LibGuides: Disability Support: Reading and Writing

Reading and writing introduction

These tools can help improve your writing and reading.

They check your grammar and may make suggestions as to how you can make you sentence structure clearer.

Select your operating system / device

Available from AppsAnywhere
For use with Windows and Macs

Texthelp Read & Write 11.5

Downloadable from the University's AppsAnywhere system so for Windows machines only. As well as being a text to speech and speech to text reader it offers support with tasks such as reading aloud, understanding unfamiliar words, researching assignments and proofing written work.

Some of the features include:

reviews writing for incorrect grammar, spelling, punctuation, verb tense and capitalisation

There is a free 30 day trial version for Macs on their website. Go to the university's AppsAnywhere page to download it on to your Windows computer.

Microsoft Immersive Reader

A free tool that implements proven techniques to improve reading for people by assisting with their reading comprehension. Find out more

Hemmingway Editor

The editor helps you to make your English writing clear and understandable by your tutor. It highlights where your writing is too dense and splits sentences into two or suggests taking out unnecessary words. It uses clear colour coding to differentiate between grammar errors and spelling. However, Hemmingway is not free, so you might wish to use Grammarly below instead. There is a help page for advice. Find out more

Grammarly

The basic account is free and helps you to produce clearly understandable English writing. The free version corrects grammar, punctuation and spelling only. You can download the software on to your computer or use the browser version. The browser version works by uploading a document on to your browser, editing it with Grammarly and then downloading the edited document. Find out more.

OpenDyslexic

This is a free downloadable font that helps to address contrast/blindness, letter confusion or rotation and crowding. Find out more

Colourveil (tint for Windows only)

Colour filters on your screen to reduce eye strain and help with dyslexia and visual stress. Find out more.

Disability Support: Reading and Writing