This post is part of a series of blogs looking at different types of AI tools. In this one, we are looking at a selection of AI accessibility tools designed to support students and staff in UK higher and further education. These tools can help with tasks such as transcription, captioning, text-to-speech, or adapting resources to meet diverse learning needs. Many are focused on improving inclusion and accessibility, while others offer broader benefits that make learning more flexible for everyone.
This listing includes contributions from across the AI team.
We also have a selection of other blogs in this series:
Accessibility | Content Creation | Images | Learning, Skills & Training | Professional Services | Research | Search
Quick jump-to links
Be My Eyes
Description: Be My Eyes is primarily a service which connects sighted volunteers with people who are blind or have low vision for support via a video call. Their AI feature – Be My AI, provides a virtual assistant equivalent powered by GPT-4.
Getting Started: Download the App for iOS, Android
& Windows
Examples of use:
- None currently – we’d love submissions of examples.
Key Information:
- Cost: Free for users
- Enterprise version available? Yes, Be My Eyes enterprise Solutions has specialised costings.
- Privacy and IPR statement? Yes, view the Be My Eyes privacy policy
- GDPR statement? Yes Be My Eyes
privacy policy - Accessibility statement or guidance: No statement specific to Be My AI is available; however, Be My Eyes itself is an assistive technology app.
- Age Restrictions: 18+
- Tried by Jisc’s AI Team? Tested and demonstrated by the team.
(Entry created 28 August 2024)
Goblin.tools
Description: is a collection of small, simple, single-task tools, mostly designed to help neurodivergent people with tasks they find overwhelming or difficult.
Getting Started: Free – no account required.
Examples of use:
Key Information:
- Cost: Free
- Enterprise version available? No
- Privacy and IPR statement? Yes, view the goblin.tools privacy statement
- GDPR statement? Yes, privacy policy
- Accessibility statement or guidance: No
- Age Restrictions: None
- Tried by Jisc’s AI Team? We show this as an example of tools to support accessibility in our webinars and events.
(Entry created 28 August 2024)
Google Lens
Description: Google Lens is a set of vision-based computing capabilities that can understand what you’re looking at and use that information to copy or translate text, identify plants and animals, explore locales or menus, discover products, find visually similar images, and take other useful actions.
Getting Started: Download the Google Lens app or go to Google.com and select the Search by Image icon in the search-bar. This brings up the Lens search menu where users can search any image with Google Lens, either by drag-dropping an image or uploading a file. Alternatively, you can paste an image link to search.
Examples of use:
- None currently – we’d love submissions of examples.
Key Information
- Cost: Free
- Enterprise version available? No
- Privacy and IPR statement? Yes, see Google’s privacy policy
- GDPR statement? Yes, included in Google’s privacy policy
- Accessibility statement or guidance: Yes, see Google’s accessibility guidance
- Age Restrictions: 18 years for those with Google account, with restrictions for those under 18. 17 yrs+ on the App store.
- Tried by Jisc’s AI Team? Yes, tested and used by AI team members.
(Entry created 28 August 2024)
Grammarly
Description: An AI platform which reviews spelling, grammar, punctuation, clarity, engagement, and delivery mistakes in English texts, detects plagiarism, and suggests replacements for the identified errors.
Getting Started: Downloading Grammarly is free and works across a variety of platforms. It also has browser plugins and these are accessible on their application site.
Examples of use:
Key Information
- Cost: Free access, with subscriptions available.
- Enterprise version available? Yes, see Grammarly pricing plans
- Privacy and IPR statement? Yes, see Grammarly’s privacy policy
- GDPR statement? Yes, included in Grammarly’s privacy policy
- Accessibility statement or guidance: Yes, see Grammarly’s accessibility statement
- Age Restrictions: 16+ – see Grammarly Terms and Conditions for details
- Tried by Jisc AI Team? Yes, tried and used extensively by many members of the team.
(Entry created 28 August 2024)
Jamworks
Description: Jamworks is a powerful AI note-taking and revision tool that automatically turns lectures into useful study materials – such as well-organised text notes, video chapters, interactive flashcards and personalised AI chatbots.
Getting Started: Get started with a free trial or book a demo through the Jamworks website.
Examples of use:
- Jamworks Pilot Launch – Jisc
Cost:
- Enterprise version available? Yes, contact Jamworks for institutional pricing
- Privacy and IPR statement? Yes, see Jamworks privacy policy
- GDPR statement? Yes, included in Jamworks privacy policy
- Accessibility statement or guidance: Yes, view the full Jamworks accessibility statement
- Age Restrictions: 16+
- Tried by Jisc’s AI Team? Yes, taken to pilot, which is currently running
(Entry created 28 August 2024. updated 3o October 2024)
Microsoft Immersive Reader
Description: Microsoft’s Immersive Reader is a free tool, built into Word, OneNote, Outlook, Office, Lens, Microsoft Teams, Reading Progress, Forms, Flip and the Edge browser, that implements proven techniques to improve
reading and writing.
