Find accessible software that supports different needs — from text-to-speech and writing aids to planning and mental wellness tools. Software is listed by category, operating system, and whether it's free or provided through the School, with helpful descriptions and links to guides.
Mind Mapping software
Mind mapping
| Software |
Description |
Location |
Guides |
Supported
Operating System |
Availability |
MindView 9
(MatchWare) |
Mindview is designed to help users visually organise ideas, plan projects, and manage information. It allows users to create detailed mind maps that can be easily converted into other structured formats. |
Accessible study rooms:
LRB 1.00
LRB 1.01
LRB 1.21
PAN G.04
Accessible open study spaces:
LRB Ground Floor
LRB 1st Floor |
MindView User Guide |
Windows
MacOS |
Requires a MindView account. Contact DTS Tech Support
|
Optical Character Recognition (OCR) / Document Conversion software
| Software |
Description |
Location |
Guides |
Supported
Operating System |
Availability |
ABBYY
FineReader |
Software that enables the conversion of scanned documents, images, and PDFs into editable, machine-readable text formats. Users can convert image files and non-searchable PDFs into popular formats such as docx, xlsx, and searchable PDFs. It supports recognition of nearly one hundred languages and is capable of processing multilingual documents |
see Availability |
ABBYY FineReader User Guide |
Windows
MacOS |
Available on all LSE managed Windows and MacOS devices |
| SensusAccess |
Allows automatic conversion of documents into a wide range of alternative formats, including audio books (MP3 and Daisy), e-books (EPUB, EPUB3, and Mobi), digital braille, and tagged PDFs. Ideal for users with a visual or learning impairment. Supports conversion of materials such as PDFs, Word documents, PowerPoint slides and more. |
see Availability |
SensusAccess Guide |
Browser based |
Available via the LSE website for all staff, students and alumni |
| Adobe Acrobat Pro |
Allows users to create, edit and convert PDF documents. It supports Optical Character Recognition to make scanned documents searchable and selectable. Users can edit existing text and images, add comments and annotations, redact sensitive information and acreate interactive fillable forms. |
Accessible Study Rooms:
LRB 1.00
LRB 1.01
LRB 1.21 |
Adobe Acrobat Pro user guide |
Mac OS |
Requires access to Accessible Study Rooms.
|
Cognitive/Visual Support software
Cognitive visual support software
| Software |
Description |
Location |
Guides |
Supported Operating System |
Availability |
Colorveil
(East-Tec) |
A free screen-colour filter designed to improve screen comfort by reducing eye strain and visual stress |
Accessible Study Rooms:
LRB 1.00
LRB 1.01
LRB 1.2.1
PAN G.04
Accessible Open Study Spaces:
LRB Ground Floor
LRB 1st Floor |
N/A |
Windows
Browser extension |
Available on all accessible LSE Windows devices for students and as a free download for personal use by staff and students
|
ZoomText
(Freedom Scientific) |
A comprehensive screen magnification and enhancment solution designed to support users with low vision. It offers powerful magnification, screen and cursor enhancements, cloour controls, and text-to-speech features that improve on-screen readability and ease of navigation. |
Accessible Study Rooms:
LRB 1.00
LRB 1.01
LRB 1.2.1 |
ZoomText Documentation |
Windows |
Requires access to Accessible Study Rooms. |
| f.lux |
Is a screen colour adjustment tool designed to reduce eye strain and improve visual comfort, particularly during evening and nightime use. It automatically adapts your displays colour temperature based on the time of day; using warmer tones at night and cooler tones during the day - to support healthier sleep patterns and reduce the effects of blue light exposure. |
see Availability |
f.lux user guide |
Windows
MacOS
Linux |
Available on all LSE MacOS devices for all staff and students and as a free download for personal use by staff and students |
| OpenDyslexic |
A free, open-source font designed to improve readability for individuals with dyslexia. Its unique letter shapes are crafted to reduce common reading errors by enhancing character recognition and minimising letter confusion or flipping. It can be installed on computers or used via compatible web browsers and applications, making digital content more accessible for learners with reading difficulites. This the default font for all LSE computers located in accessible areas. |
Accessible Study Rooms:
LRB 1.00
LRB 1.01
LRB 1.21
PAN G.04
Accessible Open Study Spaces:
LRB Ground Floor
LRB 1st Floor |
Installation Guide |
Windows
MacOS
Linux |
Available as a free download for personal use by staff and students |
Braille/Print Support software
Braille Print support software
| Software |
Description |
Location |
Guides |
Supported Operating System |
Availability |
| Duxbury Braille Translator (DBT) |
Used for translating print documents into braille and vice versa. It supports over 180 languages and offers both literary and technical braille translation, including support for Unified English Braille (UEB), Nemeth Code for mathematics, and computer braille |
Accessible Study Room:
LRB 1.21 |
Duxbury DBT User Guide |
Windows |
Duxbury software and embosser are connected to the Windows desktop located in LRB 1.21. If you wish to access and use the software and embosser, contact DTS Tech Support. |
Math/STEM Accessibility software
Math/STEM accessiblity
| Software |
Description |
Location |
Guides |
Supported Operating System |
Availability |
| Equatio (Everway) |
