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.
I was very curious what a refreshable Braille display looked like so I did an internet search. It's not so much a screen but a keyboard with the braille pins in front of the normal keys. There can also be a voice synthesizer set up with it to use either/or with the braille pins. This is fantastic technology but I think only very large libraries would use it.
ReplyDeleteGreat list Leslie, very informative
ReplyDeleteIt is interesting that you mention movable desks and chairs. I have never thought about it before but I think these tools are definitely necessary to have at libraries.
ReplyDeleteI also like the way you introduce your post.
This is a good list of examples of different assistive technologies (I'd never heard of refreshable braille displays, either). And your point about the size of the population that can be helped by assistive technologies, and the need for libraries to provide service to them, is well taken.
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