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Academic Technology

What is a Screen Reader?

Accessibility Tip

Blind person using screenreading

Screen readers are software programs that help people who are blind or low-vision use a computer and access the information on the screen, by converting it to either speech or braille. Screen readers rely on the underlying formatting and coding of documents and websites to accurately navigate, read, and convey the meaning of visual content. For example, when a screen reader gets to an image, it will use the alt text description instead so the user knows what is in the image.

When we create materials for students to use, we can make them more screen reader accessible by using the following:

To learn more about screen reader software or to download and try one out yourself, visit the DRO Screen Reading & Low Vision Technology page.