Adaptive Technology (AT)
Program
DC Public Library
Adaptive Services Division
Society of American Archivists
Conference 2010
Venetia Demson, Patrick Timony
Adaptive Services Division
• DC Regional Library for the Blind &
Physically Handicapped
• Library Services for the Deaf Community
• Adaptive Technology Program
• LSTAR: Library materials by mail program
• Washington Volunteer Readers for the Blind
Adaptive Services
Dedicated to making reading, library resources and programs accessible to persons
with disabilities by:
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Providing books in alternate formats – audio, e-text, large print and Braille
Educating public and staff about adaptive technology and disability awareness
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Ensuring access to the internet and online resources
Promoting accessibility
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Demonstration collection of Adaptive Technology (AT)
Training on AT and disability awareness
Patrons helping patrons – networking, sharing, building community around AT
Library facilities ADA compliance surveys
ASL interpretation contract, CART services, Braille agendas, audio-description
services, etc., for library programs & staff with disabilities
Accommodation Statement for library programs and services
Offering programs & exhibits of special interest to the disability community
Providing a welcoming & safe community space for networking, reading and lifelong learning
Serving patrons of all ages and promoting independence
Books in Alternate Formats
AT Training
AT Programs
AT Workstation
ADA Facilities Survey:
Examples of Measurements
• Are aisles between seating at least 36 inches
wide?
• Are the tops of tables or counters between 28
and 34 inches high?
• Are knee spaces beneath accessible tables
at least 27 inches high, 30 inches wide, and
19 inches deep?
• At each type of service counter, is there a
portion of the main counter that is at least 36
inches wide and less or equal to 36 inches in
height?
Accommodation Statement
The DC Public Library encourages persons with disabilities
to participate in our programs, services and Board of Trustees
meetings. If you have questions about physical access, need
handouts in alternate format, or require American Sign
Language (ASL) interpretation or other reasonable
accommodation to participate, please contact Venetia V.
Demson, Chief, Adaptive Services, by e-mail: lbph.dcpl@dc.gov
or telephone: 202-727-2142, or Janice Rosen by videophone:
202-559-5368 or Sorenson video relay service 1-866-570-7364;
or TTY: 202-727-2255, Monday –Tuesday, Noon to 8:30 p.m.,
Wednesday - Friday 9:30 a.m. - 5 p.m. Please request
accommodation as early as possible, but at least seven days in
advance of the meeting, so that proper arrangements may be
made. If you have requested ASL interpretation or other
accommodation, and find you cannot attend, please contact us
promptly to cancel your request.
Tactile Exhibits
Braille Book Club
Adaptive Services Programs
• Saturday Technology Training Sessions – 1st & 3rd
Saturdays sttsdc.blogspot.com
• Talking Book Club – 2nd Tuesday
• Braille Book Club – 1st Saturday
• Free public ASL classes - daily
• WebAccessibility Meetup – 3rd Tuesday
• Employment Meetup – Monday evenings
• Annual AccessibilityCampDC unconference – Oct. 9
• Adaptive Services Interest Group of DC Library
Association Deaf Community book and author talks
• Shared Reading Project coming in the Fall - monthly
Adaptive Technology
• Device or software that is used to
increase, maintain, or improve
functional capabilities of individuals with
disabilities.
• Examples:
– screen reader
– screen magnifier
– scanning and reading system
Why provide AT?
• Laws that support AT
– Americans with Disabilities Act, 1990
– ADA Amendments Act of 2008
– Rehabilitation Act of 1973, Sections 504, 508
• Equity of Access
• Goal of Universal Access
– Curb Cuts
– Large Print Books
– Accessible Webpages
Americans With Disabilities Act
Resources
How We Developed an Adaptive
Technology Program
• Outline a Plan
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Goals -- Segregated vs. Inclusive Model
Concept of Universal Accessibility
Funding
Accessible Website
Audience
Facility – space, furniture, layout
• Buy-In from Administration & Information
Technology
• Find or Train a Dedicated AT Specialist
• Purchase Adaptive Technology
How to Develop an Adaptive
Technology Program (cont’d…)
• Train Staff in:
• AT use and trouble shooting
• Disability Awareness
• Coordinate an AT Training Program
• Find or develop Curriculum
• Find Volunteer Trainers
• Host Networking Programs for
• AT Users
• Web Accessibility Developers and AT users
• Local AT Professionals
• Distribute ATs to remote locations
• Networked ATs
Web Accessibility
• Free Testers (WAVE) wave.webaim.org
• World Wide Web Consortium (W3C)
#A11y, #Axs, #accessibility hashtags on
Twitter
– Follow @jennison, @webaxe, @patricktimony
• Contact Web Accessibility Specialists
– Deque, BART group
Some Webpage Accessibility
Considerations
• Video or audio clips?
