Pennsylvania SSHELCO Accommodative Library Services

Lending library for assistive technology

2008-07-14T17:41:00.002-05:00

Pennsylvania’s Assistive Technology Lending Library is a free, state-supported program that loans assistive technology devices to Pennsylvanians of all ages. This program allows someone to try a device for a limited time (typically 2-8 weeks) to be sure it meets their needs before they buy it. If the device isn't right, they can borrow another.

For a list of centers which supply AT devices to different counties, visit this page. Different counties are served by different organizations, which presumably can deliver the device to a public library near the user.

I discovered this info in response to a phone call from a woman's out-of-state relatives who were trying to find where she could try a video magnifier. She has macular degeneration, and reading has become difficult for her. There are quite a few different products available, and the PATLL has a number of them. It's good to know such a service exists.

William Yurvati, R.I.P.

2008-04-11T11:45:00.002-05:00

Those of us who attended the annual SSHELCO conference March 28, heard the sad news that Bill Yurvati died March 12 after a battle with leukemia.

Although I did not know Bill well, it was always a pleasure to talk with him at the SSHELCO meetings every year. He added a lot to the meetings with his cheerful, pleasant demeanor.

I'd like to extend my condolences to his family and colleagues at East Stroudsburg University, where he was the Access Services Librarian.

God bless him, and may he rest in peace.
LN

Dedicated ADA Computer - Input Please

2007-12-07T14:28:00.000-05:00

If you have one or more computers in your library with specialized software for accessibility, can you please share with me the specs of that computer and other equipment and software? Or if you have an idea of the computer/software/devices that you wish you had in your library for accessibility, please share that too. I want to apply for a grant for a specialized ADA station, but do not know exactly what I need.

Audio Description Illinois

2007-06-14T10:41:00.000-05:00

I read about this in a message I received on the ASCLA listserv.

Audio Description Illinois provides information on how libraries can make digital images available to the visually impaired on the Internet using Audio Description (AD). According to the message,

Audio Description (AD) is the descriptive narration of key visual elements of live theatre, television, movies, and other media to enhance their enjoyment by consumers who are blind or have low vision. AD is the insertion of audio explanations and descriptions of the settings, characters, and action taking
place in such media, when such information about these visual elements is not offered in the regular audio presentation (6/13/2007 message from Lori Bell).

Universities under scrutiny for ADA

2006-07-31T11:30:00.000-05:00

Inside Higher Ed reported today that a lawsuit has been filed against the University of Houston by a student with a documented, undisputed disability. Apparently the student had made a request for an accommodation from a professor and was turned down, with no explanation. U of H does have a policy to provide accommodations, but faculty are not required to follow it. Hmmm.

In an earlier post on July 19, Inside Higher Ed also noted that the U.S. Justice Department has become more "interested" in whether or not colleges and universities are complying with ADA. University of Chicago recently settled with the Justice Department, agreeing to make improvements in their facilities over the next 4 years, all the while maintaining that they had not violated the law. Evidently the Justice Department has been "reviewing" about 10 colleges/universities for their compliance with Title III of ADA (focusing mostly on building accommodations) and the U of Chicago review was the first to be finished. More to come.

IM Reference for the Deaf

2006-07-24T16:14:00.000-05:00

The May 2006 issue of Computers in Libraries (v. 26, no. 5) includes an article with the title, Hello IM, Goodbye TTY. In the article, Tom Peters and Lori Bell describe how libraries can use technology, such as instant messaging, to increase access and communication for deaf and hearing impaired patrons.

At Edinboro, we are planning to implement a virtual reference service using instant messaging. If others are considering the use of IM and need one more argument to justify this service to their colleagues or directors, this article may be just the persuasion they need.

Riding the Bus With My Sister

2006-06-08T08:26:00.000-05:00

For those of you who are members of PaLA, you might have read the cover story in the May 2006 issue of the Pennsylvania Library Association Bulletin. The book chosen for this year’s “One Book, One Conference” event is Rachel Simon’s Riding the Bus With My Sister. This book traces the true story of the author’s attempt to understand her sister Beth, who has a mental disability. Beth spends her days riding the buses of a Pennsylvania city, and Simon spends one year riding along and meeting the people in Beth’s life.

