AssisT

What is AssisT?

AssisT is a comprehensive Chrome extension that augments your learning abilities, not just assists them. We believe technology should superpower every learner—leveling the playing field so everyone can excel.

Whether you’re neurodivergent, neurotypical, a visual learner, an auditory learner, or just want to learn more efficiently, AssisT provides 35+ powerful features that work instantly, plus 8 AI-powered features when enabled—all running locally in your browser with no subscriptions or API keys required for core features.

Install AssisT from the Chrome Web Store

Beyond Accessibility: Augmentative Technology

Accessibility tools help you cope. Augmentative tools help you excel.

AssisT represents a paradigm shift in educational technology:

Not a crutch, but a superpower — Features like AI summarization, text-to-speech, and OCR don’t just make content “accessible,” they enhance how everyone learns
Leveling the playing field — Everyone has different learning strengths. AssisT lets you leverage YOUR strengths instead of struggling with your weaknesses
For all learners — Yes, AssisT was designed with neurodivergent students in mind, but neurotypical students benefit just as much. Speed readers use TTS. Honor students use AI summarization. Visual learners use highlighting. Everyone learns differently.

Think of AssisT as augmented learning — just as augmented reality enhances what you see, AssisT enhances how you learn, comprehend, and retain information.

Enable on All Websites

AssisT uses a privacy-first permission model. By default, the extension works immediately on educational platforms:

Platform	Domains
Canvas LMS	.instructure.com, .canvas.com
Moodle	.moodle.org, .moodlecloud.com
Google Classroom	classroom.google.com
Google Docs	docs.google.com

Want AssisT on Every Website?

You can enable AssisT on all websites with a single click. This is optional and only needs to be done once:

Click the AssisT extension icon in your browser toolbar
Look for the “Enable Everywhere” button in the popup
Chrome will show a permission dialog asking to “Access your data on all websites”
Click Allow to grant permission
Reload any open tabs you want to use AssisT on

That’s it! AssisT now works on every website you visit. You’re in control—you can revoke this permission anytime in Chrome’s extension settings.

Why does Chrome show this message? Chrome requires extensions to explicitly request permission before accessing websites. This protects your privacy by ensuring you consent to where extensions can run. AssisT never collects or transmits your data—everything runs locally.

Quick Start Presets

Get started instantly with pre-configured profiles optimized for specific needs:

ADHD Focus: Pomodoro timer enabled, progress tracking, simplified interface
Dyslexia Support: OpenDyslexic font, wide spacing, reading progress bar
Sensory Sensitive: No animations, muted colors, media blocking

Key Features

Reading & Listening

Text-to-Speech with Synchronized Highlighting

Listen to any web content using your browser’s built-in voices. Words are highlighted as they’re read, helping you follow along. Customize speech rate (0.5x–2.0x), pitch, volume, and choose from 8 highlight colors.

Keyboard shortcut: Ctrl+Shift+Space (play/pause), Ctrl+Shift+S (stop)

Reading Mode

Distraction-free view that removes navigation, sidebars, and ads. Powered by Mozilla Readability for clean content extraction. Full TTS integration included.

Keyboard shortcut: Alt+R (toggle), Escape (exit)

Dyslexia-Optimized Reading Modes

Three enhancement modes to improve reading comprehension:

Bionic Reading: Bolds the first 1–3 letters of words to guide eye movement
Syllable Colors: Alternating color backgrounds break words into visual chunks
Grammar Colors: NLP-based coloring of parts of speech (nouns, verbs, adjectives)

Keyboard shortcut: Alt+Y (toggle)

OCR & Screenshot Tool (Alpha)

Capture and extract text from images, PDFs, and scanned documents. Uses Tesseract.js for offline processing with support for 100+ languages. Adjustable upscaling and confidence thresholds.

Keyboard shortcut: Alt+O (capture)

Writing & Voice Input

Speech-to-Text

Dictate text directly into any input field using the Web Speech API. Works with standard text inputs, contenteditable elements, and Google Docs rich editor. Features include:

60+ voice commands for editing, formatting, and navigation
Smart auto-punctuation with three modes: Automatic, Assisted, and Manual
Confidence feedback with color-coded accuracy indicators
Custom vocabulary with domain presets for Medical, Legal, Academic, and STEM
Always-on field detection that automatically shows the microphone button when you focus any text field

Keyboard shortcut: Ctrl+Shift+P (switch STT profile)

Sticky Notes & Annotations

Create floating notes on any webpage. Tag and categorize notes, export them, and view all annotations in a dedicated panel.

Keyboard shortcut: Alt+N (create note)

Study & Research Tools

Dictionary Lookup

Instant definitions for selected words with example sentences and part-of-speech information. Uses the Free Dictionary API.

