Our latest thoughts from the world of technology in education & the workplace

Texthelp Blog - Our latest thoughts from the world of technology in education & the workplace

Blog

Even though we understand that some people prefer a traditional approach for showing their work and understanding mathematical concepts, EquatIO Mobile opens up many more opportunities for students to use their preferred method for learning and using the device of their choosing.  

In the initial release for EquatIO Mobile we gave users the ability to input math in three ways: 

'Draw Math' allows you to annotate on your mobile device and to then turn that handwriting into digital math, or to save the handwriting as an image which can then be used to input into the collaborative platform that is being used by the classroom teacher.  

'Record Math' uses a mobile device’s built-in microphone to dictate your audible math aloud.  

'Math Image' lets you take a photo with your camera. You can take a photo of anything, whether it be handwritten math on a scratch piece of paper, notes on the whiteboard, a worksheet, or a geometric shape found in nature.

All three methods allow you to send the math into what we call our Active Documents.  The EquatIO Mobile dashboard lets you locate those Active Documents and then directly insert the math into the document of choice.  Here is an example of what it would look like:


We have rebuilt EquatIO Mobile from the ground up to not only provide you with the same functionality as before, but wait till you see what we can do now. 

The ability to easily scan and capture math on a piece of paper or handwritten math can now be converted easily. You can scan much larger sections of math on a document and EquatIO Mobile can read the math & the text, and send that content right into a Mathspace for you.  

For example, I have a PDF worksheet printed out from my teacher’s edition.  I locate my nearest mobile device (iPhone, Android, or tablet) and visit the appropriate browser website at https://m.equat.io/.  I will now be given the choice to insert math into my active document like before, or, I can select the ‘Create New Document’ button located on the new and improved EquatIO Mobile Dashboard. 

Using EquatIO Mobile To Create New Documents For Mathspace

Today we're excited to bring a brand new user experience to EquatIO Mobile with the first of some really exciting updates. This includes the ability to easily scan and capture math on a piece of paper or handwritten math which can now be converted easily.

How EquatIO Mobile is rewriting the digital math experience

Today we're excited to bring a brand new user experience to EquatIO Mobile with the first of some really exciting updates. 

When EquatIO Mobile launched back in the summer of 2018, we wanted to bring more functionality to our users and add more value to your math and STEM classrooms, right in the palm of your hands.  

Digital access needs arise as a result of an individual’s disability when interacting online. Of the 14 million disabled people in the UK (that's 1 in 5 of the population), approximately half have digital access needs. This presents a challenge when accessing essential services or retail websites online. 

When this demographic hits a barrier that prevents them from accessing a product or service, 70% will leave a website and take their spending power to an accessible alternative. The cost of this equates to an estimated £17.1 billion, otherwise known as the click away pound.

So, what can you do to tap into this market?


First, let’s consider their lived experiences

Before we fill you in on the benefits businesses are reaping from web accessibility software, let’s explore the challenges faced by this untapped market.

As a diverse market, access needs can arise from a variety of disabilities including vision and hearing impairments, literacy difficulties, cognitive challenges, and neurodivergent conditions such as dyslexia, autism, dyspraxia and ADHD.

One thing this audience has in common is that the digital world is one where too often they feel excluded. 

an inability to perceive content due to crowded pages, distracting moving images and graphics, or poor color contrast and text layout

an inability to navigate across a website because of poor keyboard access or meaningless link information

As we’re uncovering the barriers, you might be thinking: "our online visitors will tell us if they’re experiencing barriers on our site". Yet this isn't always the case.  

People value independence. Only 8% of users with digital access needs will contact a business about barriers they experience. And, even if they wanted to reach out, over half of users struggle to fill out contact forms due to inaccessible fields and reCAPTCHA tests.

A solution that’s helping this audience to navigate the internet independently is the use of assistive technology. In fact, research from 2019 found that of all users with digital access needs, 63% use assistive technology on the web.

Assistive technology is any software, application or device that supports disabled people to complete tasks independently in everyday life.

When browsing the internet, the most common forms of assistive technology include screen readers, text magnification and speech recognition software. But such supports aren’t always available, and that’s where web accessibility software can help.


Recognizing the benefits of web accessibility software

Only 1 in 10 people in need have access to assistive technology. Largely, those with access needs are using assistive technology in the form of built-in accessibility features on smartphones and apps. That’s why more and more businesses are recognizing the benefits of providing web accessibility software on their own websites.

Web accessibility software includes inclusive toolbars, such as the ReachDeck Toolbar, which help online visitors to interact with digital content in a way that suits them best. 