While this blog focuses mostly on those with physical disabilities, we can’t ignore our patrons with mental disabilities. Even if you aren’t planning on attending the PaLA conference in November, you may want to pick up this book for the insights it gives on working with those with mental disabilities.

In the spirit of full discloser, I had Rachel Simon for a professor as an undergrad. She gives a great reading, and I expect an excellent program at the PaLA conference.

Better Late Than Never

2006-04-21T10:47:00.000-05:00

I took the following notes during our discussion at the SSHELCO meeting. Please chime in if I forgot anyone or have attributed a comment to the wrong person or just plain misunderstood what you said:

Linda Neyer (Bloom) began with a retrospective of what we discussed at the 2005 SSHELCO meeting. She also passed out copies of the article that was published following the 2005 meeting.

I (Katie Yelinek--Bloom) introduced this blog to those of you who had not seen it before. Remember, if you would like to be added to the list of contributors, you should email Linda Neyer.

David Magolis (Bloom) highlighted the changes that have taken place at the Bloomsburg library regarding accommodative services within the last year. For instance, we have created links to the text-only version of our EBSCO databases. We are in the process of moving our accommodative services workstation to a more accessible position on the first floor.

Darla Bressler (Bloom) moderated a discussion among the other participants about what has been going on in their libraries concerning accommodative services:

Loring Prest (CUP) led a discussion on the importance of using the correct tags when coding a web page. The title tag should only be used to describe what an image does (for instance, click on this image to open a pop-up window); the alt tag should only be used to describe what an image is (for instance, this is an image of the California University logo).

Blaine Knupp (IUP) described his success in finding a reader that will read PDF documents by means of character recognition.

Clayton Garthwait (West Chester) is working on an LSTA grant for an accommodative services workstation in the library. There is a person from the university office of disability support who works in the library and is able to make the necessary arrangements for students needing to use the library.

Liz Richardson (Edinboro) related the story of the new facade on the library, which requires students in wheelchairs to actually move out of the way of the automatic doors after pressing the button to open these doors. She also put out a request for information: does any one know of a device that allows a person with limited dexterity to more easily manipulate a fiche/film reader, possibly by means of a clicker?

I also have listed that Barb Rotz from Shippensburg attended our meeting, and I apologize for not having recorded your comments. If any one can fill in this regrettable hole in my notes, please do so.

Also, I know we had a long discussion about a workstation in an information commons, which was outfitted for use by those with disabilities. There was a sign on the workstation that said first priority for use went to those who needed the specialized workstation. At whose university is this workstation located? Is it California?

Thanks everyone for another informative discussion!

EASI listserv on BlackBoard

2006-04-19T13:33:00.000-05:00

Norm Coombs' web site EASI is an excellent source of info on library accessibility since he closely monitors the technology used in elearning and its impact on people with disabilities. I highly recommend subbing to his library accessibility list.

At the end of March he announced a new list discussing problems with BlackBoard's accessibility. I thought his email was worth sharing in case any of you might be interested:

We want either current Blackboard users with disabilities or support people helping users with disabilities. We want to share what problems we have found. We also want to share work rounds or other tips that people have found useful. Our goal is first to help one another and second to make the relevant Blackboard people aware of our findings as the continue working on
improving their system. If you fall into this category and want to join the discussion, send email to
listerv@listserv.icors.org
In the email say:
sub easiplan (and then include your name)

Linda

Hi from SSHELCO!

2006-04-06T13:52:00.000-05:00

I'm blogging live from the SSHELCO meeting!

2006-04-05T16:33:00.000-05:00

Has anyone reading this blog worked with DAISY? Norm Coombs of EASI is running a series of 2 free, online workshops about using it. One already took place & one is on May 9. I sub to his list and got an announcement about the workshops and the following info about what it is:

Perhaps you don't know what a DAISY book is! DAISY is a new electronic book format that gives the user fantastic abilities to manipulate a text that they are reading. It permits skipping to selected pages, skipping ahead by header or sub header, paragraph and sentence. Many believe it provides better ability for a reader to manipulate a text than anyone would have with a hard copy print book. The Library of Congress program providing books for the blind, Recording for the Blind and Dyslexic as well as the books that will soon be available for k-12 students, will use DAISY or a version of DAISY. Within 2-3 years, anyone involved in using or obtaining books in alternate formats will be familiar with it.

This is the first I've heard of it. Anyone used it?

