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