ASSISTIVE TECHNOLOGY: April 2020

Thursday, April 30, 2020

Libraries and the Digital Divide

The digital divide is simply the gap between individuals with and without access to connected technology. The digital divide does not discriminate to just underdeveloped or developing countries, but also includes gaps between genders, socioeconomic levels, education levels, and ability levels. The digital divide has become glaringly apparent during the Coronavirus Pandemic. Now, more than ever, in today's technology driven world, being digitally connected has become a basic necessity for many. Technology has revolutionized the way we learn, communicate, access healthcare while quarantined and even how we carry out simple tasks.

Will the digital divide end up bigger than what originally thought? With the onset of COVID-19 and a worldwide reliance on technology and the internet a lot of data and statistics are being collected. Once the dust settles, a clear picture of the digital divide may unfold. Hopefully after this crisis, there will be more of a worldwide effort to get people from all over the world connected so they are able to access information. According to Microsoft, it is difficult to gauge how man people are without the internet or broadband speeds. They report however, that six independent studies have shown that there is higher unemployment rates in counties that don'w have access to the internet. The Pew Research Center published data collected in March 2020, reporting how different populations rated the importance and use of technology.

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Access to technology is crucial to a child’s success in today’s digital world. But what about families who do not have access or families who cannot afford to purchase the latest smartphone, tablet, or tech toy? What does the research say?

According to the ALSC, while today’s families seem digitally connected, here are some interesting statistics reported in 2019:

Digital Responsibility reports lack of access to technology at home is a major barrier for more than half of teachers. As a result, they are less likely to introduce tech in their classrooms.
The National Center for Education Statistics found a student’s access to digital resources at home greatly impacts academic and literacy scores. On average, those without access scored at least 8% lower in core subjects. Even more, their literacy scores were more than 20% lower than students with access.
The Pew Research Center notes more than 25% of low-income households do not have a smartphone. Nearly 50% do not have a computer, and even more do not own a tablet. In contrast, more than half of higher income families have more than one device.
Research by Digital Equity for Learning estimates at least 20% of mobile-only families have too many people sharing the same device. As a result, there is not enough access for everyone.

City Council Passes Bill to Help Close the Digital Divide April 2020

During this pandemic, the education of young people is in jeopardy as the digital divide is wreaking havoc throughout the world. If leveraged in the right way and made universally accessible, digital technology can be a game changer for children being left behind – whether because of poverty, race, ethnicity, gender, disability, displacement or geographic isolation – connecting them to a world of opportunity and providing them with the skills they need to succeed in a digital world.

Some Minnesota Families Struggle with the Digital Divide as they Navigate Distance Learning

Libraries are bridging the digital divide during the Coronavirus Pandemic

Although physical locations are closed, many of America's 120,000 libraries stepped up to the plate and continue to help patrons in a variety of creative ways via phone, zoom calls, instructional videos, online links, offering parking lot wifi, giving out free books, serving as temporary food banks, using library 3D printers to make face shield for health care workers, encouraging local businesses to remove wifi passwords, facilitated a hot spot trailers, curbside book pick up, advocating for access to reliable access to information.
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ALA Public Policy and Advocacy Activity Related to COVID-19

The work and efforts that the American Library Association, along with other libraries is to be applauded. On April 3, 2020, a letter was sent to Director General Francis Gurry, leader of World Intellectual Property Organization on behalf of 384 organizations representing 32.5 million educators, 2.5 million libraries and archives, 45,000 museums, and 200 copyright scholars in 199 countries. The letter urged the director to take action to ensure that the global intellectual property system promotes research, education, access to culture, and public health during this time of crisis. Check out the other advocacy efforts the American Library Association has been busy with during COVID-19:

Check out some of the ALA's recent advocating efforts:

April 3 Joint letter to World Intellectual Property Organization on the importance of IP in finding solutions to the COVID-19 crisis
March 27 American Libraries: "Federal Relief Package Supports Libraries"
March 23 Statement from the ALA Executive Board recommending libraries leave WiFi open during closures
March 19 Letter to FCC requesting clarification and rule waivers to allow libraries to increase public broadband access

Source ALA website

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Libraries=Strong Communities from ALA President May 2019

Libraries Present and Future

Google Books

The Library Project

The Library Project makes it possible for users to search on Google through millions of books written in many different languages, including books that are rare, out of print, or generally unavailable outside of the library system.

If a book from the Library Project is determined to be in the public domain, Google will scan it so users are able to read the entire book. If a book is not available in the public domain, users can still search through the text of the book. Google Books will only display a few blurbs of text to show you where your search term was found in the book. Sometimes rights-holders of in-copyright books give Google permission to show more than a few blurbs. Depending on what the rights-holder allows, the user may receive access to a certain number of pages, or sometimes, the entire book. Source

How to Use the New Version of Google Books

Need Help Getting Started?

Need Help Managing your Library?

How Books are Displayed in Google Books

Full View: Naturalis historiae by Pliny (the Elder), 1668
Limited Preview: Castle by David Macaulay
Snippet View: A History of Psychology by Erwin Allen Esper
No Preview Available: A Dictionary of Zoology edited by Michael Allaby

Google Books: 15 years of preserving knowledge from around the world

Check out Google Accessibility, to see how Google is tacking the issue for users.

Explore some of Google's accessibility features and products.

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Google Impact Challenge: Disabilities

To further our commitment to accessibility, we have launched a global initiative called Google Impact Challenge: Disabilities. The program advances ideas and emerging technologies that increase independence and opportunity for people with disabilities. Learn more about the Google Impact Challenge for Disabilities >

Google Books

Google Books As a Resource for Persons with Mobility Impairment

Google Books wants to “digitize millions of books and make every sentence searchable” (Carlson). There is a lot of controversy over whether or not “Google's project exceeded the bounds of fair use” (Howard) in terms of copyright. However, Google’s Library Project can make information more accessible to the public. Google cannot give full access to the books because of copyright laws, but in making the books searchable and offering previews of pages, Google will be giving the public access to information that is not readily available otherwise, including full-text digitalized versions of material within the public domain.