Closing the 95 percent gap

2006-03-31T16:02:00.000-05:00

Some interesting points from an article in the winter '06 Library Trends:

Only 5% of published material worldwide is accessible to people who cannot use print
It's estimated that about 10 - 20% of the population have print disabilities
A variety of delivery methods to get materials to users is needed including home delivery of materials via mail, electronic delivery via the Internet, or in-library delivery with librarian assistance. One size does not fit all!
"The single most important aspect of creating an accessible environment is staff attitude" - YES! and "The presence of assistive technology in and of itself does not guarantee that these students will have access to information technology" - Yes, again!

The article goes on to discuss ways libraries can share resources for those with disabilities as well as challenges to resource sharing, including the lack of standards and diversity of alternate formats. (Epp, MA. "Closing the 95 percent gap: Library resource sharing for people with print disabilities" Library Trends 54, 3: 411-429.)

Mark Your Calendars!

2006-02-07T11:07:00.000-05:00

The SSHELCO Planning Committee has accepted our proposal for a follow-up session at the Annual Meeting! On April 6 & 7 in Grantville, Linda, David, Darla, and I will be hosting a roundtable discussion tentatively entitled "Accommodative Services in PASSHE Libraries: Where are we a year later?" Topics will include:

What changes, if any, have you witness in your library with regard to accommodative services?
Has your web page changed to become more accessible. If so, how?
Using this blog as a communication tool

Those of you who participated last year are warmly invited to join us again. Of course, we would be happy to meet new people as well.

So, mark your calendars for April 6 & 7. We look forward to seeing you in Granville!

Read all about it!

2005-12-18T21:18:00.000-05:00

We got our article published! Titled, "Reaching out: The Pennsylvania State System of Higher Education librarians take stock of accommodative services" and written by Katie, Darla, David, and yours truly, our article was published in the Dec. 2005 issue of College and Research Libraries News describing our meeting last March and the subsequent blog.

I hope it has the effect of increasing our blog's visibility and attracting more people. I've readjusted the blog's settings so that folks can leave comments but spam will be filtered.

That said, it's time to start thinking about meeting again at the annual SSHELCO conference. Who can attend? Post your comments, please.

Best wishes to everyone for a healthy and happy holiday season -- Linda

Palinet Member Blogs

2005-12-16T16:23:00.000-05:00

Should we find out how to get this blog included in the list of PALINET Member Blogs?

COMMENT: Hey, Liz -- sounds like a good idea to me. The more people we get looking at this blog, the more input we're likely to get. Would you like to contact PALINET? Thanks! Linda

Who benefits from assistive technology?

2005-12-11T13:43:00.000-05:00

I was tooling around Microsoft's web site, looking for info on installing Windows XP, and came upon some good stuff on accessibility. One very readable article by Sharon Crawford (May 23, 2003 -- a little dated, but still good) had helpful info about using the built-in accessibility features in Windows XP including screen shots of how to configure some of the features.

At the end of her article was a link to the Microsoft Accessibility Web site, with links to Accessibility Tutorials for a bunch of Windows programs (Word, Outlook, IE, etc.) as well as to 2 research studies about accessible technology.

With the average age of the American worker increasing over time, the studies found that the average age of computer users is rising. The researchers also found that 57% (74.2 million) of computer users between the ages of 18 - 24 are likely or very likely "to benefit from the use of accessible technology due to experiencing mild to severe difficulties or impairments."

Microsoft, which commissioned the studies, states that "There is a strategic business opportunity for IT companies to improve technology optimism, and perhaps customer satisfaction with their own products, by developing more accessible technology for computers." In other words, look for the accessible or assistive technology market to become bigger and more mainstream in the years ahead.

Free Webcast today

2005-11-30T11:43:00.000-05:00

There's another free webcast this afternoon, Student Information Systems and Individuals with Disabilities, sponsored by the National Center on Disability & Access to Education, today, Wednesday, November 30th @ 3 PM EST. While this webcast is not specifically geared towards libraries, it sounds like it will be relevant for those designing library websites or providing electronic access to library resources. For more information, visit http://www.ncdae.org/webcasts.

Top Ten Web Design Mistakes of 2005

2005-10-14T14:40:00.000-05:00

"[Users] just want quality improvements in the basics: text they can read; content that answers their questions; navigation and search that help them find what they want; short and simple forms (streamlined registration, checkout, and other workflow); and no bugs, typos, or corrupted data; no linkrot; no outdated content."

