HANDHELD DEVICE

ACCESSIBILITY TOOLS

RACHEL WEXLER
 Tool #1
Name of Feature
Zoom
(iPhone/iPad)
Overview of Feature
This feature allows users to magnify their screen,
enlarging everything from text to apps. It allows you
to choose a magnification level between 100%-
500% depending on your needs.
Intended Audience
This feature’s intended audience is for those with
visual impairments. Individuals who are visually
impaired can use this tool to make everything on
their device bigger so they can use its features and
read text with ease.
How it Works
To activate this tool you simply go into ‘Settings’ from
the home screen, tap “General’, then ‘Accessibility’.
Next, you tap ‘Zoom’ under the ‘Vision’ section and
tap the switch to toggle the ‘Zoom’ feature on. To use
it you simply double tap with three fingers to zoom in
on anything.
Instructional Experience
Students often use technology, both iPhones and
iPads to support their research efforts and to utilize
various educational apps. When students utilize
devices for these reasons they can easily zoom into
specific aspects in order to see them easier and better.
Thoughts After Trying It
The tool is extremely easy to use and works across all
functions. When using my iPhone to read an article I
was able to quickly and easily zoom in to better see the
captions associated with each picture embedded
within the article. This tool made it much easier to
read an article given the small size of a phone screen.
 Tool #2
Name of Feature How it Works
This feature allows individual to invert colors, reduce
white point, enable color filters, and change color tint in
Display Accommodations/Color order to create a display that minimizes the affects of
Filters any visual impairments. These adjustments makes the
display easier on the eyes and makes objects easier to
(iPhone/iPad) see for those with low vision, color blindness, or
brightness sensitivity.

Overview of Feature Instructional Experience

This feature allows users to adjust the display and
colors on their device to make it easier to read
content and to make it easier to distinguish
elements and features.
Intended Audience
This feature’s intended audience is for those with
visual impairments, color blindness, and sensitivity
to brightness.
This is a wonderful tool that can be used by all students
who have any type of visual impairment in order to make
the use of devices in learning easier and more beneficial.
Students who may have struggled using devices to support
their learning due to difficulty seeing the display can now
have an opportunity to use and engage with the same tools
as their classmates.
Thoughts After Trying It
I am a huge fan of this tool and think it is very easy to
use. It gives you various different elements you can
adjust to make the screen legible based on your unique
needs. This is something I have personally used for a
long time as I tend be sensitive to brightness; being
able to adjust the brightness on my devices had made
the ease of using them much better.
 Tool #3
Name of Feature
Speak Selection
(iPhone/iPad)
Overview of Feature
This feature reads aloud any text you have
highlighted on your device. The dialect and speed of
the reading can also be further adjusted based on
the individuals needs.
Intended Audience
This feature’s intended audience is for those who
struggle reading text due to it’s small size, have
dyslexia, or are still learning the written language.
How it Works
This feature allows you to adjust the standard size and
heaviness of text on your device. Making text larger can
help those with low vision read text with more ease.
Making text bolder can turn thin and hard to see lines
and text into thicker lines and text that are must easier
to see and read.
Instructional Experience
Using this feature can help those with visual impairments with
the overall use of a digital device. With the standard size and
heaviness of text some students may struggle with being able
to easily see and read text and features. With this simple
adjustment students are able to use and engage with the
device without struggling to read text.
Thoughts After Trying It
After trying this feature, I think it’s great for those who
are visually impaired, and even for those who are not.
Given the inherent nature of how small device screens
can be, you often feel as is if you have to strain to read
text. This makes text larger, and bolder, which makes
seeing and reading text far easier.
 Tool #4
Name of Feature
Touch Accommodation
(iPhone/iPad)
Overview of Feature
This tool allows users to adjust features such as
duration of tapping and holding, ignoring extra
taps, and using only a single finger to tap to make
the use of using a touch screen device easier and
less frustrating.
Intended Audience
This feature’s intended audience is for those who
have motor skill impairments that may make the
use of touch screen devices more difficult and
frustrating.
How it Works
This feature makes accessing content on touch screen
devices much easier and more convenient for those who
have motor skill impairments. Those with tremors who
may tap the screen repeatedly can enable a hold
duration, while those who may have difficulty
coordinating multiple finger gestures can enable tap
assistance that allows for single finger gestures.
Instructional Experience
For those students who may experience difficulty using digital
tools and devices due to motor skill impairments, this
accommodation can help alleviate that issue and provide open
access. For instance, when using a learning app such as
Freckle, students can enable this feature so that they can
engage in the activities without accidently submitting an
incorrect answer due to unintended tapping.
Thoughts After Trying It
Although using it was a bit difficult for me, I believe it was
only due to the fact I am accustomed to the normal touch
usage of a phone and don’t personally have any motor skill
impairments. For those who do struggle with any type of
motor skill impairment I think the feature would be
extremely helpful and would provide a less frustrating
avenue when using touch screen devices.
 Tool #5
Name of Feature How it Works
This feature allows users to connect compatible hearing
aids so that they can access and easily hear audio content.
Audio Accessibility Those who have trouble hearing can also enable visual
notifications so they don’t miss incoming alerts. Mono
(iPhone/iPad) audio also allows users to have all incoming sounds come
through both ears rather than the typical delivery in which
audio includes distinct left and right channels.

