Question 1

What is StudyCog?

Accepted Answer

StudyCog is a DSA-approved assistive technology platform designed for UK university students with dyslexia, ADHD, visual impairments, and other learning differences. It provides AI-powered text-to-speech, a document reader, writing support tools, and comprehensive accessibility features.

Question 2

Is StudyCog free for DSA students?

Accepted Answer

Yes, most students access StudyCog through the Disabled Students' Allowance (DSA) at no personal cost. DSA is available through Student Finance England, Wales, Northern Ireland, and SAAS in Scotland.

Question 3

What accessibility features does StudyCog offer?

Accepted Answer

StudyCog includes dyslexia-friendly fonts such as OpenDyslexic and Lexend, customisable colour schemes including cream, blue tint, yellow, high contrast, and dark mode, AI text-to-speech with word-by-word highlighting, a digital reading ruler, fixation reading mode, and adjustable text size, line height, and letter spacing. The platform meets WCAG 2.2 AA accessibility standards.

Question 4

What is the Disabled Students' Allowance (DSA)?

Accepted Answer

The Disabled Students' Allowance is UK government funding available to higher education students with a disability, long-term health condition, mental health condition, or specific learning difficulty such as dyslexia. It covers assistive technology, specialist mentoring, and other support to help students succeed at university.

Question 5

How does StudyCog's text-to-speech work?

Accepted Answer

StudyCog uses premium AI neural voices to read documents aloud with natural-sounding speech. Features include word-by-word highlighting so you can follow along, adjustable reading speed, and a choice of accents including UK, US, and Australian English.

Question 6

What document formats does StudyCog support?

Accepted Answer

StudyCog supports PDF and Microsoft Word (.docx) documents. It also includes a screenshot reader with OCR that can extract text from images, lecture slides, and photos of whiteboards.

Question 7

Does StudyCog write essays for students?

Accepted Answer

No. StudyCog's AI tools are supportive, not generative. The writing coach asks Socratic questions, provides feedback against assessment criteria, and helps with structure, but it never writes content for you. This ensures full compliance with university academic integrity policies.

Question 8

Is StudyCog compliant with accessibility standards?

Accepted Answer

Yes, StudyCog meets full WCAG 2.2 AA accessibility standards. It also includes additional accessibility features beyond the standard, such as OpenDyslexic font support, fixation reading mode, high contrast colour schemes, and comprehensive keyboard navigation.

Assistive Technology for UK University Students