Apps and Software for Success

Accessibility Tools for Students

Here’s a list of helpful apps and software that can make your school experience easier and more successful. Keep in mind that there are many other great options out there that aren’t listed here. We recommend exploring different apps to find the ones that work best for you. Let’s check out what’s available!

  • Freedom helps to block distractions from variety of devices.

  • Wake N Shake (iOS, $0.99) an app that requires vigorous shaking to turn it off, which definitely helps wake you up!

  • Mindshift (iOS and Android) is designed designed to help people cope with anxiety. It can help you change how you think about anxiety. Rather than trying to avoid anxiety, you can make an important shift and face it.

  • Predictable is a text-to-speech app that learns from the user’s patterns of use, predicting what will be typed next and converting it to speech.
  • Proloquo2Go is an app that allows the individual to construct and speak sentences by tapping on symbols or by typing words.

  • Easy Spelling Aid ($4.99) is designed to help improve dyslexic students’ spelling and literacy performance.

  • Focus Keeper (iOS and Android, $0.99) is app designed to track and increase productivity by splitting work into 25-minute increments, five-minute short breaks, and 25-minute-long breaks (based on the Pomodoro Technique.)
  • Focus To-Do (iOS and Android) combines the Pomodoro Timer with Task Management. Users can organize tasks in to-do lists, start focus timers, and set reminders for important tasks as well as check the time spent working.
  • Forest (iOS and Android) utilizes the Pomodoro technique of splitting work into 25-minute increments with five-minute short breaks. The idea is that every task is represented in the app by a tree so that s you work on your task the tree grows; however, if you abandon your task, the tree dies. So, the user’s goal is to grow a forest by constantly adding tasks and growing them.

  • Ava is an app that provides instant captions for any conversation or meeting whether it is in person or online.
  • Live Caption ($2.99/mo) is a real-time speech to text app for live conversations.
  • Otter.ai is an app as well as a web-based application used to record and transcribe conversations or presentations.
  • Petralex (iOS and Android) is designed to help people who may struggle to hear properly, especially in social settings. It acts as a personal hearing amplifier.

  • AlgebraTouch (iOS, 3.99) will refresh your algebra skills using touch-based techniques built from the ground up for your iPhone/iPad/iPod Touch.
  • EquatIO helps students more easily write math expressions, without getting bogged down in all those parentheses and square roots.
    • Dictate, type, or hand write math equations to have them automatically uploaded to a Google Doc or other document
    • The software understands what is being typed or handwritten, and turns those expressions into clear, accurate on-screen formulas
  • ModMath is a free iPad app designed to help individuals with dyslexia and dysgraphia do math.

  • MindNode (iOS) is a visual brainstorming app that lets you capture, organize, style, and share your thoughts.
  • Mindomo is mind-mapping software that allows students to create collaborative concept maps, outlines, and charts that simplify project planning.
    • Progress from outline to graphical mind map with one click, simplifying the outlining process for students who struggle to organize and rearrange their ideas
    • Students may embed videos and graphics in their mind maps
    • Includes templates for different types of writings, like a persuasive essay
  • SimpleMind is a mind-mapping app for iOS and Android. There is a free version as well as a pro version that costs $7.99.

  • Glean allows students to audio record class lectures while also allowing the student to highlight important parts and add typed notes. This is a free-service to Hawkeye Community College students provided through Student Accessibility Services. Please email Student Accessibility Services to begin the process of accessing this resource.
  • GoodNotes (iOS, $7.99) lets you take notes and annotate PDF documents. They will be synced to all your iOS devices automatically, thanks to iCloud.
  • MarginNote (iOS) is designed for book annotation, mind mapping, flashcards and more used to build up your reading notes.
  • Notability (iOS, $8.99) is designed to assist with notetaking. It integrates handwriting, PDF annotation, typing, recording and organizing to take notes your way then syncs with Dropbox or Google Drive Sync.
  • OneNote is an app designed to assist with notetaking. It allows you to write, type, or annotate, import documents, and link audio recordings to your notes.
  • Otter.ai is an app as well as a web-based application used to record and transcribe conversations or presentations. Users can also get real-time streaming transcripts and rich, searchable notes with text, audio, and images.