Allows you to create mathematical and scientific equations and formulas on your computer. You can type, handwrite or dictate any expression and it will convert it into digital maths - such as equations in images, on webpages, or in PDFs |
see Availability |
Equatio Learning Resources |
Windows
MacOS |
Available on all LSE Windows and MacOS devices for all staff and students |
Screen Readers/Text-to-Speech software
Screen readers and text to speech software
| Software |
Description |
Location |
Guides |
Supported Operating System |
Availablity |
Fusion
(Freedom Scientific) |
A comprehensive accessibility solution that combines screen magnification and screen reading capabilities. It integrates ZoomText, which offers screen magnification and visual enhancements for easier on-screen viewing, with the power and speed of JAWS, a screen reader for users with visual impairments. |
Accessible Study Rooms:
LRB 1.00
LRB 1.21 |
JAWS documentation
ZoomText documentation |
Windows |
Requires access to Accessible Study Rooms |
| Read&Write (Everway) |
Software designed to support individuals with reading, writing and literacy challenges, providing tools that help users understand, compose and express written content more effectively. Key features include text-to-speech for reading aloud digital content, word prediction, spell checking, grammar and homophone support, as well as tools for highlighting, summarising and annotating documents. It also offers a screen mask and a picture dictionary to aid comprehension. |
see Availability |
Read&Write Learning Resources |
Windows
MacOS |
Available on all LSE Windows and MacOS devices for staff and students |
| JAWS (Job Access With Speech) (Freedom Scientific) |
A comprehensive scrren reading solution designed to provide full access to digital content for users with vision impairments. It offers powerful text-to-speech and Braille output, enabling users to navigate and interact with Windows applications, webpages, documents and more using a keyboard or Braille display |
Accessible Study Rooms:
LRB 1.00
LRB 1.21 |
JAWS documentation |
Windows |
Requires access to Accessible Study Rooms |
| NVDA (NonVisual Desktop Access) (NV Access) |
A free, open-source screen reader for Windows. It enables blind and visually impaired users to interact with digital content through synthetic speech and Braille displays. It supports web browsing, word processing, email, spreadsheets and many other common tasks |
See Availability |
NVDA instructions |
Windows |
Available as a free download for personal use by staff and students |
Note Taking/Research Tools
Note Taking/Research Tools
| Software |
Description |
Location |
Guides |
Supported Operating System |
Availability |
| OneNote (Microsoft) |
A digital note-taking application that allows users to capture, organise, and share information across multiple devices. It supports typed notes, handwriting, drawings, audio recordings, and embedded files. Its flaexible, notebook-style interface makes i easy to organise content into sections and pages, while powerful search and tagging features help users find information quickly. |
See Availability |
OneNote documentation |
Windows
MacOS |
Available on all LSE Windows and MacOS devices for staff and students |
| Zotero |
A free, open-source reference manager and citation tool designed to support academic research. It helps users collect, organise, cite, and share research sources with ease. It can automatically extract citation deatils from websites, library databases, PDFs and more. It intergrates with word processors like MS Word and Google Docs to generate in-text citations and bibliographies in thousands of citation styles. |
See Availability |
Zotero documentation |
Windows
MacOS
Linux |
Available on all LSE Windows and MacOS devices for staff and students |
Writing and Grammar Support
Writing and Grammar Support
| Software |
Description |
Location |
Guides |
Supported Operating System |
Availability |
| Grammerly |
A writing assistant that helps users improve grammar, spelling, punctuation, and overall writing clarity. It provides real-time feedback and suggestions as you type. In addition to basic corrections, it also offers tone detection, clarity improvements, and style suggestions to enhance written communication. |
Accessible Study Rooms:
LRB 1.00
LRB 1.01
LRB 1.21
PAN G.04
Accessible Open Study Spaces:
LRB Ground Floor
LRB 1st Floor |
Grammerly User Guide |
Windows
MacOS |
Free however, a subscription is required in order to access premium features |
| ATbar (University of Southampton - WAIS Group) |
A free, open-source toolbar designed to improve the accessibility of web content for users with diverse needs, including dyslexia, visual impariments, or other reading difficulties. It can be added to webpages or used as a bookmarker in browsers, offering features such as text-to-speech, font and background colour changes, dictionary support, word prediction, and spell checking. |
See Availability |
ATbar instructions |
Windows |
Available as a free download for personal use by staff and students |
Creative Mulitmedia Production
Creative/Multimedia Production
| Software |
Description |
Location |
Guides |
Supported Operating System |
Availability |
| Adobe Creative Cloud |
A suite of professional applications for design, video editing, photography, web development and more. It includes industry-standard tools such as Photoshop for image editing, Illustrator for vector graphics, Premiere Pro for video editing, and InDesign for layout and publishing. It enables seamless collaboration, cloud storage and access to fonts, templates and stock assets. |
Accessible Study Rooms:
LRB 1.00
LRB 1.01
LRB 1.21 |
Adobe Creative Cloud User Guide |
MacOS |
Requires access to Accessible Study Rooms |