Accessing the learning platform

When sometimes you just need a little bit of extra help

Written by Dave Branscombe

Last published at: July 27th, 2024

At Upskill People we want everyone to benefit from the learning that is available from your learning platform. We know that the major technology companies include accessibility options (within a browser for example), so this short guide explains where to look so that you could access them.

We’re going to use the example of the Chrome browser and the ability to read aloud text on screen.

From the “3 dots” pick Settings

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… and then Advanced and Accessibility:

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Then open the Add accessibility features option to go to the Chrome store:

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We’re going to install the “Read aloud” extension for Chrome:

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You’ll get a confirmation to install this extension so just press Add extension:

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When you launch your next course in the learning platform you now have a new icon in your browser that you can click:

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… and it will, quite literally, read out the text that is on your screen through your speakers, in the language in which it is written:

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There are lots of useful browser extensions from the leading browser suppliers, the purpose of this guide isn’t to list them all – simply to point you in the right direction.

There are also some useful web sites out there that might help you find out more about accessibility, like this one: https://helpdeskgeek.com/windows-10/windows-10-accessibility-features-for-disabled-people/

Sometimes, there is a simple solution to a challenge. Increased use of wide-screen monitors might mean that the learning isn’t quite so easy to use on screen “as-is”:

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We are dependant on the various devices and browsers with regards to how our courses are displayed, so start with the “3 dots” top right and increase your zoom level:

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.. until you are happy that you can see everything:

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Alternatively, if you use a mouse with a scroll wheel then you can also hold the Ctrl key on your keyboard whilst scrolling the mouse wheel forwards/backwards to zoom in/out.