Thursday, April 28, 2011
Wednesday, April 27, 2011
Tuesday, April 26, 2011
Read Across America
To promote the Read Across America program, the New York Public Library created a 26-ft tall by 40-ft wide display that spelled out the word “Read” using 25,000 Dr. Seuss books. Link here.
Sunday, April 24, 2011
Thursday, April 21, 2011
Assistive Technology in School Libraries
Assistive technology is more prevelant in colleges, universities and public libraries than in K-12 libraries. That is not to say that assistive technology has not been introduced to elementary and secondary schools. We have had several visually impaired and hearing impaired students come through our schools. For our hearing impaired, we have special microphones and hearing aids that allow the student to hear and understand the teacher so they may participate in a regular class with their peers. For our visually impaired, we have computers with headphones and special technology that reads what is on the screen.
While it does seem that it is still in its infancy in the K-12 school years (most visually and hearing impaired students attend schools that specialize), assistive technology for younger students is finding its place in public schools.
While it does seem that it is still in its infancy in the K-12 school years (most visually and hearing impaired students attend schools that specialize), assistive technology for younger students is finding its place in public schools.
Assistive Technolgy and Disabled Patrons
Assistive technology is any hardware or software device that disabled people use to help them with everyday life. When we talk about assistive technology in libraries we are primarily concerned with technology that assists the user to access information and conduct study. It is a legal requirement that people with disabilities have equal access to public services such as libraries, and assistive technology is a very useful tool in meeting these requirements. Assistive technology does not have to be expensive. Check out this list of free software available from the internet http://www.bodleian.ox.ac.uk/bodley/services/disability/resources/assistive_technology/software
For the visually impaired, one of the main benefits of electronic information is that it can be read by text recognition software, patrons do not have to wait until a librarian or aide becomes available to read to them and therefore they have greater control over their own research. Those with physical disabilities, such as motor control, can take advantage of voice recognition software which replaces manual typing to turn speech into text. There are also software programs such as TextHELP available for patrons with dyslexia.
Librarians who purchase electronic equipment or design electronic interfaces must take into consideration the requirement to accommodate people with disabilities in addition to many other purchasing factors. As technology continues to advance rapidly, library staff struggling to keep up will also struggle to keep up with advancements in assistive technology. Although libraries, like other public institutions, do their best to comply with legal requirements, I do feel that they often fall short in serving disabled patrons. Staff attitudes can help address the situation as a willingness to help can often reduce frustrations. Staff training is vital in servicing those with disabilities, and there is a lot of room for improvement in this area.
For the visually impaired, one of the main benefits of electronic information is that it can be read by text recognition software, patrons do not have to wait until a librarian or aide becomes available to read to them and therefore they have greater control over their own research. Those with physical disabilities, such as motor control, can take advantage of voice recognition software which replaces manual typing to turn speech into text. There are also software programs such as TextHELP available for patrons with dyslexia.
Librarians who purchase electronic equipment or design electronic interfaces must take into consideration the requirement to accommodate people with disabilities in addition to many other purchasing factors. As technology continues to advance rapidly, library staff struggling to keep up will also struggle to keep up with advancements in assistive technology. Although libraries, like other public institutions, do their best to comply with legal requirements, I do feel that they often fall short in serving disabled patrons. Staff attitudes can help address the situation as a willingness to help can often reduce frustrations. Staff training is vital in servicing those with disabilities, and there is a lot of room for improvement in this area.
Wednesday, April 20, 2011
Assistive and Adaptive Technology
Until this past summer I had never given much thought to adaptations for Disabled persons. This past summer my mother became disabled, and my whole concept of how this world needs to be accessable to ALL people was broadened. The library is no different than the grocery store, mall, or school; it needs to be adapted for those who need extra help. The library can offer several adaptations for those with diabilities. Often computers can make life easier for those with disabilities, unless you are blind or have eyesight issues. In addtion to books on tape/cd/mp3, the library can offer screen maginifiers and screen reading software. The screen reading software can read the text in voices and different speeds. For those who have coordination or motor skill troubles the library can offer touchpads or trackballs which are easier to use than a mouse. Many patrons also experience difficulty hearing and the library can help them also. Libraries can use virtual reference or librarians to communincate, nowadays this is taking the place of TTY equipment. Besides meeting the needs for physical disablilities, the library can help meet the needs of economic disabilities. The offering of free computer use and internet connection is huge, especially since our world seems more technology driven then ever. I think the library can use adaptive techonology is many ways, all the ways add up to a better quality of library use for those in need.
Tuesday, April 19, 2011
Assistive Technology
First, what is an assistive technology? According to the ATMn (Assistive Technology of Minnesota) website, it's any "device that allows an individual with a disability to do what they could not do without the device. Assistive Technology ranges from highly complex technology to simple adjustments that can make life more dignified, remove barriers and change lives."
