2. What is Assistive Technology?
The Individuals with Disabilities Education Act
(IDEA) defines assistive technology as “any item,
piece of equipment, or product system, whether
acquired commercially off the shelf, modified, or
customized, that is used to increase, maintain, or
improve the functional capabilities of a child with a
disability.” (Assistive Technology: 10 Things to
Know)
3. What is Assistive Technology?
Assistive technology (AT) can be low-, mid-, or high-tech.
Low-tech:
magnification sheets, color coding, large print materials, removable highlighter tape
assistance to students with reading and organizational difficulties
Mid-tech:
tape recorders, audio books, headphones, visual timers
assist students who need reading and task completion support
High-tech (computer-based):
Text-to-speech software assists students with reading difficulties and visual impairments.
Concept-mapping software is a helpful resource for visual learning, planning, and
collaboration.
Computer input alternatives, such as computer switches, trackballs, and speech recognition
technologies, help support users with mobility impairments or other disabilities.
Scanners with optical character recognition and computers with text reading software allow
students with reading and vision disabilities to convert print materials to electronic text (e-
text) for translation to synthetic speech. (TITLE: Assistive Technology: 10 THINGS TO
KNOW SOURCE: Library Media Connection 25 no1 Ag/S 2006PAGE(S): 12-14)
4. How does this apply to web browsing?
World Wide Web Consortium established the Web
Accessibility Initiative in 1999
Universal usability accounts for users of all ages,
experience levels, and physical or sensory limitations; as
well as limitations of their equipment and platforms.
Center for Universal Design: 4 principles:
Equitable Use: “The design is useful and marketable to people with
diverse abilities. Provide the same means of use for all users:
identical whenever possible; equivalent when not.” Text equivalents
Flexibility in Use: choice in method
Simple and Intuitive Use: cut out a lot of advertising and bells and
whistles
Perceptible Information: can be perceived by sight or sound
6. Who might need assistive technology in order to
use the library?
Hearing impaired
7. Who might need assistive technology in order to
use the library?
Hearing impaired
Visually impaired
8. Who might need assistive technology in order to
use the library?
Hearing impaired
Visually impaired
Physical handicap
9. Who might need assistive technology in order to
use the library?
Hearing impaired
Visually impaired
Physical handicap
Cognitive disability
10. Who might need assistive technology in order to
use the library?
Hearing impaired
Visually impaired
Physical handicap
Cognitive disability
Elderly
12. Hearing Impaired
Infrared Assistive Listening Device: Amplifies sound
Induction Loop Assistive Listening Device
Removes background noise, reverberation
Closed captioning on media
Video Relay Service
13. Visually Impaired
http://www.nypl.org/help/community-outreach/services-for-
persons-with-disabilities
LOC: National Library Service for the Blind and Physically
Handicapped (NLS) http://www.loc.gov/nls/
JAWS (speech synthesizer and Braille)
Texthelp (can read or compose written or onscreen text)
Zoom and MAGic (enlarge/enhance text)
Audio-described videos
Dragon (takes dictation to type document)
Newsline (news read aloud by synthesized voice over the phone
every day)
SyncBraille keyboard
Web-Braille
Digital talking books (DTB) on USB flash-drives
17. Discussion Questions
What is assistive technology?
Who needs assistive technology?
Has anyone been to a library that has some of these
technologies?
What other services could libraries provide in future?
How is Universal Usability related to assistive
technology?
How could these technologies help a user surf the
web?