Making reading accessible

How can you read if you can't see the text or turn a page, or if you see a jumble of letters? Many ways! It's a matter of adapting the format of the content so you can use it, with a little help from technology.

A matter of choice - one size does not fit all

Format and reading technology are a personal choice. One size does not fit all, or even one - the same person might choose different ways to read depending on the situation.

Close-up of a woman's hands holding an iPhone with a blue screen

Choice can depend on the:

Specific nature of a person's print disability. For example: degree of vision loss, range of motion, multiple disabilities.
Purpose of reading. For example - leisure or study.
Person’s skills. For example - comfort level with technology.
Individual preferences. For example - human or synthetic voice.

A public library's CELA service offers access to a range of alternative formats to meet these needs.

Read about all of our accessible formats.

Adapting reading for different types of print disability

Here are some things you can do to adapt reading for different types of print disabilities.

Reading adaptation by type of print disability

Visual disability

Areas of difficulty:

Seeing text or images (all or partial)
Focusing or moving the eyes

Adaptations:

Magnify print materials
Scan print materials and convert to e-text
Manipulate e-text using adaptive software (for example - zoom, highlight, convert to speech or braille)
Listen to an audio version
Read by touch (braille, tactile images)
Watch video with an audio description of on-screen action (descriptive video)

A black and white illustration of an eye

Physical disability

Areas of difficulty:

Holding print materials
Manipulating print materials (turning pages, for example)

Adaptations:

Use assistive device to turn pages of print materials
Read e-text or listen to audio using adaptive software or a device that requires limited motion and strength to operate (for example - switch access)

An illustration of a person in a wheelchair

Learning disability

Areas of difficulty:

Comprehending text - for example:
Dyslexia - decoding letter combinations, recognizing common words
Interpreting visual information - distinguishing between letters like 'h' and 'n', for example

Adaptations:

Manipulate e-text using adaptive software (for example - use text to speech; use Open Dyslexic Font; highlight phonemes, words or sentences as you read)
Listen to an audio version

An illustration of a person's head with three ellipsis on top

Adaptive reading technology

Adaptive reading technology ranges from handheld magnifiers to highly customizable software. One technology often incorporates others. For example - text to speech is often built in to DAISY readers, magnifiers and braille displays.

What works with our books? Check our Compatible devices and formats page.

Types of adaptive reading technology