For individuals with learning and print-based disabilities, writing can often feel like a major barrier, and is often avoided as much as possible. This was especially true in the pre-digital age, where students were often forced to write and communicate in one specific way, regardless of their particular learning styles.
Thankfully, educators now realize the importance of offering multiple means of communication within the classroom, and in general, this concept has largely influenced mainstream hardware and software design. Today, there are many spelling and grammar apps that are designed to make the process of writing and spelling easier, and many of those apps and features are available for free, and often come built-in, such as word prediction for smartphones.
Ginger is one of such apps, and in today’s e-bulletin, we’re going to explore the version of Ginger that is available for free as a Google Chrome extension. If you’re not familiar with Chrome extensions, we suggest you first take a look at our article How-to: Find Accessible Chrome Extensions.(new window)
Ginger Chrome is a spelling and grammar checker that works as both a contextual checker that automatically pops up as users write and interact online, as well as a standalone writing space that can be accessed manually. The app is designed to intelligently correct spelling and grammar based on context, making it up to six times more accurate than other word processors. To better understand the app, let’s take a look at Ginger’s two distinct modes.
Auto Mode
This is Ginger’s default mode. After installing the extension, this mode will engage automatically as users write online. In the default mode, users will see spelling and grammar suggestions as they write, and a small Ginger logo will appear in the bottom right corner of the text window. By clicking on this logo, users have the option to either turn off text suggestions, or, to be brought into the Ginger Writer mode.
Ginger Writer Mode
To access this mode, either follow the instructions given above, or, while in Chrome, click on the Ginger icon on the top right corner of the window and select “Ginger Writer”.
In this mode, users are presented with a blank canvas with which to write. Just like with the “auto mode”, users will see grammar and spelling suggestions as they type, but the Writer Mode also offers some additional features, such as translation, dictionary, and synonym finder. Users will also have the benefit of having their characters, words, and sentences counted in this section.
While the features listed above are available for free, a premium version of Ginger with extended features (sentence rephrase, text-to-speech functionality, and unlimited grammar checking and analysis) is also available for purchase. To learn more about Ginger Premium, click here(new window).