Overview of Feature Instructional Experience

This tool allows users to connect with and manage
compatible hearing aids, enable visual notifications,
and use mono audio.
For students who have any hearing impairments, this can be
used when engaging in activities such as listening to audio
books or using apps that include auditory prompts. Enabling
this tool allows students to hear everything loudly and clearly
so they do not miss any valuable information or content.

Intended Audience Thoughts After Trying It

This feature’s intended audience is for those who This tool is extremely easy to use and is a great
have any audio impairments and may experience accommodation for those with hearing impairments. The
difficulty using apps and tools that include auditory visual notifications provides aa bright LED flash so that it
features. is easy to notice incoming notifications.
 Tool #6
Name of Feature
Guide Access
(iPhone/iPad)
Overview of Feature
This tool allows you to lock an iPhone or iPad to a
single app, when this feature is on only a specific
app can be used and there is no way to exit it or use
any other apps on the device.
Intended Audience
This feature’s intended audience is for those who
students who may struggle staying on task or
focusing on one thing at a time. Individuals with
ADHD and ADD would benefit greatly from this
feature.
How it Works
This feature allows users to control what apps can be used
on the device. When this feature is enabled you can select
one specific app that can be used; that app is all that can
be used on the device and the user is unable to get back
out to the home screen or use any other apps downloaded
on the device.
Instructional Experience
When students are working in centers with dedicated
activities, this feature could be used to ensure that students
stay engaged and focused on the intended app. This helps
prevents students playing on unrelated apps and ensures they
are working with the specific material needed to support their
learning.
Thoughts After Trying It
After using this feature I know that it will be something I
use often in the classroom. I often struggle with students
going into other apps and getting off task. For example,
during math time when students should only be working on
math through Freckle, I can prevent students from playing
on Typing Agent during that time frame via this tool.
Definitely a great week to keep order in the classroom!
 Tool #7
Name of Feature How it Works
This feature allows users to essentially control their
devices functionality through voice commands. The digital
Large and Bold Text voice used is referred to as ‘Siri’. Individuals can ask Siri
questions, can ask Siri to do things, and can have Siri
(iPhone/iPad) provide reminders.

Overview of Feature Instructional Experience

This tool allows you to increase legibility of text and
features on your device by making fonts bigger
and/or bolder.
This is a great tool that can be used when students are given
the opportunity to use their creativity and explore a topic of
interest. If they are still learning how to navigate the internet
to retrieve information, they can get support from Siri by
asking simple questions and getting the facts delivered to them
immediately.

Intended Audience Thoughts After Trying It

This feature’s intended audience is for anyone who Voice control is a great tool and provides so many different
may have a visual impairment such as low vision to uses! It can provide quick and easy factual information, and
make access easier. can also serve as a tool to provide assistance if you are
having trouble navigating your phone.
 References

Accessiblity for iPhone and iPad: The Ulimate Guide. (2016). iMore. Retrieved from:
https://www.imore.com/accessibility-iphone-ipad#magnifier