With the ReachDeck Toolbar, users can remove on-page distractions using the simplify feature, or have written text read aloud through a text-to-speech functionality. From text magnification to screen masking, its features benefit a wide range of individuals with various needs.

Used by organizations across the globe, the ReachDeck Toolbar is supporting online audiences across both public and private sectors. It's freely available on sites including local city councils, NHS services and large corporations, helping essential information reach every visitor.


Empowering your legal, moral and business obligations

Being proactive, by providing a digital inclusion tool like the ReachDeck Toolbar, can help you to increase your business revenue and meet your legal and moral obligations to web accessibility.

Ensuring that everyone feels welcomed by your digital presence is the right thing to do, but it’s also crucial to remember your legal responsibilities to do so.

Existing legislation puts the onus on you to ensure your website is accessible in line web accessibility guidelines. Otherwise you could be breaking the law. The ReachDeck Toolbar can support your efforts by opening up your digital content to be available and accessible to everyone. Not only that, the ReachDeck Toolbar is only one feature within the ReachDeck software.

ReachDeck is our accessibility and inclusion software. In addition to the ReachDeck Toolbar, it also includes the ReachDeck Auditor and the ReachDeck Editor. Auditor is a WCAG compliance checker that automatically scans your website for compliance errors. Editor is a content authoring tool that helps everyone in your organization to improve the readability of their online content. Combined, these features help you to improve the accessibility, readability and reach of your digital content.

Want to know more about ReachDeck? Visit our dedicated product page. From there, you'll also be able to arrange a free trial.

70% of users with digital access needs will leave an inaccessible website, taking their spending power to an accessible alternative. The cost of this equates to an estimated £17.1 billion: also known as the click-away pound. Read on to learn how you can tap into this market.

Web accessibility software is helping businesses to tap into the £17.1bn click away pound

More and more businesses and services are now operating under a digital-first model, and with that, there’s a risk of leaving a large segment of the population behind. That’s because barriers on the web still exist. For those businesses which don't have web accessibility measures in place, this means shutting out the 7 million internet users in the UK with digital access needs. Read on to learn more about the so-called Click-Away Pound, and what your business can do to tap into it. 

In the workplace, it’s important that your employees achieve a sense of belonging. Without it, staff can feel unhappy, and lack motivation. In fact, a strong sense of belonging at work results in a 56% increase in performance. 

To achieve belonging, companies must make sure their culture promotes acceptance, inclusion and belonging - for everyone.

In our latest roundtable discussion we met with Diversity, Equity and Inclusion experts to talk about DE&I through the lens of hidden disabilities and neurodiverse talent. From our chat, we took away 7 key thoughts. Read on to discover what key areas to focus on to encourage belonging at work.

Hear 7 key thoughts from DE&I experts on creating a culture that promotes acceptance, inclusion & belonging.

Belongingness at work: DE&I experts share how to create a culture that promotes acceptance, inclusion & belonging

As humans, we all want to be accepted, feel included and know that we belong. This human need is often referred to as seeking a ‘sense of belonging’. And it’s something we look for in every aspect of our lives. After all, to feel like we belong gives us a sense of purpose, and helps us to feel connected to the world around us. 

Step 1: Find out how other schools are using Read&Write

We know that providing evidence of impact from the implementation of technology tools is important. That’s why we’ve gathered case studies from across the globe to show how other schools and districts have used Read&Write and the real results they have achieved. From closing the achievement gap to measuring cost-efficiency, you can find our Read&Write case studies here.

Want to see an overview of Read&Write before you dig into our case studies? This 18-minute video can help.

We offer a free pilot of Read&Write at a school or district level giving you access to all 80+ premium features for a large group of users. That way you and your team can see everything that our technology can do over an extended period of time before making a purchase. You can even add some of our other products to your pilot at the same time.


To help get your pilot off to a great start we can provide live training and demos for your team as well as implementation and tech support throughout. You’ll also have access to our library of training materials to help you become a Read&Write expert!


Visit our Pilot Request Website to get your pilot started.

Interested in pricing? Unlimited domain licenses are less than $2/student! This includes:

You can get an official quote for a Group or Unlimited Domain-wide license at any time before, during or after your pilot. Simply talk to your dedicated account rep during your pilot, or fill out the Quote Request Form at any time.

You’ll have access to plenty of support for your school or district as you onboard and implement Read&Write. 

We’ve got a growing library of short demo videos and webinars that cover everything from the fundamentals of using Read&Write to best practices and classroom strategies.

And if you’re ready to take your training even further, we offer a range of Personal Development Workshops to help you and your team become verified experts in Read&Write. These advanced sessions provide the foundation for educators to integrate Read&Write into classroom instruction for each student’s unique needs.