From Jakob Nielsen's "Top Ten Web Design Mistakes of 2005". Go to Nielsen's page for the full deal.

Flash accessibility

2005-10-12T09:30:00.000-05:00

DM Librarian recently read an article about accessibility on the Internet that talked specifically about Flash documents. The article provided a link to more information about "Best Practices for Accessible Flash Design." Check it out at http://www.macromedia.com/resources/accessibility/

Another free webcast -- on Electronic Accessibility in Library and Information Services

2005-09-09T14:48:00.000-05:00

There's another free webcast next week, this one on the topic of electronic library accessibility for individuals with disabilities involved in distance education. Sponsored by the National Center on Disability and Access to Education, it takes place Wednesday, September 14th, 2005, 3 PM EDT. For more info and a link to register, visit http://www.ncdae.org/webcasts.

Free Web conference on universal design principles

2005-09-08T12:36:00.000-05:00

EASI (Equal Access to Software and Information) is sponsoring a free hour-long Web conference (live with interactive voice chat) September 13 titled, "Designing Multimedia Using Universal Design Principles" at 2 PM EDT. The presenter is Richard Banks, Electronic Resource Manager for EASI.

The workshop will "demonstrate the need to make such multimedia accessible by adding synchronized captions and sometimes also audio descriptions" and will "focus on free and inexpensive software tools and demonstrate that anyone can make streaming multimedia using audio, PowerPoint and video."

For more info on how to register, visit easi.cc/clinic.htm

Macular degeneration

2005-09-08T11:44:00.000-05:00

After a summer hiatus, we're back! Feel free to post interesting stuff on the topic of accommodations in libraries.

I recently read a good article on info sources for age-related macular degeneration (AMD), published in the latest issue of Reference and User Services Quarterly (RUSQ). Written by Tony Stankus, a librarian recently diagnosed with AMD, and Jennifer Lanouette, it provides very practical advice to the newly diagosed and also recommends specific library accommodations -- for example, low vision technology such as magnifiers, text enlargers, and text-to-voice machines.

In case you're unfamiliar with the condition, AMD results in the inability to see fine details at the center of the field of vision. Peripheral vision is not affected, so the disease may affect a person's ability read and drive but does not lead to complete blindness. AMD becomes more common among people past the age of 50. By age 75, almost 15% of people have the condition.

The article is titled, "Bullseye: Targeting the Greatest Challenge to the Vision of Our Adult Library Readers Today, Age-Related Macular Degeneration, with Helpful Information," published in RUSQ, Vol. 44, No. 4 (Summer 05), pp. 279-83, 285-8.

LSTA Grant Application Process

2005-07-21T11:45:00.000-05:00

If you are interested in learning more about LSTA grants (one of their purposes is to increase information access for persons who have difficulty gaining it), you might want to visit the Pennsylvania State Library's web page.

To access the LSTA 2006 Application Guidelines, go to the PA PowerPort at http://www.state.pa.us and type 'LSTA' into the PA Keyword search box. Scroll down to "Application Guidelines" to get information on grants for Assistive Technology or Information Access, two types of grant that may be of interest.

Deadline for 2006 grants is Friday, September 9, 2005.

Good links

2005-07-20T10:31:00.000-05:00

I took a class earlier this summer on web design. Towards the end of the class my professor talked about accessibility in web pages. I've listed some of the links he suggested.

Screen Reader Simulation http://www.webaim.org/simulations/screenreader
A Flash simulation of using a screen reader

WebABLE http://www.webable.com/
Authoritative site for disability-related websites and legal issues

UsableNet http://www.usablenet.com/
Free demos of software for creating accessible sites

Vischeck http://www.vischeck.com/vischeck/
Information about color blindness, including a color blindness check for your website

ACRL offers a Webcast "Designing Web Sites for Academic Libraries"

2005-07-13T13:24:00.000-05:00

Remember our discussion of web page design and Bobby? Here's a chance to learn more!

ACRL is offering a new webcast on web design for libraries, with an emphasis on usability and accessibility. Two 1.5-hour sessions are being offered on Monday, July 25 and Friday, July 29. See http://www.ala.org/ala/acrl/acrlproftools/webdesign.htm for additional information and how to register. If you're interested, though, hurry! Each session is limited to 30 people.