts down the last 10 seconds, or in silent mode the timer flashes, so the end of the time does not depend on sound alone. The dial does not announce the time left to screen readers, so the timer built into most phones, tablets, and computers makes a good companion. Reduces the barrier of abstract time perception, supporting learners who work best with a visual representation of time. The page includes some shopping links.
No-cost guides to pacing, a way of planning activity and rest for people living with energy-limiting conditions such as ME/CFS and Long COVID. There are three guides: one for adults, one for families of children and teens (developed with Long COVID Families, with ideas for school accommodations), and one for clinicians (developed with the Patient-Led Research Collaborative). The adult guide is also available in Swedish, Italian, and Dutch, translated by volunteers. The guides share self-management ideas, not medical advice. Reduces the barrier of invisible energy limits, supporting learners and staff who pace themselves through the day. For an app, MindfulPacer from the University of Zurich (opens in a new tab) is no cost and keeps data on your own device. It works on iPhone and Apple Watch only.
A long-standing non-profit that offers practical guidance on building accessible web content. Tutorials, checklists, and the WAVE tool for testing pages. Helps find and reduce hidden barriers in digital materials.
An open-source screen recorder for Mac, Windows, and Linux that captures screen, voice, and webcam, then offers an instant shareable link. Reduces the barrier of synchronous-only instruction by letting teachers send quick video feedback, walkthroughs, or asynchronous mini-lessons learners can replay at their own pace.
A Chrome and Edge browser extension that scans any web page against 200+ WCAG checks and explains each issue in plain language with step-by-step fixes. Reduces the barrier of inaccessible course websites by helping educators spot and repair problems without needing developer skills.
European standards for making information easy to read and understand, published by Inclusion Europe. The standards can be downloaded at no cost as PDFs in multiple languages. Easy-to-read information reduces the barrier of complex text by pairing short sentences with clear pictures. Easy Read works as a companion to the original text, not a replacement.
FF. Goblin ToolsSmall tools that break down tasks, estimate time, and clarify writing.
GG. Helperbird: Immersive Reader for Any BrowserBrowser extension with reading and writing supports for Chrome, Firefox, Edge, and Safari. Microsoft's Immersive Reader is also available at no cost in Microsoft Edge and the no-cost Microsoft 365 web apps.
HH. Accessible Fonts: Atkinson Hyperlegible and LexendTwo fonts that reduce visual stress and support readers with low vision. Atkinson Hyperlegible from the Braille Institute (Next version covers 150+ languages) and Lexend with adjustable letter spacing.
II. ReadAloudTextWeb tool that reads written text aloud. Paste text or upload PDF, DOCX, or TXT, choose a voice, and download the audio.
JJ. Cap: Screen RecorderOpen-source screen recorder for Mac, Windows, and Linux with screen, voice, webcam capture and instant shareable links.
TT. Global Symbols Board BuilderWeb tool for building symbol-supported pages from open symbol libraries (ARASAAC, Mulberry, Tawasol, Sclera). Export as PDF.
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