At Student Accessibility Services, we’re committed to fostering a supportive environment where students with disabilities have access to opportunities at Iowa State University and feel a strong sense of belonging within the campus community.
On this page, you’ll find a range of tools and campus resources—both within and beyond our department—that support accessibility, academic success, and student well-being.
Our SAS Peer Mentors are students who understand the challenges of navigating college with a disability and are here to help. Whether you're looking for a one-time Peer Consultation to get connected to the right resources or ongoing Peer Mentoring for continued support, our mentors can provide guidance on using accommodations, developing academic strategies, and building self-advocacy skills.
Get support from a peer mentor by scheduling a consultation or signing up for ongoing mentoring on Navigate today! Complete the survey below to help our mentors learn more about you and what supports you are looking for.
The Academic Success Center (ASC) at Iowa State offers free, student-centered support designed to help you build confidence and stay on track with your academic goals.
Whether you want to strengthen study habits, prepare for exams, or manage your time more effectively, Academic Coaching can help you develop strategies that work for your learning style. You can also join Accountability Groups—small, supportive peer groups that meet weekly to set goals and keep each other motivated throughout the semester.
For course-specific help, ASC offers free Supplemental Instruction sessions and Tutoring Services for a wide range of classes. Or you can utilize their Writing and Communication Consultations, where students can receive guidance on projects, proposals, presentations, and other communication-related assignments.
These resources are great for anyone wanting structured support, especially if you're navigating accommodations or just want to find what study strategies work best for you.
Alliance for Disability Awareness (ADA):
The ADA is a student organization that advocates for accessibility and flexibility for all at ISU, practicing disability justice at our own pace, re-energizing with social events, and providing a supportive space for each other. Join other students with many disabilities to grow a community and advocate for your rights. If you are interested in joining or learning more, click the link below!
Student Counseling Services (SCS) at Iowa State provides free support to help you manage stress, mental health, and emotional well-being while balancing college life. You can meet one-on-one with a counselor or participate in group counseling sessions that connect you with others facing similar challenges. Students can also access free, confidential telecounseling sessions via secure Zoom, making it easy to connect with a counselor from the comfort of your own space.
For flexible, on-the-go support, the Therapy Assistance Online (TAO) app provides free access to self-help resources on various topics, including mindfulness and sleep. SCS also offers biofeedback services, teaching you techniques to control physiological responses to stress, promoting relaxation and focus.
Student Health and Wellness at Iowa State is here to support your well-being beyond the classroom. Through programs focused on sleep, nutrition, movement, stress, and substance use, you’ll find tools to help you build healthy habits that fit your life. You can meet with Wellbeing Coaches for one-on-one conversations about anything from staying motivated to managing stress or setting personal goals. There are also free resources and workshop series, which focus on skills like time management, self-compassion, and creating balance. Whether you’re looking to make small changes or take on big goals, these services are flexible, student-focused, and built to help you feel your best.
Looking to find others in your courses that you can study with? Try Navigate's Study Buddy feature to put in a request to find people to study with!
Looking for tools to help with time management, reading, writing, or organization? Our Assistive Technology Toolkit is a great place to start. It highlights a variety of apps and resources—many of them free—that can support your learning and help you work more efficiently. Whether you’re looking for text-to-speech, planning tools, or ways to stay focused, there’s something in the toolkit for you.
Genio is a cloud-based note-taking application that can work on PCs or Macs FREE to all ISU students. The application allows users to record audio during lectures or meetings and sync it with their notes, making it easier to review later. Slides can be uploaded to be integrated into a student’s notes and synced with the audio. Students can also pull definitions and images from the internet to add to their notes using built-in features within the application. After audio is recorded, it can be transcribed through Genio for the student to use for review.
See the webpage linked below for instructions on creating your Genio account.
All students at Iowa State have access to the Microsoft suite. Microsoft has made significant strides in ensuring that its learning tools are accessible to all users. Their suite of tools, including Microsoft Office and OneNote, have features like immersive reader and dictation that can help students with reading and writing difficulties. Additionally, Microsoft Teams offers live captions and transcripts during meetings, making it easier for students who are deaf or hard of hearing to participate.
Iowa State students receive a premium account to Grammarly, which is a cloud/browser extension that offers advanced grammar and spell check for the user. Grammarly is a writing tool that offers a range of benefits for college students, including catching errors that they may have missed on their own, improving writing over time, and helping to write more effectively and efficiently. Grammarly identifies common grammatical, punctuation, and spelling errors, and provides suggestions for better word choices and tips for improving sentence structure. With these benefits, students can spend less time proofreading and more time focusing on the substance of their writing, making Grammarly a valuable tool for anyone looking to improve their writing skills.
See the webpage linked below for instructions on creating your Grammarly account.
Enhance your productivity and accessibility with speech-to-text dictation using simple keyboard shortcuts.
On Windows devices, activate the built-in dictation feature by pressing Windows + H. This shortcut allows you to start converting your spoken words into text instantly, making it easier to take notes, compose emails, and more. Click here for more information.
To utilize speech-to-text on macOS, follow these instructions.
Make your computer work for you by having text read aloud with built-in text-to-speech features.
On Windows devices, you can enable this feature by pressing Windows + Ctrl + Enter. This shortcut activates the Narrator, which reads out text from your screen, assisting with everything from proofreading documents to navigating webpages. For more information, click here.
To access text-to-speech on macOS, follow these instructions.
OneNote and Notability are both note-taking applications that can help users organize their notes and stay productive.
OneNote is a digital notebook that allows users to create and organize notes in a hierarchical structure. It supports multiple note formats, including text, images, audio recordings, and even handwritten notes with a stylus or finger. OneNote also integrates with other Microsoft Office applications, such as Outlook and PowerPoint, making it a useful tool for students and professionals who need to take notes, organize ideas, and collaborate with others. Iowa State students have access to this application for free through the Microsoft Suite.
Notability, on the other hand, is a note-taking app designed specifically for the iPad and Mac. It also supports handwritten notes, but its main feature is its ability to annotate PDFs and other documents. Users can import documents into Notability and annotate them with text, images, and drawings. Notability also allows users to record audio during lectures or meetings and sync the audio with their notes, making it easier to review later. Notability is not provided to students by Iowa State University but is available at a cost through the app store.
Students with visual or learning impairments can benefit from free access to assistive technologies like ZoomText, JAWS, and Fusion. These tools help users to access and interact with digital content more easily, providing a more accessible learning experience. ZoomText is a magnification and screen reading software that enlarges and enhances on-screen text and images. JAWS is a screen reader that reads aloud the content on the screen, allowing users to navigate and interact with their computer without relying on sight. Fusion combines both magnification and screen reading capabilities into one software, providing a more versatile solution for users with multiple needs.
Students may also benefit from utilizing built-in computer software that is available on all Microsoft and Apple computers. Check out the links below for more information.
The Transit app is a convenient tool for anyone riding CyRide on and around campus. Students can download the app to plan trips by entering their starting point and destination, and it will show the best route, including which bus to take and when to transfer. The app provides real-time bus locations and arrival times, so users know exactly when to leave to catch their bus, reducing wait times and uncertainty. Its clear, accessible interface makes it easy for all users to see routes, stops, and schedules at a glance, helping riders feel confident and independent while using public transit.