Getting Started: This can be accessed in any of the Microsoft 365 apps listed above, for example here is a guide to accessing Immersive Reader in Word.
Examples of use:
- None currently – we’d love submissions of examples.
Key Information
- Cost: Free
- Enterprise version available? Available as part of the Microsoft 365 suite
- Privacy and IPR statement? Yes, see Microsoft’s privacy statement
- GDPR statement? Yes, included in Microsoft’s privacy statement
- Accessibility statement or guidance: Microsoft has general accessibility resources for their tools
- Age Restrictions: There is no specific age restriction to use Immersive Reader, but users need to be 13+ to create a Microsoft Office 365 account unless their parents create them a child-friendly account.
- Tried by Jisc’s AI Team? Yes, has been tested out by the Jisc AI team.
(Entry created 28 August 2024)
Microsoft Seeing AI
Description: Seeing AI app from Microsoft Seeing AI is a free app that narrates the world around you. Designed for the blind and low-vision community, this research project harnesses the power of AI to describe people, text, currency, colour, and objects.
Getting Started: Download the app for iOS or Android through the SeeingAI website.
Examples of use:
- None currently – we’d love submissions of examples.
Key Information:
- Cost: Free, doesn’t require account creation
- Enterprise version available? No
- Privacy and IPR statement? Yes, see Microsoft’s privacy statement
- GDPR statement? Yes, included in Microsoft’s privacy statement
- Accessibility statement or guidance: Microsoft has general accessibility resources for their tools
- Age Restrictions: None
- AI Team? Yes, tested out by the Jisc AI team.
(Entry created 28 August 2024)
Microsoft Speaker Coach
Description: With a focus on public speaking, Speaker Coach uses innovative technology that automatically analyses a speaker’s communication style and helps them present information more effectively. Integrated into MS Teams & PowerPoint.
Getting Started: Turn on Speaker Coach in Microsoft Teams or PowerPoint
Examples of use:
- None currently – we’d love submissions of examples.
Key Information
- Cost: Free preview, even without an Office subscription.
- Enterprise version available? Yes, included in Microsft
365 enterprise versions - Privacy and IPR statement? Yes, see Microsoft’s privacy statement
- GDPR statement? Yes, included in Microsoft’s privacy statement
- Accessibility statement or guidance: Microsoft has general accessibility resources for their tools
- Age Restrictions: 13 years to have a Microsoft Account.
- Tried by Jisc’s AI Team? Yes, tested in both Teams & PowerPoint by the Jisc AI Team.
(Entry created 28 August 2024)
Read&Write (Texthelp)
Description: A literacy support toolkit offering text‑to‑speech, word prediction, dictionary support, screen masking, and writing assistance tailored for diverse learning needs.
Examples of use:
- Commonly deployed in UK universities to support students with dyslexia, EAL, or writing difficulties.
- We’d love submissions of examples.
Key Information:
- Cost: Subscription, often institutionally licensed
- Privacy/IPR: Yes
- GDPR statement? Compliant Security Privacy Overview
- Accessibility guidance: Yes
- Age Restrictions: 13+
- Tried by Jisc’s AI Team? Yes
(Entry created 22 July 2025)
Speechify
Description: Speechify is a web, desktop & mobile app, as well as a browser extension that reads text aloud using a computer-generated text-to-speech voice. The app also uses optical character recognition technology to turn physical books or printed text into audio.
Getting Started: Go to their website and choose your medium for using the application. To get started quickly you can go to Speechify’s text-to-speech online page to use the web application. You may be prompted to create a free account to gain more access.
Examples of use:
- None currently – we’d love submissions of examples.
Cost:
- Enterprise version available? Yes, contact Speechify for pricing
- Privacy and IPR statement? Yes, see Speechify’s privacy policy
- GDPR statement? Yes, covered in Speechify’s privacy policy
- Accessibility statement or guidance: No
- Age Restrictions: 18 years + see Speechify terms of
service for more details - Tried by Jisc’s AI Team? Yes, tested as a tool by the Jisc AI team.
(Entry created 28 August 2024)
Change Log
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- Version 1.1 – Added ReadWrite
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Contributors:
Tim Finch, Dan George, Helen Nicholson-Benn, Michael Webb, Tom Moule, Manya Sikombe, Sue Attewell
Find out more by visiting our Artificial Intelligence page to view publications and resources, join us for events and discover what AI has to offer through our range of interactive online demos.
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Get in touch with the team directly at AI@jisc.ac.uk