Tech Tuesday: Supporting Diverse Learners with Accessible Digital Documents

Supporting Diverse Learners with Accessible Digital Documents: Preparing Your Documents for Text-to-Speech

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For some students, reading a printed handout can feel overwhelming. Providing your documents in a digital format allows students to access tools on their web browsers or phones, such as  Adobe Reader, the Read Aloud Chrome extension, and others, enabling text-to-speech functionality that can significantly enhance their learning experience.

What is text-to-speech?
Text-to-speech (TTS), sometimes called 'speech synthesis' or 'speech output,' is the automatic conversion of digital text into spoken words using a synthesized voice (WAI, 2025)​​

Watch this video about Stefan, a student with attention deficit hyperactivity disorder and dyslexia, to learn how tools like immersive readers and text-to-speech technology help him succeed in his studies.

​This video is a part of a series, Stories of Web Users, How People with Disabilities Use the Web dedicated to highlighting the people that we work to adapt the web for created by the W3C Web Accessibility Initiative (WAI) (2025).

Go to directly to the story on the W3C WAI website to find in depth analysis of how this student manages his disability through web technology. There you will learn more about the specific barriers seen in this video, learn more about the assistive technologies and adaptive strategies used, and learn about the specific accessibility principles that align with making content more accessible for students like Stefan. ​

Resources to Digitize Your Documents

Adobe Acrobat

• Use the OCR (Optical Character Recognition) feature to convert scanned or image-based documents into searchable and editable text.
• Add tags for accessibility to ensure compatibility with screen readers.
• Turn scanned PDF images into editable text using OCR.
• Full time staff have Adobe Creative Cloud that includes Adobe Acrobat Pro, use your @cgc.edu email to login and get started. Check out this guide for further help.

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Microsoft Office

• Convert Word documents or PowerPoint presentations to accessible PDFs with built-in export options.
• Use the Accessibility Checker to identify and fix issues.

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Mobile Scanning Apps

There are multiple scanning apps to turn your phone into a scanner and automatically generate documents that are able to be used with TTS software. Some of your tech savvy students may already use this! 

• Adobe Scan Mobile App  (Juliet's favorite) - you can sign into Adobe using your Maricopa email to get the extras on this app for free. 
• CamScanner App 
• Microsoft Lens - PDF Scanner
• For Android: Scan documents with Google Drive

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Canvas LMS

Copying and pasting documents into Canvas pages is a practical way to make content more accessible. Canvas's built-in Immersive Reader supports students with learning differences and English language learners by enabling text-to-speech, translation, and text customization options. When I mentioned this tool to a classroom of English language learners, they were excited to try it, highlighting its value in supporting diverse student needs.

Accessible Documents: Word, PowerPoint, & Acrobat

Learn how to create accessible Word, PowerPoint, PDF, and Excel documents with WebAIM's independent-study online training. Designed for those with experience creating Word and PowerPoint documents, this course covers principles and processes for optimizing accessibility and evaluating document structures. Key features include:

• Modules on Document Accessibility: Focus on headings, tables, images, hyperlinks, and more.
• PDF Accessibility: Learn to export and optimize PDFs using Adobe Acrobat.
• Bonus Excel Module: Explore accessible spreadsheets and charts.
• Flexible Online Delivery: Access video-based lessons via Canvas with 24/7 technical support.

Participants can earn Certificates of Completion and Continuing Education Units (CEUs). Self-enrollment starts at $125, with group discounts and free scholarships available for people with disabilities.

Learn more about WebAIM and this course. 

(This program is not affiliated with MCCCD and may not qualify for FPG funding. However, we want to highlight this opportunity as it aligns with promoting accessibility.)

Share Your Ideas and Practices

We would love to hear from you. If you have accessibility-related technology practices or tools that enhance student learning, please consider sharing them as a guest Tech Tuesday contributor. Email the CTLA or respond to this email!

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This Week's Tech Tuesday Author

Juliet Crocco is an Instructional Developer in the CTLA, dedicated to supporting faculty with teaching, learning, and assessment projects. With a strong passion for web accessibility, she actively helps the CGC teaching community design and redesign content to be more inclusive and accessible.

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