Accessibility means presenting information in a way that is readable (viewable or audible) by all, regardless of people's disabilities.
Reading challenges are a common cause of learning difficulties, but accessibility features such as text-to-speech or web page optimization can help all students.
There are a variety of assistive technologies to help you listen to and read e-resources. You can download free or paid screen-reading software for your own devices, which reads the content of a web page aloud. Browsers usually have their own accessibility features. Mobile devices often come with a screen reader and various office applications also have different functions to make reading easier.
The Celia website provides detailed information on the various listening and reading aids available. The Datero website also provides instructions on listening, speech-to-text, concentration aids and editing on different devices.
Read Aloud functions may vary from browser to browser. The characteristics of e-book services also affect how the listening functions work in browsers.
You can find the read aloud function of your browser by searching the internet for example with the words read aloud chrome.
The Read aloud function in the Edge browser can be found in the A icon in the address bar. Under "Voice options" you can select the language and adjust the speed.
You can launch the Immersive reader from the book icon in the address bar. The read aloud function can also be used in the immersive reader.
The Chrome and Firefox browsers have a Read Aloud add-on that allows you to listen to text. You can find the add-on by searching online for example with the words read aloud chrome.
The Firefox browser has a Read Aloud add-on that allows you to listen to text.
TalkBack is Google's screen reader installed on Android devices.
With VoiceOver - a gesture-based screen reader - you can use iPhone even if you can’t see the screen.
Many e-resource services have a listening function. For example, you can find listening features in the following services.
Magazine articles and e-book chapters can often be downloaded in PDF format. You can listen to PDFs in Adobe Acrobat Reader or in your browser.
DRM (Digital Rights Management) protection of an e-book can prevent the use of screen readers. Not all PDFs are encoded to be readable and usually the language has to be specified separately.
The University of Oulu Library's guide and videos give you useful tips for listening to e-resources.
Sometimes, the listening or other accessibility feature does not work even if you follow the instructions. Its use is affected by factors such as the device you are reading on, the browser you are using, and the type of application offered by the e-book service.
Below are a few tips you can try.
Make sure you have the necessary listening or screen reader program installed on your device or browser. Also check that your device has the necessary spoken language pack downloaded.
Enable automatic audio playback in your browser. If your browser blocks automatic audio playback (e.g., Firefox's Autoplay), the service's own audio playback program may not work (e.g., Oppiportti). Try using a different browser.
If both PDF and EPUB versions of the e-book are available, try both. If your browser's listening function does not read PDF files, save the file and try listening to it with Adobe Acrobat Reader.
Please see the accessibility instructions for e-book services and browsers. Unfortunately, not all e-books are accessible, which means that not all e-books can be listened to.
Celia Library is the national center for accessible literature and publishing in Finland helping those who cannot effectively read print because of illness, injury or other causes.
You first need to apply for the right to use Celia's services through your Metropolia special needs teacher. You can then be registered as a Celia customer at the library.
For details on how to apply for Celia, please see the Sudent's Guide.
Metropolia Library and Information Services | Accessibility Statement
