Assistive Technology: BeeLine Reader

What is Assistive Technology? 

Assistive technology (AT) is any device, software, or equipment that is used to maintain or improve the functional capabilities of a person with a disability, including a learning difference. Technologies include hardware, or physical technologies that are kept on-site at our AT Studio, and software, or technology available via a computer that can potentially be used from home. To learn more about why and how LDS uses AT, head to our AT webpage.

What does the BeeLine Reader do?

BeeLine Reader is a software that colour adjusts on-screen text in a way that helps to guide your eyes through large blocks of text, making reading easier and faster while reducing screen fatigue. In the simplest terms, BeeLine applies a colour gradient to the text in your web browser so large blocks of text shift back and forth from shades of red to blue. This simple effect helps many readers maintain focus and read more effectively. It’s also an easy-to-use software, requiring only a simple installation into your web browser and a login, then all long-form webpages, like Wikipedia, will be recoloured.  

BeeLine Reader features:

• Easy to use and download. 
• Various colour options: bright, dark, grey, blue, off. 
• Focus Mode dims headers, ads, and other on-screen distractions. 
• Clean Mode opens the page’s main text on a new screen over a plain white background. 
• Additional features include text size and appearance settings. 

How can my child access BeeLine Reader?

Our RISE Assistive Technology Studio is supported by our thoughtful and generous LDS technology sponsors, including BeeLine Reader. Like all our assistive software tools, LDS offers BeeLine Reader to our students and their families for use in lessons, in school, and at home. To claim your free copy of BeeLine Reader, please email our AT Manager at AT@ldsociety.ca. You can also request an LDS assistive software virtual tour to get an in-depth introduction to our assistive software suite.

We offer the BeeLine Reader as part of our AT Studio, a space dedicated to the collaborative use of leading–edge AT to help our students with learning differences. To learn more about how your child can benefit, email our AT Manager at AT@ldsociety.ca.

—Rie 

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Rie Stadnichuk (she/her) is the Digital Communications Specialist at LDS. A recent graduate from Simon Fraser University with a Communications and Economics degree, she hopes to use this opportunity as a way of exploring meaningful work in the field. She is passionate about social issues and creating environments of inclusivity and open dialogue. Rie graciously lives and works on the unceded territory of the Syilx people.