Assistive Technology, Module 3 - Software

iCommunicator (http://www.icommunicator.com/) looks like a wonderful tool for the deaf or hard of hearing. Having speech not only shown as text but also as video sign language on the computer really makes this tool valuable. Also being able to type something that is then turned into speech also helps the person communicate with someone who does not know sign language.



I was impressed with the video about the Dragon NaturallySpeaking where the software will type what the person says. My son saw a demonstration of a similiar program (not sure which program it was because I was talking with the technician while her assistant showed him the program) when we went to an Assistive Technology Evaluation for my son. Right now my son dictates to me or to an aide. Having a program such as this one would help him to be more independent.



It was interesting reading the stories of people using the Kurzweil 3000 (http://www.kurweiledu.com/). I am finding that the most interesting way to learn about assistive technology is by reading about and watching videos of people who are using assistive technology and finding out how their lives have improved because of the assistive technology.

I downloaded the 30 day free trial of Inspiration. This software is a great way to create outlines or diagrams. I was able to quickly make up a simple diagram showing the ways my family can include more fruits and vegetables with their meals.

My 30 day trial of Kurzweil 3000 is still downloading so I will have to take a look at that software later.

I am having trouble seeing the videos of the accessibility features already built into my computer's operating system. Those videos sound like they will be very informative.

InfoEyes looks like a great resource for people with low-vision. They can set up a time to actually talk with a librarian through an internet chat room.

As I am learning more about assistive technology, I am realizing the importance for librarians to be aware of the different types of disabilities and challenges their patrons may have and what is available to assist them to be able to use the resources the library has to offer. I can see it being a challenge to figure out what types of assistive technology to get for the library since we may not know what types of disabilities our patrons are dealing with and we probably cannot ask them in some sort of survey due to privacy issues. If we are working in a school library, then we would have access to student IEP's. It had not occurred to me that the school librarian should also be looking at the IEP's of students until we discussed it during one of our chats for my graduate class. It makes sense that we should know about the challenges our patrons face. Maybe in the public library there would be a way for us to advertise the different assistive technologies that we have in the library and also a way for us to discreetly mention that we can work with you to help you access the library's resources.

Assistive Technology, Module 2, Hardware Solutions

On www.enablemart.com I found touch screens that would make it easier for patrons to interact with the computer. Having an amplification system available for a patron who is hard of hearing would help that person hear the librarian and hear during a program being presentated at the library. A keyboard designed for one hand would help a patron who only has the use of one hand. Foot switches connected to a computer would be an option for patrons who have limited or no fine motor control with their hands. I had no idea of all the different kinds of assistive technology that exists until I started exploring assistive technology for this class. I found the videos where we saw actual people using assistive technology to be especially helpful in learning about assistive technology. Since computers and the internet are now an integral part of many people's lives today, it is important that there are assistive technology solutions such as large print keyboards, one handed keyboards, and foot switches to enable people with disabilities to access computers and the internet. It was interesting learning about video magnifiers. My son has a card game that he wants me to play. I have to have him read the cards to me because the print is so small. I did try using a magnifying glass one time when I was playing with him. It is is also getting harder for me to read the small print on labels. Fortunately I have no problem reading regular size print. I am gaining a better understanding of what it must be like for patrons with low vision.

Assistive Technology, Module 1 - Job Accommodation Network and National Center for Learning Disabilities

It is interesting learning about the different ways to help people with learning disabilities. I will actually be taking my son for an assistive technology evaluation in a couple of weeks. We will be looking at ways to help him with his writing. Therefore I was curious what these websites had to say about writing. Having a student give answers verbally and have the student dictate answers to someone are two accommondations that my son has used. I found out that it is not that easy to write or type someone's answer when they are dictating their answer to you. Many times I would have to ask my son to repeat what he just said. Hopefully we can find a way to help him with his writing that would also give him more independence. Since I am interested in becoming a children's librarian, I took a look at ways to help students with reading. Having a reading pen available would be helpful for students who have difficulty with reading or with vision. The pen says the word as a person scans the word. Another suggestion was to provide books with larger print for students with vision problems. When we think of large print books we think of the large print books for adults. What about large print books for children? The books for younger children are usually larger print but the chapter books are the smaller print. I can see how important it is for librarians to have a good understanding about different disabilities.

Assistive Technology, Module 1 - National Federation of the Blind

If I were going to be teaching a blind student, I would want to introduce Braille to the whole class by labeling things in Braille and by having books written in Braille available for anyone in the class to look at. It might be interesting to have a lesson on both Braille and sign language at the same time in order to point out different ways people have of communicating with each other. In fact I could even include a different language such as Spanish. I could have people visit the class or library who are knowledgeable about the different languages.

Week 9, Thing #23 Reflections

I have enjoyed this adventure of learning about new technology these last 9 weeks. Creating an avatar was a lot of fun. I discovered an interesting blog written by an artist who also shared some of her artwork on the blog. Finding out all the different ways of using YouTube was a great week. It was neat finding out that my father uses YouTube to watch the lectures of other university physics professors. With YouTube I was able to watch videos about therapy dogs coming to the library to listen to children read. I love the video I found with pictures of therapy dogs and children reading to them. Since I graduated from college years before the internet, my knowledge of new technology was very limited before this class. Working on a few things each week was a great way to learn about a lot of technology without being overwhelmed. I would describe this course as a fun and exciting way to learn about new technology. I would definitely consider taking another course in the future.

Week 9, Thing #22 ebooks and Audio ebooks

On Project Gutenburg's website I found an ebook about parenting written in 1871. It was interesting reading about parenting advice from so long ago. On LibriVox it looks like anyone can volunteer to read chapters of books for the ebooks. That might be something fun to do. I did discover that my local library does have audio ebooks. I easily found the books from a link on the library's website. The virtual library has a tutorial that explains about audio ebooks and how to check them out from your library.

Week 9, Thing #21 Podcasts

I found many podcasts of childrens' stories being read. One podcast was of children reading stories. The podcast I added to my Bloglines account was a podcast about the benefits of sleep. I am always looking for information about being healthy and this podcast sounded interesting. I am wondering how much time people spend each week listening to podcasts. We have so many choices now for how to get information. Do we want to listen to a podcast, watch a video, or read a blog? I am curious as to which of these ways is the most popular. My first thought is that I would not be listening to podcasts very often. I may be thinking that way because right now I am very busy with taking care of my family and working on my graduate classes. Maybe I also feel this way because podcasts are new to me. I do like the fact that I can put the podcasts in my Bloglines account.