Assistive technology

Free software supports your access to learning

Access free Assistive Technologies to help with the impact of a health condition, and/or carer role, on study tasks.

Assistive Technologies, also known as AT, can make studying easier. They can assist with:

• reading
• writing, and
• organising your notes.

AT can help all students, but especially those with impacts on:

• reading and writing
• concentration and focus
• auditory processing
• organising ideas for assignment writing
• handwriting and/or typing.

Students could apply AT to their studies by:

• changing the background colour and font for ease of screen reading
• using 'text-to-speech' software to listen to readings
• using 'speech-to-text' software to download all those ideas onto the page
• organising videos, links and notes into one central place.

Available AT Supports

A range of freely available AT for Macquarie students are described below. These AT have been trialled by the Accessibility service, and endorsed by students taking part in the Student Wellbeing Skillshops program.

Getting Started

Microsoft Office Suite is free for Macquarie University Students. For help with installation contact the Macquarie IT Support Team.

Explore the Assistive Technologies that interest you:

• AT for Reading
• AT for Writing
• AT for Organising your Notes.

If you would like to learn more about AT for reading, writing and organising your notes then register for the Accessibility Insight Skillshop.

If you are a student with more complex AT requirements due to the impact of your health condition, such as low vision or low hearing, then you can register with the Accessibility Service.