UQ is committed to supporting inclusive and accessible learning for everyone.
Discover tools and services available at UQ designed to support diverse ways of learning, reduce barriers, and affirm individual identity.
Try Read & Write for help with reading, writing and study
Try the ‘Read & Write’ toolbar to help make your learning and course work more manageable. Free access to Everway Read & Write is available to all UQ students and staff as part of a year-long pilot until 31 December 2026.
You can download the app or use a browser extension to use the toolbar on your devices. The toolbar works with Microsoft Word, PDFs, web browsers and other programs to help with your reading, writing and focus.
Using the Read & Write toolbar to highlight text on a webpage.
Toolbar features
Learn about some of the options available when using the Read & Write toolbar.
Reading help
- Turn text into audio to read webpages, PDFs and documents.
- Get text definitions and images to help with unfamiliar words.
- Screen masking adds a colored tint or reading pane to the screen to help with focus.
- Convert text into downloadable audio files.
Writing help
- Get spelling and grammar suggestions as you type.
- Suggests the next word to help your writing flow.
- Turn your spoken words into text with for hands-free writing.
Study help
- Highlight text and extract it to create summaries, study guides and vocabulary lists.
- Translate single words or paragraphs into other languages.
Get access to Read & Write (UQ login required)
Choose a format that works for you in Learn.UQ
You can download alternative formats of the content in your Learn.UQ (Ultra) courses to suit your needs or preferences. Terms of use apply. Check your Learn.UQ course for details.
Alternative formats are different ways of presenting the same content so that you can access and read it in a way that works best for you. The alternative formats available include:
- OCRed PDF - a scanned PDF processed with Optical Character Recognition (OCR), to make the text searchable, selectable and readable by screen readers.
- HTML - web‑based text that can adjust to different screen sizes and allow easier navigation.
- ePub - a reflowable eBook format that adapts to screen size and allows users to change font, size, colours and spacing.
- Electronic braille - text converted to digital braille for blind or low‑vision students who read braille.
- Audio - text converted to spoken audio.
- BeeLine Reader - uses colour‑gradients to help improve reading speed, focus and comprehension on screens.
- Immersive Reader - a reading tool that helps improve reading comprehension and grammar skills.
Find out how to download alternative formats in your Learn.UQ (Ultra) course.
Check Convert files to alternative formats to have your document converted into an alternative, accessible format such as text, audio, braille, or ebook.
Use your preferred name
You can add your preferred name to your student record in mySi-net. This will allow you to use a name other than your legal name in more UQ systems, including Learn.UQ (Blackboard).
You will have to use your full legal name at times, even if you have set a preferred name.
Check how to add or update your preferred name.
Learn more about accessibility
Visit our Accessibility module to learn more about the importance of accessibility and creating accessible content.