- Open caption them for the deaf, audiodescribe videos for the blind
• Photos, banners, logos?
- Descriptive captions for screen-reading
software
• PDFs and Web page structure?
- Accessible and logical for screen-reading
software
Barcamps, Unconferences and #A11y
@vdemson, @patricktimony - DC Public Library
Examples of Adaptive Technologies
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Screen Reader (JAWS)
Screen Magnifier (MAGic)
Scanning and Reading Device (OpenBook)
Learning Difference Solution (WYNN)
CCTV Video Magnifiers
Stand Alone Scanner and Reader (SARA)
Digital Audio Book Reader (Victor Stream)
Speech Recognition (Dragon)
Alternative Mice (Head Tracker)
Video Phone and Relay (Sorenson)
Touch Screen (iTouch and iPad)
Screen Readers
JAWS and
WINDOW EYES
• A Screen Reader is a software that
uses a Synthesized Voice to read
information from a computer screen
• Users hit special key combinations
rather than use the mouse.
• Many websites are not accessible to
screen readers because of unlabeled
graphics or other bad design.
Screen Magnifiers
Screen Magnifiers make the
information on the computer
screen bigger so that people
with low vision can see it.
ZOOMTEXT
CCTV
Video
Magnification
• Magnification to 70x
• Color
• Auto focus
• Movable tray
Portable CCTVs
• Ruby
• Senseview
• Smart phones Apps
Scanning & Reading (OCR)
Speech Recognition
Braille
Refreshable Braille Display
Braille Embosser – loud, need enclosure
Duxbury Braille Translation software
Easy Converter – Format Translation
Web Braille from NLS
BrailleNote, PacMate, Icon
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Refreshable Braille display
Braille keyboard or QWERTY
Word Processing
Media Player
E-Mail
Daily Planner
WebBrowser
Bluetooth & WiFi
Internet Relay, Video Relay and
Captioning
Captioning
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Open vs. Closed
Youtube
Camtasia
NCAM - Magpie
CaptionItYourself
– www.dcmp.org/ciy
Adjustable Furniture
• Chairs
• Tables
Mice and Keyboards
• Big Keys
• Roller Mouse
National Library Service for the Blind
& Physically Handicapped
• Player and USB cartridge
• Size of large print book, 2
pounds
• Rewind and Fast Forward
buttons jump by increment
• BARD Downloadable
Talking Books and Web
Braille (electronic Braille)
Recording for the Blind and
Dyslexic
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Non-profit organization that records textbooks
Textbooks in CD format
Not compatible with NLS playback machines
$75 to join
Must buy player
Contact RFB&D for specials
www.rfbd.org
BookShare.org
• Online accessible digital library for print
disabled readers.
• Available for free to all print disabled
students in the US.
PlayAway Books
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Digital audiobook that plays itself
No other gadget needed
One AAA battery
Bookmark, FFW, RWD
Skip by Chapter
Speed Control
Learning Software
• WYNN Wizard and Kurzweil 3000
– Scanning, reading, writing
• Kidspiration, Inspiration, InspireData
– Visual Organization
Menu Driven Software: Guide
• Makes the computer easy to use
• Menu Driven
• Magnification and Speech
Assistive Listening Devices
Pocket Talker
Accessible Meeting Rooms
Loop Amplification
Downloadable Audio Books
(Overdrive - LEAP accessible interface)
Audio Description
“The sun rises over
distant clouds and
reflects off a gently
rolling regression of
waves that meet the
horizon”
• Audio description (AD) makes
the visual images of media
accessible for people who are
blind and visually impaired—the
visual is made verbal. Using
words that are succinct, vivid, and
imaginative, describers convey
the visual image that is not fully
accessible to a segment of the
population and not fully realized
by the rest of us—people who see
but who may not observe.