If you have any other questions about Read&Write and how it can help your school or district, just fill out our Pilot Request Form below and we’ll be in touch!

Are you ready to bring all the benefits of Read&Write to your school or district? In four easy steps, we’ll show you how you can try, buy, and get the tool into the hands of all of your students.

4 Steps to Adopting Read&Write for Your School or District

Are you ready to bring all the benefits of Read&Write to your school or district? 

Join over 30 million students across the country who are seeing the amazing impact this literacy support tool is having on their learning. 

In four easy steps, we’ll show you how you can try, buy, and get the tool into the hands of all of your students.

On October 5, Microsoft released its Windows 11 operating system, which delivers a myriad of new enhancements to its users. From the redesigned Start menu and taskbar, to new desktop and app layouts that maximize productivity, Windows 11 has something for everyone. And it fits perfectly into the new world of hybrid work and learning we find ourselves in. 

As a Microsoft Gold Partner, Texthelp has worked with Microsoft to ensure that Read&Write can continue to support its users as they transition to using this latest and greatest operating system. If you are using Windows 11, make sure you’ve updated to the latest version of Read&Write for Windows - version 12.0.72 - and you’ll be good to go. If you already have Read&Write, just click the Check for updates button. Or you can download the latest version from the Texthelp website at any time.

To learn more about Windows 11, check out Microsoft’s website here.

We are excited to announce that Read&Write for Windows is compatible with the newly released Windows 11 operating system.

Read&Write is now compatible with Windows 11

Read&Write is Windows 11 ready!

As you know at Texthelp we’re all about using technology to help people understand and be understood. So when we heard that the University of Dundee was going to offer an MSC in Educational Assistive Technology in 2022, then we had to get involved. This new course, developed by the University of Dundee, aims to enhance the learning experience of students facing barriers to their education due to disability. 

 “It makes me so proud that Texthelp are sponsoring a student to undertake this course at The University of Dundee. For the last 25 years Texthelp has been growing and helping more and more people globally. To see the importance of assistive technology being recognised in this way, shows that the future is bright for people who need extra help to fully access the world around them” said  Rick Bell, Head of Education at Texthelp and Chairman of British Assistive Technology Association.

Assistive Technology is designed to make sure students are able to access and fully participate in education, employment, entertainment and the wider environment with as much independence as possible. Different tools can be used to support students with high incidence, lower impact disabilities (for example, dyslexia, dyspraxia) through to low incidence, higher impact disabilities (for example, cerebral palsy, autism). 

The course, within the School of Science and Engineering, is designed for teachers, therapists and technologists who would like to learn more about supporting learners who need assistive technology. At the end of the course graduates will have the skills and knowledge to work as an Educational Assistive Technologist, addressing a global shortage of professionals in this area.

Students will learn about the role and responsibilities of the Educational Assistive Technologist. They will also learn how to assess people and recommend the right tool for the right person, ensuring the best learning environment for everyone.  The course will be taught by AT experts such as Professor Annalu Waller and Mr. Rohan Slaughter , both from the School of Science and Engineering. Between them they have years of experience in this field. 

“The University of Dundee is delighted to be partnering with Texthelp to launch the first scholarship for the MSc EduAT (educational assistive technology), providing a full fee scholarship for a student who is employed in a UK not-for-profit or charity-based education organisation. We developed the MSc EduAT scholarship programme so that not-for-profit organisations would be able to access the professional development that the MSc EduAT offers; training more professionals to implement and support the use of assistive technology within education will enable students with a broad range of disabilities to access the curriculum.” 

“Texthelp is a leading assistive technology software supplier, we feel that Texthelp’s mission “to help unlock everyone's full potential through technology” aligns very closely with the core purpose of the University of Dundee “to transform lives, locally and globally through the creation, sharing and application of knowledge”. We look forward to working with Texthelp and the successful scholars on MSc EduAT to ensure that those who can benefit from assistive technology are supported to achieve their maximum potential.” - Rohan Slaughter, Senior Lecturer (Assistive Technology) at University of Dundee

To find out if you are eligible for our scholarship and to apply click here.

Blog

How EquatIO Mobile is rewriting the digital math experience

Web accessibility software is helping businesses to tap into the £17.1bn click away pound

Belongingness at work: DE&I experts share how to create a culture that promotes acceptance, inclusion & belonging

4 Steps to Adopting Read&Write for Your School or District

Read&Write is Windows 11 ready!

Texthelp sponsor Educational Assistive Technology Scholarship with the University of Dundee.

Categories

Education

Solutions

Products

Workplace

Solutions

Products

Resources

Resource centre

Events

Learn & Support

Company