Edith Cowan University (ECU) is a multi-campus institution, offering undergraduate and postgraduate courses in Perth and Bunbury, Western Australia. It was named after the first woman to be elected to an Australian Parliament, Edith Cowan, and is the only Australian university named after a woman.

ECU has approximately 30,000 students at undergraduate and postgraduate level, approximately 6,000 of whom are international students originating from over 100 countries outside Australia. 

We purchased both the ReaderPen and the ExamReader pens. 

The ReaderPen has been included in our Assistive Technology program and is lent out to students on a long term-basis whilst they are enrolled at Edith Cowan University. They return the pen when they leave the university. 

Students with reading problems including dyslexia use the pen to scan unfamiliar words and, if necessary, obtain the definition. The feedback so far has been very positive. 

The ExamReader has been approved for use by the University’s Exam Board. This means that we don’t always have to use a human reader to assist the student taking the exam. Human readers are not screened for their literacy knowledge and can sometimes make a mistake if they don’t understand the content, which causes confusion for the student. Using the ExamReader brings the student more peace of mind and also protects the integrity of the exam. ECU’s Equity, Diversity and Disability Service recommend both the ReaderPen and ExamReader as valuable assistive technology tools.