Digital training and support
Assistive technology
Training and support on accessibility and software to help your studies.
Software to support your study is available on our campus PCs and some individual devices.
It can help you with note taking, reading, planning and writing. You can read more about the software in our support leaflet:
Step by step support
Personalise your digital workspace
Follow our guides to get your devices set up and ready to use for study or work.
How you can use technology to support your goals
When we support you with Assistive Technology, what we talk about includes free tools, tools you have access to as a student or staff member at York St John, or tools that may be recommended through Disabled Students Allowance (DSA) or Access to Work.
Visit the links below to find out how you can use technology to support different study and work goals.
Book a training session
If you need some additional, personalised support, you can book an online or in person training session with a Digital Training Tutor for Assistive Technology.
Training can be on the assistive software available on the York St John network, through Disabled Students' Allowances (DSA) and Access to Work. We can also advise on creating accessible resources.
To make the most of your tutorial, use our tutorial and meeting notes template before, during and after your tutorial:
For further information please contact assistivetech@yorksj.ac.uk.
Our resources
There is also online support available to help you use assistive technology. We recommend using the resources below:
Microsoft Word online/365 Tools
Microsoft provides a selection of tools that can support your reading and writing. These include:
- Immersive Reader: Allows you to have text read aloud or change how it appears on the screen
- Editor: Suggestions and corrections for spelling, grammar and other academic writing conventions
- Dictate: Speak your thoughts out loud and Word will write them down for you
Genio Notes (previously Glean)
Record your lectures and annotate as you go along. This is available through https://genio.co and needs a licence to be able to use it. You may get a loan licence through DSA, Access to Work, or you may be eligible for a YSJ Loan Licence.
To get a YSJ licence, please see the following information:
Genio Notes (previously Glean) Teams is a premium university service which we have a fixed number of licences for - we assign 1 licence to 1 user. Genio Notes Teams includes core functionality of Genio Notes but does not include enhanced features such as transcription in Genio Notes for Education. Access to Genio Notes for is based access criteria and is subject to there being available licences. Access may be allocated to you on a temporary basis or for the duration of your work or study, depending on the access criteria.
To get access to YSJ Genio Notes Teams, you must meet the ALL the following criteria (subject to available licences):
- You have a disability/be disabled, with information processing needs.
- You are a current student or staff member.
- You should not already have access to audionotetaking software, which is funded personally, through Disabled Students Allowance, or through Access to Work.
You must also meet ONE of the following:
- You have have applied and are waiting for DSA or Access to Work funding.
- You are not eligible for DSA (such as a YSJ Apprentice or an International student) but are disabled/have a disability, and have information processing needs.
The criteria will help us determine if you are eligible for Genio Notes Teams, and how long you can access it for.
Access to Genio Notes is subject to York St John University having a subscription to Genio Notes, and we reserve the right to withdraw Genio Notes at any time.
To enquire about Genio Notes, please email assistivetech@yorksj.ac.uk.
