Technology can be a powerful tool to assist students with special needs or any sort of learning challenge. In particular the Chrome web browser allows users to install a wide variety of web extensions that provide tools that can help all learners, regardless of ability level.

In this blog post we will take a look at 21 Chrome web extensions that can assist students in five main categories:

• Text to Speech
• Readability
• Reading Comprehension
• Focus
• Navigation

Some of the tools fit into more than one topic, but each is only listed once. Certainly this list does not cover all of the useful web extensions available for struggling learners, but it is a great place to begin. In addition to the list of extension, I have also linked in the video and help guide from a webinar I did a while back on "Google Tools for Special Needs".

Text to Speech extensions

1. Read&Write for Google Chrome
2. SpeakIt!
3. Announcify

Readability extensions

4. Just Read
5. OpenDyslexic
6. BeeLine Reader
7. ATbar
8. MagisScroll Web Reader
9. Readline
10. Visor
11. High Contrast
12. Color Enhancer

Reading Comprehension extensions

13. Google Dictionary
14. sentiSum: Smart Summarizer

Reading Comprehension extensions

15. Simple Blocker
16. uBlock Origin
17. Move It

Navigation extensions

18. Click-free Browsing
19. Vimium
20. CrxMouse
21. Caret Browsing

For more information consult Control Alt Achieve.