The information that Google Books is providing to the public can help users of all abilities get the information they need before making a trip to the local library or even before purchasing a book. This can be especially helpful to disabled library patrons who have impaired mobility. They can save time and energy by using Google Books to search for the book or information they are looking for in advance. Being prepared with the information will make their trip to the library easier because they will know that the book will provide them with the information they need.

Works Cited

Carlson, Scott, and Jeffrey R. Young. “Google Will Digitize and Search Millions of Books from 5 Top Research Libraries.” Chronicle of Higher Education, vol. 51, no. 18, Jan. 2005. EBSCOhost, search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?direct=true&db=eric&AN=EJ773398&site=ehost-live&scope=site.

Howard, Jennifer. “Scholars Are Wary of Deal on Google’s Book Search.” Chronicle of Higher Education, vol. 55, no. 36, May 2009. EBSCOhost, search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?direct=true&db=eric&AN=EJ846676&site=ehost-live&scope=site.

Assistive Technology and School Libraries

Students with disabilities are an underserved population in libraries. Many libraries have worked diligently to decrease the access gap, however, there are a lot of libraries that still have a long way to go. The State of the World's Children 2017: Children in a Digital World, from UNICEF, reports, "Nowadays digital technologies are being developed with the speed of optical fibre, changing the lives of millions of people in this world. But especially for children with disabilities, modern technologies play a central role". Source

The number of students with disabilities is on the rise, so this is an area that school libraries must address and improve. The Office of Educational Technology explains, "Technology can be a powerful tool for transforming learning. It can help affirm and advance relationships between educators and students, reinvent our approaches to learning and collaboration, shrink long-standing equity and accessibility gaps, and adapt learning experiences to meet the needs of all learners."

According to the National Center for Youth Statistics, between 2011–12 and 2017–18, the number of students with disabilities served increased from 6.4 million to 7.0 million and the percentage served increased from 13 percent of total public school enrollment to 14 percent of total public school enrollment. Source NCES

In 2017–18, the number of students ages 3–21 who received special education services under the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA) was 7.0 million, or 14 percent of all public school students. Among students receiving special education services, 34 percent had specific learning disabilities. Source NCES

Source NCES

The National Center for Youth Statistics report that in 2017-2018, over half of students with disabilities spend 80% or more o their day in general education classes, including enrichment classes like PE, library, music, and art with their general education classroom. So, what can school librarians do to make the library environment and materials more accessible for students with disabilities? Assistive technology is one tool that librarians can utilize to help make the library more accessible for all students. Assistive technology comes in numerous forms ranging from thousands of dollars to free.

What is assistive technology?
Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA) defines assistive technology as: "Assistive technology device means 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 the functional capabilities of a child with a disability. The term does not include a medical device that is surgically implanted, or the replacement of such device." (Last modified on May 2, 2017) Source IDEA

Why is accessibility important?
The Office of Educational Technology refers to accessibility as the design of apps, devices, materials, and environments that support and enable access to content and educational activities for all learners. In addition to enabling students with disabilities to use content and participate in activities, the concepts also apply to accommodating the individual learning needs of students, such as English language learners, students in rural communities, or from economically disadvantaged homes. Technology can support accessibility through embedded assistance for example, text-to-speech, audio and digital text formats of instructional materials, programs that differentiate instruction, adaptive testing, built-in accommodations, and other assistive technology tools. Source

Video Source and Resources to Make Documents Accessible

Kylie Redford explains, "Assistive tools like audiobooks with a text-to speech function or predictive spelling features help users effectively engage and empower a much more diverse group of learners. Given the right digital tools, students who once struggled to work independently in my class develop the capacity to access content and express ideas without my assistance". In the article, Promises Fulfilled, Redford debunks some of the myths associated with assistive technology that lead to avoidance and also shares how assistive technology can impact student learning by:

· Elevating access to learning

· Liberating struggling readers

· Closing the gap in writing

· Keep engagement up, rowdiness down

Assistive Technology for All: Source

Firsthand Accounts

Ivan Bakaidov, 18 Russian Federation - "Online, my wheelchair is invisible. Education is another area in which modern technology is invaluable for children with disabilities." Read his story in The State of the World's Children 2017: Children in a Digital World, from UNICEF

Kartik Sawhney - "Realizing limitless possibilities: technology empowers people with disabilities. Several applications and websites fail to comply with accessibility standards, compelling more than 1 billion people with disabilities around the world to miss out. This is due not just to lack of accessibility training, but also disability awareness." Kartik Sawhney is pursuing a Master of Science in computer science at Stanford University with a focus on artificial intelligence. His technical interests lie in machine learning, natural language processing, accessibility and assistive technologies. Check out his story in The State of the World's Children 2017: Children in a Digital World, from UNICEF

Resources for School Librarians
Every child deserves access to an amazing and inclusive school library program. There are a lot of free or affordable assistive technology options available to librarians that would not only improve library services for students with disabilities, but could benefit the rest of the student body as well. The goal is to have materials, tools, and assistive technology in place to allow students with disabilities to have access to information in a way that they can be as independent of a library patron as possible.

Books

Advances in Librarianship: Accessibility for Persons with Disabilities and the Inclusive Future of Libraries Volume 40

By: Brian Wentz, Paul T. Jaeger and John Carlo Bertot (2015)

ISBN: 978-178560653

Featured Post

Thursday, April 30, 2020

Google Books As a Resource for Persons with Mobility Impairment

Works Cited