Accessibility settings are built into all Chromebooks.  (Once a user's settings are customized, those settings follow them to any device once they sign into Chrome.)



1.  Visual aids: Enable high contrast mode, adjust font faces and sizes, and install Chrome extensions for custom color

support


2.  Mono audio: For users who have limited hearing in one ear,play the same sound through both speakers


3.  Spoken feedback: Use Select-to-Speak to choose certain content on the screen to be spoken aloud along with

word-by-word highlighting. To read all text aloud as you navigate, use the ChromeVox screen reader, which also works with a connected braille display.


Google Education built-in Accessibility Features:


1.  Slides: Closed captioning supports students who are deaf, hard-of-hearing, or ENL


2.  Voice typing, editing, and formatting: Use the mic and enable voice typing in Docs and Slides, to write and edit

without a keyboard  


3.  Braille: Use a braille display to read and edit Docs, Sheets, Slides, and Drawings   


Use the TalkBack braille keyboard

With the TalkBack braille keyboard, you can use 6 fingers on your screen to enter 6-dot braille.

TalkBack braille keyboard is available in Unified English Braille, Spanish, and Arabic.

Important: To use the TalkBack braille keyboard, turn on TalkBack and turn off magnification.

Step 1: Set up the TalkBack braille keyboard

  1. Open the TalkBack menu.
    • On devices with multi-finger gestures support:Three-finger tap. Or, in one motion, swipe down then right.
      • On devices without multi-finger support (prior to updated Android R with TalkBack 9.1): In one motion, swipe down then right.
    • Select TalkBack Settings and then Braille keyboard and then Set up braille keyboard.
    • In the text box, select Settings.
    • Turn on TalkBack braille keyboard.
  2. Open an app that you can type in, like Gmail or Google Keep.
    • The braille keyboard isn't compatible with Google Docs.
    • To get the keyboard, move focus to the text field and double-tap.
  3. Select Switch input method Input or Next language Globe.
    • If you don’t use Gboard, your options might be different. This option is usually at the bottom right.
    • Select TalkBack braille keyboard.

Tip: When you open the braille keyboard for the first time, you can watch a tutorial for more information.

Step 2: Choose a keyboard mode

Important: By default, TalkBack braille keyboard switches between the modes based on the orientation of your device.

To turn off the default setting:

  1. On your device, go to Accessibility.
    1. Select TalkBack and then Settings.
    2. Select Braille keyboard and then Layout.


4.  Screen reader & magnifier: Zoom in or use the screen reader across G Suite products to improve legibility

   

Chromebooks have a built-in screen reader called ChromeVox, which enables people with visual impairments to use the Chrome operating system.


Turn screen reader on or off

You can turn ChromeVox on or off from any page by pressing Ctrl + Alt + z. 


On tablets: Press and hold the Volume down + Volume up buttons for 5 seconds. While holding the buttons, you’ll hear a sound to indicate it’s working. Keep holding the buttons, then ChromeVox will start speaking.


Read a page

Tip: To hear a description of your cursor’s current position on a page, press Search  + k. Or press Launcher  + k.


5.  Google Drive acts as a virtual backpack for students with executive functioning issues, allowing them to quickly find the docs they need so they can focus on instructional time


6.  Using Google Workspace for Education and Chromebooks, aides can sit apart from the student they are supporting and still collaborate, giving them a more typical classroom experience 


7. Teachers can use the Google Slides caption tool when recording video lectures to let ESOL students connect the words they hear with how to spell them and even look them up on Google Translate.



Realtime Captioning of PowerPoint Presentations

The realtime captioning feature in PowerPoint has more options than the one in Google Slides. In PowerPoint you can choose where you want the captions to appear when you are presenting in full screen. You can also specify the language that you are speaking in and the language that you want the captions to appear in.



Realtime Captioning and Translation of PowerPoint and Google Slides

If your default presentation creation tool is Google Slides, but you want to use the translation features of PowerPoint, you’re not out of luck. You can create your presentation in Google Slides then download it as a PPTX file. Once you have downloaded it to your desktop, open the file in PowerPoint and you can use the translation features!