  • Corkulous (iOS) allows the user to place notes, labels, photos, contacts, shapes, tasks, etc. on virtual corkboards.
  • iHomework2 (iOS) is an app that allows the user to organize and view assignments as well as estimate how difficult a task will be to complete.
  • Homework App (iOS) for iPhones is a customizable app that allows the user to create courses and track assignments.
  • myHomework Student Planner (iOS and Android) is an app designed to track assignments, projects, and tests, track classes, receive due date reminders, and it syncs between devices.

  • Access Now allows the user to search for accessible places in the community based on specific accessibility features like finding restaurants that are wheelchair accessible.
  • TextGrabber provides accurate text recognition from printed sources or images that allows the user to edit, search and share the information.
  • WordBank Universal (3.99/mo) is a Chrome Add On that allows students to draw from and create relevant word banks to aid in vocabulary development, spelling support, and articulation when describing an article or other writing sample.
    • Topic-based word banks may overlay websites while they are read
    • Students may search more than 5 million existing word banks for vocabulary ideas
    • The text-to-speech features reads aloud to serve auditory learners

  • GoodReaderis a robust PDF reader app for iOS devices. You can read, annotate, edit and sign PDF documents.
  • PDFescape is a tool for modifying worksheets to support learning needs. The free version allows you to add text or free hand, white out text you don’t want, highlight keywords, signal words, vocabulary, etc., and add sticky notes.
  • Smallpdf is a resource that allows you to convert documents to and from PDF. It also has several other tools, such as being able to add signatures to documents and editing PDF files.

  • Dolphin EasyReader (iOS and Android) is designed for readers with dyslexia, low vision and blindness. Users can browse and download accessible books and newspapers, add human sounding voice to text only titles, adjust colors, text size and highlights and copy text from anywhere on your phone and hear it read.
  • Howsjay ($2.99) pronunciation dictionary, for iOS and Android, encourages students to recognize how words are pronounced by listening to them repeatedly.
  • ReaderQ is a Chrome Add On that eliminates distractions when reading web pages and help readers get to the main point of what they’re reading.
    • Adjust the text display to show highlighting and varied text sizes, as well as annotations
    • Select and save key words and phrases. A limit is placed on how much is selected to make sure only relevant points are saved

  • Dragon Anywhere (iOS and Android) allows the user to dictate documents of any length, edit and format them directly from their smartphone or tablet.
  • Voice Dream Writer (iOS, $5.99) helps everyone write better: Text-to-speech proofreading reduces mistakes, phonetic and meaning search help you use the right words, and an active outline helps you organize and improve the structure of your writing.

  • Kurzweil3000 is a web-based reader, web extension, and downloadable software for turning text into speech. This is a free-service to Hawkeye Community College students provided through Student Accessibility Services. Please email Student Accessibility Services to begin the process of accessing this resource.
  • Voice Dream Reader (iOS, $9.99) is an app for reading text aloud from web pages, PDFs, and other documents.

  • Dictate2us (d2u) allows you to create and edit a digital recording then transcribe to a digital file. Transcription comes with a cost.
  • Otter.ai is an app as well as a web-based application used to record and transcribe conversations or presentations.

  • Be My Eyes (iOS and Android) connects blind and low-vision people with sighted volunteers through live video calls. The volunteers assist with guided problem-solving.
  • SeeingAI is a mobile tool (a talking camera) designed for the low-vision community that also helps students who struggle with reading, writing, and motor skills.
    • Point your phone at text — handwritten or typed — and Seeing AI will read those words out loud
    • The app recognizes friends and people around you, as well as their emotions
  • Supervision + Magnifier is a free iOS and Android app that uses the smartphone camera to zoom-in on printed books, documents, or images.

  • Typ-O is an app designed to help individuals with dyslexia write without spelling errors.
  • Inku (iOS) is designed to help people with dyslexia write and take notes.
  • Ghotit Buzz Writer (iOS) is designed to help those with dyslexia and dysgraphia write, read, and correct texts. Ghotit provides corrections for spelling, grammar, and punctuation mistakes as well as quick-spell word-prediction.
  • Grammarly Keyboard helps you type with ease in any app with correct grammar and punctuation.

Contact Us

Student Accessibility Services

Main Campus
Hawkeye Center 208
319-296-4014
Email Student Accessibility Services

Regular Hours — Spring 2025

Monday – Friday 8 AM – 4:30 PM

Hawkeye utilizes Relay Iowa, a telecommunications service providing full telephone accessibility to people who are deaf, hard of hearing, and/or speech impaired.