Touch Screen
Mobile Devices
• iPad
– Built in Screen Reader
and Full Screen
Magnifier
– Accessible apps for
many different
disabilities
– Intuitive accessibility –
short learning curve
• Many Competitors
coming out 2010-2011
Open Source and Free ATs
• Read Please – Text to Speech for
Learning
• Screen Readers:
– Non Visual Desktop Access (NVDA)
– System Access to Go www.satogo.com
– Thunder
• Windows and Mac Accessibility
Open Space (Unconferences)
• Accessibility Camp
• Library Camp
• Crisis Camp
Sensitivity
• Be aware that people with disabilities face
social barriers (be proactive and respectful)
• Listen to the request carefully. Don’t confuse
a person’s disability with their information
needs
• Promote Independence / Provide Access
• People first language
• Nothing about us without us
Blindness and Low Vision:
• Blind / Low Vision / Legally Blind
• Speak directly to the patron in a normal
voice
• Do not touch or pet a guide dog.
• Use the clock face for directions
• Escort the customer to their destination.
Mobility Impairments
• Clear physical pathways
• Be prepared to help with physical tasks.
• Ask questions related to inquiry, but not about the
disability.
• Ask permission before touching chair (personal
space)
• Try to get on eye-level when talking to a person in
a wheelchair.
• Offer a seat to people who have difficulty
standing.
Learning and Cognitive
• Speak slowly and clearly and allow time
for processing.
• Be simple and clear.
• Use multiple formats: Show and tell
• Recognize signs of social anxiety and
act to put customer more at ease
Deaf and Hard of Hearing
• Communicate by speaking, writing, signing, lip
reading, gesturing or a combination.
• Know the equipment:
– assistive listening devices,
– videophones,
– pencil and paper
• Touch a shoulder gently, wave, or tap on the table for
attention.
• Position yourself for visibility.
• Maintain eye contact. Speak directly to the customer
• Speak naturally – don’t exaggerate, shout, or speak
slowly.
Thank You!
Venetia Demson, Patrick Timony
Adaptive Services Division, Room 215
Martin Luther King, Jr. Memorial Library
901 G St., NW
Washington DC 20001
M,T 12pm-9pm / W,Th,F 9:30am-5:30pm
202-727-2142
lbph.dcpl@dc.gov
Resources
• ASCLA Toolkit (google “ASCLA Toolkit)
– http://www.ala.org/ala/mgrps/divs/ascla/asclaprotools/accessibilitytipsheets/default.cfm
• Jennison Asuncion podcast transcript on social media and
accessibility with EASI
– http://easi.cc/podcasts/itnews/itnews-tr/jennison01.htm
• TEDxSiliconValley - Victor Tsaran, Yahoo!'s Accessibility
Program Manager TED talk
– http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BsJB73c38yw
• Yahoo!'s Accessibility Lab
– http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DfLnSk0sPWI
• Twitter Accessibility Roundup from WebAIM
– http://webaim.org/blog/twitter-accessibility-roundup/
• Web Axe Podcast and Blog
– http://webaxe.blogspot.com
• Accessibility-Camp-DC summary
– http://cleartypemedia.com/press/2009/10/accessibility-camp-dc/
• Accessibility-Camp-DC slides
– http://www.accessibilitycampdc.org/slides.shtml
• Accessibility-Camp-BOS website:
-- http://a11y-bos.org/
Resources
• Open Space Technology
http://www.openspaceworld.org/cgi/wiki.cgi?AboutO
penSpace
• Public Media Camp Planning Document – Peter
Corbett, iStrategy
– http://publicmediacamp.org/2009/10/18/the-publicmediacamp-field-guide/
• Is the iPad accessible?
– http://atmac.org/ipad-assistive-technology-disability-round-up
• Youtube iPad cat Demo
– http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Q9NP-AeKX40&feature=related
• Youtube iPod VoiceOver Demo
– http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=B8NrX0ZH3Dk
• CaptionItYourself:
– www.dcmp.org/ciy
Resources
• WAVE Accessibility Tester
– http://wave.webaim.org
• Deque Systems
– www.deque.com
• SSB Bart Group
– www.ssbbartgroup.com
• DO-IT at the University of Washington has a
good resource list.
– http://www.washington.edu/doit/Resources/technology.html
• The Trace Center has a good resource list.
– http://trace.wisc.edu/resources/at-resources.php