Adaptive Augmentation for Student Achievement
AssisT
A free, open-source Chrome extension for neurodivergent students in further, higher education and beyond.
Who I am
Students face barriers every day on the very platforms we use to teach them.
- 01Cost & gatekeeping. TTS tools are expensive, locked to lab machines, or require a formal diagnosis to access.
- 02Empty platforms. Canvas, Moodle and Google Classroom ship with no built-in reading or writing support.
- 03The discovery gap. First-generation and EAL students rarely know what support exists.
- 04The support cliff. Institutional licences end at graduation. The tool a student built four years of habits around — gone, exactly when they need it most.
What AssisT is
A Chrome extension that runs quietly alongside every website a student visits.
- Installs in under a minute from the Chrome Web Store
- Works on Canvas, Moodle, Google Classroom — and every other site
- No account required · no data leaves the browser
- GDPR compliant · FERPA-aligned
- Free and open source — EUPL-1.2
Reading help
Three features that change how students read online.
Text-to-speech with word highlighting.
Word-by-word highlighting follows the student across any webpage.
Strip the noise. Keep the article.
Removes navigation, ads, sidebars. Renders in the student's preferred font and spacing.
Bionic reading, by default.
Syllable colour-coding and grammar highlighting. Switchable with one click.
Read what isn't text yet.
Extracts and reads from images, scanned PDFs, screenshots.
Writing help
Speech to text, for students who think faster than they type.
- Works in any text field — assignments, discussion posts, search boxes
- Uses the browser's built-in engine — nothing leaves the device
Visual comfort
Reducing visual stress — without a clinical referral.
Screen colour overlay
Tinted overlay across the whole screen. Colour, intensity, blend mode — fully adjustable. Evidence-based for Meares-Irlen-type visual stress.
Focus mode
Dark overlay with a clear reading window that follows the cursor. Filters distraction for ADHD and attention difficulties.
Reading guide
A horizontal guide line that tracks mouse movement. Supports visual tracking difficulties.
Reduced motion
Suppresses animations globally. Essential for vestibular disorders and sensory sensitivities.
Study tools
Features that support the full study workflow.
Annotations
Highlight and annotate text inline. Persistent across sessions, exportable.
Sticky notes
Pin notes to any page. Persistent, resizable, colour-coded.
Speed read (RSVP)
Sequential word display for students who benefit from controlled reading pace.
Pomodoro timer
Floating focus timer. Customisable work and break durations.
Accessibility profiles
Save and switch full personalisation sets in one tap. Share profiles across devices.
Text customisation
Font, size, line spacing, letter and word spacing. Satisfies WCAG 2.2 SC 1.4.12.
LMS integration
Purpose-built for the platforms educators actually use.
LMSCanvas
- Assignment reader
- Quiz helper
- Submission support
LMSMoodle
- Forum & discussion reader
- Page & resource reader
- Activity support
LMSGoogle Classroom
- Classwork reader
- Stream reader
- Assignment support
AssisT detects the LMS automatically — students don't need to configure anything.
AI assist
Eight AI-powered features — all privacy-first.
Summarisation
Concise summary of any selected text.
Text simplification
Rewrites dense academic language accessibly.
Assignment breakdown
Converts a brief into a structured checklist.
Socratic tutor
Generates questions that deepen understanding.
Knowledge graph
Visualises concepts and relationships interactively.
Study path generator
Personalised learning sequence from a topic description.
Citation analyser Experimental
Credibility and bias assessment for sources. AI outputs should be verified independently.
Multi-doc compare
Finds agreements, contradictions, and themes across texts.
Free, for everyone
No subscription.
No waitlist.
No institutional licence required.
Any student, on any campus, on any device — installs it in 60 seconds. A disability services officer can recommend it. A student can install it themselves. A lecturer can model it in class.
How you can help
Four things you can do this week.
Install it.
Try it yourself before recommending it to a student. Five minutes is enough.
→ chrome web store Step 02Share it.
Add the AssisT product page to your student-facing AT resources and DSO handouts.
→ fiavaion.com/products/assist Step 03Learn.
Watch the tutorial series — feature walkthroughs and setup guides for students and DSOs.
→ youtube.com/@fiavaion Step 04Give feedback.
File a bug, request a feature, or start a Discussion on GitHub. Every release is shaped by it.
→ github discussionsfiavaion.com/products/assist · github.com/Fiavaion/AssisT
The roadmap ahead
What's coming next.
Browser support — Firefox & Safari
So AssisT reaches students on every platform, not just Chromium.
STT voice profile creator
A dedicated voice training tool for users with Dysarthria — calibrating the recognition engine to a student's individual speech patterns, rather than expecting students to adapt to the engine.
Exam Mode
A password-protected lockdown profile, configured by the AT technician. Only the supports approved on a student's accommodation plan stay active — everything else (AI, web access, summarisation) is locked. No more all-or-nothing workarounds at exam time.
UI overhaul
A full redesign of the control panel — clearer layout, better keyboard navigation, simpler first-run experience for students new to AT.
Community-led refinement
Shaped by AT technicians and learning support professionals. The goal is not a finished product — it's a tool that keeps improving with the community that uses it.
Thank you
Questions?
AssisT is free, open source, and built on the idea that access to learning tools shouldn't depend on a diagnosis, a licence, or an institution's budget.
- Speaker
- Mark Jones
- info@fiavaion.com
- Web
- fiavaion.com
- Source
- github.com/
Fiavaion/AssisT