Why is this important in libraries? According to the Census, there are 54 million people with disabilities in this country. Why is it important for libraries? A library's mission is to provide services to everyone, and 54 million is hardly a tiny minority that can be overlooked. So it's a library's ethical obligation to provide universal access through assistive technology.
A few examples of assistive technologies in use in libraries:
CCTV
Closed circuit televisions used as print magnifiers magnify a printed page and display it on a screen. These are useful for sight-impaired users who are using print resources.
Alternative Keyboards
Alternative keyboards are keyboards that have been designed for ease of use. Some are simply ergonomic or one-handed, but many are fancier. There are waterproof foldable keyboards, keyboards with a touch sensitive layer specifically for people who find it difficult to use a mouse, and miniature wireless keyboards.
Desks/Tables
While researching for this blog post, I learned something new: there is no such thing as a "standard" wheelchair. So if a library assumes that because one wheelchair fits fine with their tables and desks, they're wrong because a user could come in with a different chair and be unable to use the library the way they want to. This is where adjustable surfaces come in. Adjustable tables and desks move up or down and some allow the user to tilt the table top (though, obviously a tilting table would be a poor choice for a computer station). They are adjusted by a hand crank or have a power lift.
Optical Character Recognition Scanners and Software
OCR devices are also something I heard about for the first time while researching for this post. What they do is scan a printed page and upload it to a computer where it can be edited for a user's needs. An example is if a sight-impaired patron needed to be able to read a worksheet. The worksheet would be scanned, converted to braille using the OCR software, and printed for the user using a braille embossing machine.
Refreshable Braille Displays
This is by far the coolest thing I learned about while doing this research. Refreshable Braille displays are computer screens that display everything in braille. Small pins go up or down to form content in braille. This provides access to the internet and other electronic resources for the hearing impaired.
Why is this important in libraries? According to the Census, there are 54 million people with disabilities in this country. Why is it important for libraries? A library's mission is to provide services to everyone, and 54 million is hardly a tiny minority that can be overlooked. So it's a library's ethical obligation to provide universal access through assistive technology.
A few examples of assistive technologies in use in libraries:
CCTV
Closed circuit televisions used as print magnifiers magnify a printed page and display it on a screen. These are useful for sight-impaired users who are using print resources.
Alternative Keyboards
Alternative keyboards are keyboards that have been designed for ease of use. Some are simply ergonomic or one-handed, but many are fancier. There are waterproof foldable keyboards, keyboards with a touch sensitive layer specifically for people who find it difficult to use a mouse, and miniature wireless keyboards.
Desks/Tables
While researching for this blog post, I learned something new: there is no such thing as a "standard" wheelchair. So if a library assumes that because one wheelchair fits fine with their tables and desks, they're wrong because a user could come in with a different chair and be unable to use the library the way they want to. This is where adjustable surfaces come in. Adjustable tables and desks move up or down and some allow the user to tilt the table top (though, obviously a tilting table would be a poor choice for a computer station). They are adjusted by a hand crank or have a power lift.
Optical Character Recognition Scanners and Software
OCR devices are also something I heard about for the first time while researching for this post. What they do is scan a printed page and upload it to a computer where it can be edited for a user's needs. An example is if a sight-impaired patron needed to be able to read a worksheet. The worksheet would be scanned, converted to braille using the OCR software, and printed for the user using a braille embossing machine.
Refreshable Braille Displays
This is by far the coolest thing I learned about while doing this research. Refreshable Braille displays are computer screens that display everything in braille. Small pins go up or down to form content in braille. This provides access to the internet and other electronic resources for the hearing impaired.
Sunday, April 17, 2011
Adaptive Technology
In the preface of her book, Adaptive Technology for the Internet: Making Electronic Resources Accessible to All, Barbara T. Mates points out that while most libraries include the words “equal access” in their mission statements, not all libraries take into consideration the needs of people with disabilities when purchasing equipment or software. I’ve included the link the preface below. There are people out there trying to change that. I found the website http://www.disabiltyresources.org/. The website is a little hard to search, but I was able to find a good list of available devices that librarians could use to help determine what might need to be purchased. The list is part of a paper by Courtney Denies-Jones entitled Opening New Worlds of Information: Library Technology and Internet Access for Patrons with Disabilities. Until now, I didn’t realize there were so many software and hardware options available. Since no library can purchase every piece of equipment available, I’m glad Ms. Denies-Jones provided hints on how library staff can determine what technology should be acquired. What surprised me was that simple changes like having a trackball instead of a traditional mouse can make a big difference in terms of access. Preface to Barbara T Mates book. http://www.ala.org/Template.cfm?section=ContentManagement/ContentDisplay.cfm&ContentID=22254 Courtney Denies-Jones paper http://www.ualberta.ca/dept/slis/cais/deines.htm
Thursday, April 14, 2011
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