Assistive Technologies @
Your Library
Presented by Austin Stroud
Instructional Designer – Monroe County Public Library
Introductions
Me:
• Instructional designer at Monroe County Public Library
• Adjunct Faculty at Ivy Tech Community College
• IT Trainer at Indiana University
You:
• Do you use or support anyone who uses assistive technologies at the
Library?
• What are you hoping to learn more about today?
What is Assistive Technology?
What types of things do you think of when you
hear the term assistive technology?
Vision
Assistive technologies make things easier to see and read.
Hearing
Assistive technologies make things easier to listen to or hear.
Speech
Assistive technologies make it easier to communicate.
Mobility
Assistive technologies make it easier for a person to move around.
Touch
Assistive technologies make things easier to feel or touch.
This list is not all-inclusive – there are assistive technologies to make almost
anything easier to use.
What is Assistive Technology?
Assistive Technology is defined in the Technology-Related Assistance Act (Tech Act)
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
functional capabilities of individuals with disabilities" (Tech Act, 1988). Assistive
technology can be made at home and designed specifically for an individual,
purchased in a local store, or ordered out of a catalog that is targeted toward people
with disabilities and their families. Technology can be high tech or low tech. Examples
of low tech are ramps, switches, switch-operated toys, communication boards, car
door openers, dycem (non-skid material), reachers, roll-in showers, and velcro. Some
high tech examples include computers, software, extended keyboards, electronic
communication devices, power wheelchairs, and van lifts for wheelchairs.
Source: http://www.iidc.indiana.edu/?pageId=2504
What Assistive Technologies are at the Library?
If the video does not load or play automatically, you can access it on YouTube
via this link: http://youtu.be/AvMDq1rKLMU
Microsoft’s Ease of Access Center
Next, let’s play around with some of the tools in Microsoft’s Ease of Access Center on
every computer at Monroe County Public Library. To open the Ease of Access Center:
1.
Left click on the ‘Start’ button in the bottom left of your screen (the Windows
logo).
2.
3.
4.
5.
Navigate on this menu to ‘All Programs’.
Find the ‘Accessories’ folder and left click on it to open.
Find the ‘Ease of Access’ folder and left click on it to open.
Left click on ‘Ease of Access Center’ to open all of the tools rather than clicking on
one individually.
Magnifier
• Open the magnifier by left clicking on ‘Start Magnifier’.
• If you would like to practice using this tool on your own, you may find these
reference sources helpful:
•
•
http://tinyurl.com/m899zyp
http://tinyurl.com/q88blyh
Narrator
• Open the narrator by left clicking on ‘Start Narrator’. You may also want to
put your headphones on so you can hear what the narrator says.
• If you would like to practice using this tool on your own, you may find these
reference sources helpful:
•
•
http://tinyurl.com/kdzv3bs
http://tinyurl.com/ldhylvk
On-Screen Keyboard
• Open the on-screen keyboard by left clicking on ‘Start On-Screen Keyboard’.
• If you would like to practice using this tool on your own, you may find these
reference sources helpful:
•
•
http://tinyurl.com/o8xe7uy
http://tinyurl.com/pbocysn
Other Tools
There are many more tools available on computers (and any Windows-based
computer) at Monroe County Public Library, that unfortunately we won’t have
time to go into detail with today. Some other things to note:
• Speech recognition: http://tinyurl.com/mr6674c
• Make the computer easier to see: http://tinyurl.com/oq2ooss
• Make the mouse easier to use: http://tinyurl.com/n99yhgh
• Make the keyboard easier to use: http://tinyurl.com/mycpl29
• Make it easier to focus on tasks: http://tinyurl.com/lncnbjf
Contact Information
Tour/Questions
With the time remaining, let’s take a look at some of the assistive technologies
in the Library that you saw in the video we watched earlier. You can also use
this time to ask any questions you may have about assistive technologies at
Monroe County Public Library or in general.
Find out more about what the Library offers on our website:
http://mcpl.info/disabilities