Keyboard shortcut: Alt+Shift+D

Translation

Translate content into 35+ languages including English, Spanish, French, German, Italian, Portuguese, Dutch, Polish, Russian, Chinese, Japanese, Korean, Arabic, Hindi, Turkish, Vietnamese, Thai, and many more.

Translation providers:

MyMemory (default): Free, no API key required
LibreTranslate (fallback): Free, open-source

Keyboard shortcut: Alt+T

Citation Management

Generate citations in Harvard Style (Cite Them Right, 13th edition) for websites, books, journals, newspapers, videos, and social media. Includes:

Bibliography manager with project organization
CRAAP test evaluation for source quality
Export to BibTeX, RIS, JSON, and CSV formats

Text Statistics

Track word count, character count, sentence count, paragraph count, and estimated reading time.

Keyboard shortcut: Ctrl+Shift+W

Quick-access toolbar appears when you select text. Default actions include: Read Aloud, Dictionary, Translate, Search, Annotate, and Copy. Optional AI-powered actions (Summarize, Simplify, Breakdown, Socratic Tutor, Knowledge Graph, Speed Read, Citation Analyzer) appear when AI is enabled. Auto-hides after a customizable delay.

Keyboard shortcut: Ctrl+Shift+H (toggle)

Visual Comfort & Accessibility

Focus Mode

Dims surrounding content and centers the reading area to reduce visual distractions.

Keyboard shortcut: Alt+F

Reading Guide

Horizontal line that follows your cursor to help track reading position. Customize guide color, height, and opacity.

Keyboard shortcut: Alt+G

Screen Color Overlays

Apply color filters for visual comfort: Sepia, Soft Yellow, Peach, Cream, Cool Blue, Soft Green, Light Pink, Blue Light Filter, and Grayscale.

Keyboard shortcut: Alt+Shift+O

Reading Progress Bar

Visual indicator showing scroll progress. Position at top or bottom of page with color options: Green, Blue, Orange, Purple, Pink.

Text Customization

11 Fonts: System Default, Lexend, OpenDyslexic, Comic Sans, Arial, Atkinson Hyperlegible, Andika, Comic Neue, Segoe UI, Trebuchet MS, Georgia
Spacing Controls: Line height (1.0–3.0x), letter spacing (0–0.25em), word spacing (0–0.5em), paragraph spacing (1.0–4.0em)

All spacing options are WCAG 2.2 SC 1.4.12 compliant.

Reduced Motion

Disables all animations for users with vestibular disorders. Respects the prefers-reduced-motion system preference. WCAG 2.1 SC 2.3.3 compliant.

Custom Cursor & Magnifying Lens

Enhanced cursor visibility with multiple styles including crosshair, arrow, and circle highlight. Accurate hotspot positioning for each cursor type. Floating magnification window with 1.5x–4x zoom that follows your cursor.

Productivity

Pomodoro Timer

Configurable work intervals (5–60 minutes) and breaks (1–30 minutes) with visual progress and optional audio notifications. Designed with ADHD support in mind.

Media Control

Block autoplay video and audio to prevent distractions and sensory overload.

Neurodivergent User Profiles

General Profiles (9)

Comprehensive settings optimized for:

ADHD
Autism Spectrum
Dyslexia
Anxiety
Motor Impairment
Low Vision
General Learning Disabilities
Cognitive Overload
Sensory Sensitivities

Speech-to-Text Profiles (7)

Specialized STT configurations with customized timing, UI appearance, and feedback:

Default: Standard settings
ADHD Focus: Fast response (800ms), minimal distractions, large buttons
Dyslexia Support: Extended processing time (3s), spelling assistance, 3 word alternatives
Anxiety Calm: Forgiving timing (4s), calming colors, gentle feedback
Motor Impairment: Voice activation, extra-large buttons (80px), 60s speech timeout
Low Vision: Maximum contrast, 96px buttons, full audio feedback
Autism Comfort: Predictable behavior, literal commands, no surprises

AI Features (Optional)

AssisT offers four AI modes to match your privacy and performance needs:

1. Off Mode

No AI processing—all other 35+ accessibility features still work perfectly. Choose this if you don’t need AI assistance or want to minimize resource usage.

