College can be difficult for every student when they’re first starting out. For many, it is the first time you experience what it’s like to be responsible for every aspect of your life.  It can be as exciting as it is terrifying. In addition to the sudden rush into independence, if you have learning difficulties like dyslexia or processing issues, it can be hard to keep up with the rest of your class.

Khan Academy is a great free learning app that has modules for math, science, computer programming, history, art and economics. It is a video library that not only teaches you all the things you forgot in high school (you can start at any level from kindergarten to calculus), but goes deeper and explains why answers are correct.

Each video has multiple examples, and the steps are explained in a way that the learning process becomes intuitive.  In terms of accessibility, nearly all the videos are presented on a black background with examples written in contrasting colors. Within each video, different units or concepts are also written in different colors to help you visualize the solution. All videos are subtitled and use simple language except when using a term specific to that subject. Any such words are explained so you can gain a better understanding of what they mean.

Khan Academy also has a gaming feature where you get points to earn badges. This makes the learning process fun and creates a sense of desire to learn more. The best part is, if you didn’t understand something the first time, you can always replay the video, or try their practice exercises.

Another great app to use is Class Buddy Pro. If you have processing issues, your mind can become foggy and easily overloaded, causing you to forget things. Everything from simple tasks such as “finish this email to the professor” to big ones like “do your 20-page paper” can be forgotten.

Class Buddy syncs every assignment, class task, meeting, exam, final, and anything else to your Google Calendar which will send reminders before anything is due. This app can replace your traditional paper schedule, and will make sure that nothing ever goes undone.

These apps and others like them can help a person with a disability immensely in college. Forgetting a heavily weighted assignment can be the difference between passing or failing an entire class. The feeling of always having to play “catch-up” because the class moves too quickly can be overwhelming for anyone. With a little help from these apps, many of those issues go away.

Review by Kyle Khachadurian (Bachelor’s Degree in Anthropology/ Bachelor’s Degree in Linguistics)

See below for links to these apps:

Khan Academy (Apple App Store)
Khan Academy (Google Play Store)
Class Buddy Pro (Google Play Store)

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