Learning with confidence: How digital technology is helping schools improve accessibility for all

Eight in 10 learners say that technology makes it easier for them to participate at school (Pearson, 2024).

Schools that have recently adopted new technology are seeing improved confidence and independence for all students, including those formally identified as having special educational needs and disabilities (SEND). However, across the UK, assistive technology is still a heavily underutilised asset.

Leo Academy Trust they rolled out Chromebooks to staff and students across nine primary schools. Since then, the number of children on the SEN register needing additional intervention programmes has reduced by around one-third. Students feel more empowered to work autonomously in the classroom, with features like screen-readers and voice-to-text reducing the need for additional teaching support.

Interestingly, 29 per cent of students choose to use screen readers at different points in their day – even if they have the skills to read themselves. This figure is higher than the percentage of students on the SEN register.

At LEO Academy Trust, we believe that every student deserves the opportunity to learn and succeed independently. Accessible technology helps us to do just that.

Graham Macaulay, Director of Strategic Partnerships at LEO

All Chromebooks have accessibility tools built in, without the need to pay for additional services. These include:

• ChromeVox screen reader – a built-in feature that reads aloud all content on the screen
• Type with voice – write and edit content by speaking instead of typing
• Mono audio – never miss content by playing the same audio through all speakers
• Reading mode – open web pages in Chrome browser in a reader-view panel to help resize, invert colour, and customise text as needed
• Live captions – display real-time captions at the bottom of the screen across any media. Customise caption size for better readability
• On-screen keyboard – type or handwrite text and add images to documents and emails with an on-screen keyboard
• Coming soon – facial expression and head movement controls – you’ll be able to control your chromebook using the movement of your face and head.

Abingdon House School is a collective of specialist independent schools across London that encourage student independence using Chromebooks. For students who have trouble reading and writing, Chromebook’s screen reader and voice typing helped with their ability to interpret the texts they were studying in class. Teachers reported that the overlap of technology and learning helped students to independently engage in work without needing the additional support of an adult there to help them. Chromebook supports voice control and verbal feedback to help all learners access and interact with the information they need day to day.

Some key features helping empower student independence are:

• Cognitive and spoken feedback (low vision + dyslexia)
• ChromeVox (built-in screen reader)
• Select to speak
• Captions
• Transcription
• Automated translation
• Note taking
• Type with voice
• Reading mode
• On-screen keyboard.

East Lothian Council oversees a catchment of primary and secondary schools in Scotland. For students with motor control issues or dyslexia, it can be challenging to develop confidence around skills such as handwriting and keyboard use. East Lothian Council leadership distributed Chromebook Tab 10 devices with styluses and handwriting recognition as an alternative to typing, helping to remove this barrier from the classroom. Chromebook empowers all students with more ways to enter information, by making usability adjustments that help them navigate learning with gestures suited to their needs.

With a suite of innovative accessibility tools built-in, Chromebooks are helping many schools create more inclusive learning environments. Download our e-book to learn more about accessibility on Chromebooks.