Inclusion
Accessibility and SEN support
Askroom Live is built so every student can take part: students with special educational needs (SEN or SEND), children with special needs, students with an IEP or 504 plan, and anyone who needs exam access arrangements. Support is given to one student at a time, quietly, and only their screen changes.
What a teacher can turn on for one student
Press 💙 beside the student's name, before or during a session. Classmates are not told, and names never appear on the projector.
- Extra time+25%, +50% or double, or no time limit, for the test time limit and for question countdowns.
- Read every question aloudThe question and its answer options are read out by themselves.
- Larger textEverything on that student's screen is bigger.
- Calm screenFewer things on screen, no movement, and a gentle timer without numbers.
- No exam alertsFor students who use assistive tools in exam mode: leaving the test is not flagged or auto-submitted.
The report marks which students had support; their sheet lists it, with time spent on breaks, and the CSV export has a Support column, useful for SEN records and IEP reviews.
What every student can do (the Aa button)
- Text size up to twice as large
- High contrast: black text on white with strong outlines
- Easy-read letters (Lexend) or clear letters (Atkinson Hyperlegible)
- More space between letters, words and lines
- Read each question aloud, and a slower voice
- Calm screen, hide the countdown, and less movement
- Tap instead of drag, with bigger buttons
- A break whenever they need one: their clock stops in a timed test
Choices are remembered on the student's device. Anything the teacher turned on stays on.
Common accommodations, and how to give them
For IEP and 504 accommodations, SEN support plans and exam access arrangements.
| Accommodation | In Askroom Live |
|---|---|
| Extra time (for example 25%) | Support → Time: +25%, +50% or double, for that student only. |
| Untimed assessment | Support → Time: No time limit. |
| Rest breaks | The student presses ☕ "I need a break"; a timed test's clock stops until they are ready. |
| Reader, or questions read aloud | Support → Read every question aloud, or the student's own Read aloud button. |
| Enlarged print or large text | Support → Larger text, or Aa → Text size up to 200%. |
| Coloured overlays, visual stress | Aa → High contrast, easy-read or clear letters, and more spacing. |
| Reduced distraction | Support → Calm screen; Aa → Hide the countdown and Less movement. |
| Alternative ways to answer | Spoken answers, drawing, picture options and tap-only answering. |
| Scribe or support assistant | A teaching assistant can sit with the student and enter answers on the student's own device. |
| Assistive technology in tests | Support → No exam alerts, so using another tool does not count as leaving the test. |
| Descriptions of pictures | Teachers add a description to any picture; screen readers read it out. |
Who it helps
- Dyslexia and reading difficultiesRead aloud, easy-read letters, spacing, larger text and extra time.
- ADHD and attentionCalm screen, one thing at a time, breaks and a hidden countdown.
- AutismA calm, predictable screen with no movement, breaks and a gentle timer.
- AnxietyHide the countdown, extra time or no time limit, and breaks.
- Low visionText up to 200%, high contrast, clear letters and picture descriptions.
- Blind studentsScreen-reader support with focus on each new question, spoken announcements and picture descriptions.
- Motor and coordination difficulties (dyspraxia)Tap instead of drag, bigger buttons and extra time.
- Speech, language and early readersQuestions read aloud, picture answers, drawing and spoken answers.
Many ways to answer, for everyone
Following the ideas of Universal Design for Learning, students can tap, type, draw, speak, write on a worksheet, or use a maths and science keyboard. Young children get big buttons and questions read aloud. Nobody needs to read or type well to show what they know.
Screen readers and keyboards
- Each new question takes the focus, so it is read out first.
- "Answer saved", "Not sent yet" and time warnings are announced, without announcing every second.
- Buttons are labelled, the keyboard focus is clearly visible, and choices work with the keyboard.
- Pictures are described when the teacher adds a description.
- Maths in questions is shown as real formulas, readable by screen readers.
We follow WCAG 2.2 guidance and test with keyboards, but the site has not yet had an independent audit. VoiceOver, TalkBack and NVDA feedback is very welcome.
Not there yet
- Support saved in a class list, so it applies automatically every session (today it is set per session).
- Captions or transcripts for spoken answers.
- Dictation (speech to text) for written answers.
- Questions in a student's home language.
- A non-drawing alternative for drawing questions, for blind students (the teacher can set a different question).
- An independent accessibility audit against WCAG 2.2 AA.
Tell us about a barrier
If anything stops a student or teacher from using Askroom Live, please tell us. We read every message.
How to: Support for students with additional needs · Make the screen easier to use (Aa) · Guide: inclusive assessment