Disability & Accessibility
Technology should work for everyone. This guide covers built-in accessibility features on all devices, how to use DigiLearn accessibly, and where to get extra support.
π Digital Business & Career Skills
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Built-in Features
All smartphones and computers have free accessibility tools built in β no extra cost
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Completely Free
Screen readers, magnifiers, captions, and voice control are all free on your device
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Free Support
Charities like AbilityNet offer free tech help for disabled people at home
All smartphones and computers have built-in accessibility tools β most people never discover them. Here's what's available for different needs:
ποΈ Visual Impairments
Make text bigger
On Windows: Settings β Accessibility β Text size. On iPhone: Settings β Accessibility β Display & Text Size β Larger Text.
Use a screen magnifier
Windows: press Windows + (+) to zoom in. Mac: System Settings β Accessibility β Zoom. iPhone/Android: Settings β Accessibility β Magnification.
Screen readers
NVDA (free, Windows), Narrator (built into Windows), VoiceOver (built into iPhone/Mac), TalkBack (built into Android) β all read the screen aloud.
High contrast mode
Windows: Settings β Accessibility β Contrast themes. iPhone: Settings β Accessibility β Display & Text Size β Increase Contrast.
Invert colours
Useful if bright white screens are uncomfortable. Available in Accessibility settings on all devices.
𦻠Hearing Impairments
Turn on captions / subtitles
YouTube: click CC button. Netflix: Settings (gear icon). Windows: Settings β Accessibility β Captions β turns on system-wide captions.
Visual alerts instead of sounds
iPhone: Settings β Accessibility β Audio/Visual β LED Flash for Alerts. Android: Settings β Accessibility β Hearing β Flash notifications.
Mono audio
If you use one ear only: iPhone: Settings β Accessibility β Audio/Visual β Mono Audio. Useful with headphones.
Real-time captions
Google Live Transcribe (Android) and Live Captions (Chrome/Android/Windows 11) show real-time captions of anything playing on your device.
ποΈ Motor / Physical Difficulties
Sticky keys
Press Shift, Ctrl, or Alt once and they "stick" β so you don't need to hold two keys at once. Windows: Settings β Accessibility β Keyboard β Sticky Keys.
Switch access / voice control
Voice control lets you use your device by speaking instead of touching or typing. iPhone: Settings β Accessibility β Voice Control. Windows: Settings β Accessibility β Voice Access.
On-screen keyboard
Windows: search for "On-Screen Keyboard". iPhone/Android: the on-screen keyboard appears automatically. You can also use swipe-to-type.
Larger click targets & mouse settings
Make the mouse pointer bigger: Windows β Settings β Accessibility β Mouse pointer and touch. Reduce double-click speed in mouse settings.
Touch accommodation (iPhone)
Settings β Accessibility β Touch β Touch Accommodations β helps if you accidentally tap multiple times or tap in the wrong place.
π§ Cognitive & Learning Differences
Read Aloud / Text-to-Speech
Word and Edge browser can read text aloud. Highlight text β right-click β Read Aloud. Great for dyslexia and reading difficulties.
Focus / distraction reduction
Use Focus Mode in Windows or Screen Time in iPhone to limit distracting apps during learning. Edge browser has a Immersive Reader.
Dyslexia-friendly fonts
OpenDyslexic is a free font designed to reduce letter confusion. DigiLearn has a built-in dyslexia font option in our Accessibility panel (bottom of screen).
Simplified view
Edge browser's Immersive Reader (F9) removes adverts and clutter from web pages, making them much easier to read.
Reminders and structure
Use the phone's Reminders or Calendar app to create structure. Voice assistants (Siri, Google Assistant) can set reminders hands-free.
DigiLearn has a range of built-in accessibility tools. Open the Accessibility Panel β look for the βΏ icon at the bottom of your screen β to turn these on.
Dyslexia-Friendly Font
Switch to OpenDyslexic font with one tap β available in the Accessibility panel at the bottom of the page.
Larger Text Mode
Increase all text size across the site for easier reading.
Wider Line Spacing
Increase the space between lines of text to reduce visual crowding.
High Contrast Mode
Switch to high-contrast black and yellow for maximum readability.
Reduce Motion
Turn off animations and transitions if they cause difficulty.
Read Aloud Button
Lessons have a "Read Aloud" button so the text can be spoken to you.
Language Translation
Translate the entire site into your language using the Translate widget.
AI Tutor in Lessons
Each lesson has an AI tutor you can ask questions to in plain English.
π‘ How to open the Accessibility Panel on DigiLearn:
Look for the βΏ Accessibility button at the bottom of any page. Tap or click it to open a panel with all our accessibility options.
π Need Personal Help with Accessibility?
If you need help setting up accessibility features on your specific device, please get in touch. MTrain Services can also provide one-to-one digital support sessions.
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