Tech for Kids with Disabilities: New Assistive Technologies are Leveling the Playing Field
By Selverstone, Harriet; School Library Journal,Publication Date: June 2003
Article discusses examples of assistive technology (AT) employed in libraries for people with visual and hearing disabilities, which are discussed by a representative of the American Association of School Librarians. The representative found that the most common web browsers used to assist people with visual impairments were Shell Account, DOSLynx, Netscape, Internet Explorer, and Lynx for Windows. One of the more familiar web browsers for people who wished to access the Internet in a nonvisual or combined auditory and visual manner was pwWebSpeak. Web sites were accessed with AT such as Braille displays and screen readers with speech synthesis. Screen readers can alert users about incorrect punctuation, and highlight messages from instructors. Examples of screen readers used in libraries included Artic WinVision 97, Automatic Screen Access for Windows by MicroTalk, JAWS for Windows, Slimware Windows Bridge, MasterTouch Voice, and Window-Eyes. These screen readers were coupled with speech synthesizers such as DeeTalk, SynPhonix, Keynote Gold, and Sounding Board. People who are deaf or hard of hearing can also benefit from Signing Avatar, which is a program that translates text into American Sign Language characters on a computer screen. Sound adaptations called SoundSentry and Show Sounds are discussed, which flash messages on a computer screen to alert users who are deaf or hard of hearing when sound is transmitted from the computer.
Assistive Products Discussed: KEYNOTE GOLD MULTI-MEDIA SOFTWARE SYNTHESIZER
WINVISION 97
ASAW: AUTOMATIC SCREEN ACCESS FOR WINDOWS
SYNPHONIX P27 PCMCIA WITH ADVEST
WINDOW-EYES PROFESSIONAL
JAWS FOR WINDOWS
SOUNDING BOARD
Published by:
School Library Journal (Web Site: http://www.schoollibraryjournal.com )
Link to text: http://www.schoollibraryjournal.com/article/CA300721?display=searchResults&stt=001&text=selverstone