2. Local AI (Ollama)

Privacy: 100% private, runs on your computer
Cost: Free
Requirements: Ollama installation
Best For: Users prioritizing privacy, offline access, FERPA/HIPAA compliance

Recommended models:

phi3:mini (2GB) - Fast responses for basic tasks
llama3.2 (5GB) - Balanced performance
llava (4.7GB) - Image understanding (vision)

3. Gemini Nano (Chrome Built-In)

Privacy: 100% private, on-device processing
Cost: Free
Requirements: Chrome 128+ with feature flag enabled
Best For: Zero-setup AI, Chrome users, private on-device processing

No installation needed—Chrome downloads the model automatically. Learn more →

4. Cloud AI (Your API Key)

Privacy: Data sent to your chosen provider (not Fiavaion)
Cost: Pay-per-use (you control spending)
Providers: Anthropic (Claude), OpenAI (ChatGPT), Google (Gemini), Perplexity
Best For: Maximum capability, latest AI features, complex analysis

Supported providers:

Anthropic — Claude Haiku 4.5 (fast), Sonnet 4.6 (balanced), Opus 4.6 (most capable)
OpenAI — GPT-5.2 Instant (fast), GPT-5.2 Thinking (balanced), GPT-5.2 Pro (most capable)
Google Gemini — Gemini 3 Flash (fast), Gemini 3 Pro (balanced), Gemini 3.1 Pro (most capable)
Perplexity — Sonar (fast search), Sonar Pro (deep retrieval), Sonar Deep Research (comprehensive reports)

API keys are encrypted with AES-256 and stored locally—never sent to Fiavaion servers.

Learn more about AI modes and setup →

AI Features Available

With any AI mode enabled (except Off), you get:

Smart Summarization: Brief, detailed, bullet points, or ELI5 mode
Text Simplification: Three complexity levels for better comprehension
Assignment Breakdown: Convert instructions to step-by-step checklists
Socratic Tutor: Guided questions for deeper learning
Image Understanding: Describe images and diagrams (Ollama llava model or Cloud AI)
Knowledge Graph: Visualize concept connections
Cognitive State Monitor: Detect fatigue and suggest breaks
Study Path Generator: Create personalized learning roadmaps

Keyboard Shortcuts

All shortcuts are customizable in settings. Chrome-reserved shortcuts are automatically blocked.

Action	Shortcut
TTS Play/Pause	`Ctrl+Shift+Space`
TTS Stop	`Ctrl+Shift+S`
OCR Capture	`Alt+O`
Reading Mode	`Alt+R`
Dictionary Lookup	`Alt+Shift+D`
Text Statistics	`Ctrl+Shift+W`
Highlight Menu	`Ctrl+Shift+H`
Create Note	`Alt+N`
Translation	`Alt+T`
Focus Mode	`Alt+F`
Reading Guide	`Alt+G`
Screen Overlay	`Alt+Shift+O`
Dyslexia Mode	`Alt+Y`
STT Profile Switch	`Ctrl+Shift+P`

Privacy & Data

AssisT is built with privacy as a core principle:

No tracking: We don’t collect any user data
No cloud processing: All features run in your browser
No external servers: Your text, documents, and images never leave your device
Settings sync: Your preferences are stored in Chrome’s synced storage, so they follow you across devices when signed into Chrome. Annotations are stored locally via IndexedDB
GDPR/FERPA/HIPAA compliant: Safe for educational and healthcare settings

Translation uses MyMemory (default) and LibreTranslate (fallback) — both free, no API key required. Text is sent to these services for translation but is not stored or tracked.

Read our full Privacy Policy →

Accessibility Standards

AssisT meets WCAG 2.2 AA compliance standards:

Semantic HTML structure throughout
Full keyboard navigation support
Screen reader compatible with ARIA labels
High contrast mode available
Focus indicators on all interactive elements
Text spacing meets SC 1.4.12 requirements
Reduced motion respects SC 2.3.3

What’s New in v0.1.1

Cross-Device Settings Sync

Settings now use chrome.storage.sync, so your preferences automatically follow you across any device where you’re signed into Chrome.

Google Docs Support for Speech-to-Text

STT now detects Google Docs rich editor elements, so the microphone button appears when you click into a Google Doc. Works with Google Docs’ custom editor components including pages, iframes, and contenteditable regions.

Improved Custom Cursor

Arrow cursor hotspot is now accurately positioned at the arrow tip instead of center
Cursor styles properly reset when switching between types (no more visual artifacts)

Always-On STT Field Listeners

The microphone button now appears immediately when you focus any text field, even if STT was toggled on after page load. Field listeners register at startup and check state at runtime.

UI Polish

OCR feature badge updated to “Alpha” to reflect its current maturity
Toggle switch alignment fix in the popup
STT no longer enabled by default (respects user choice on first install)
Magnifying lens no longer captures extension overlay panels
Minimize clutter button now reliably toggles the Text Stats badge

Technical Details

35+ accessibility features (plus 8 AI features)
14 customizable keyboard shortcuts
60+ voice commands for hands-free control
16 neurodivergent profiles (9 general + 7 STT-specific)
11 font options including OpenDyslexic, Lexend, and Atkinson Hyperlegible
35+ supported languages for translation
100+ languages for OCR text extraction
Unit tests: 28 test suites covering core functionality
E2E tests: 11 Playwright test suites
20,000+ lines of carefully crafted code

Support Development

Love AssisT? Help us continue building accessible learning tools for everyone. Look for the Support button in the extension popup.

Support the Project →