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

 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

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Accessibility for Persons with Disabilities and the Inclusive Future of Libraries focuses on important aspects of disabilities, accessibility, inclusion and libraries. The chapters in this book provide best practices and innovative ideas for libraries, and describes how the roles that internet and communication technologies play in being an inclusive libraries. There are also tips to help libraries better articulate their contributions in these areas as they engage with disability groups, funders, policymakers, and other parts of their community.

Crash Course in Library Services to People with Disabilities

By: Ann Roberts and Richard J. Smith (2010)

ISBN: 978-1591587675

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Librarians who are striving to fill the information needs of people with different mental and physical challenges will find this resource helpful. The authors work at the state level with people with disabilities and, therefore, are very familiar with the issues and challenges. Among the topics that are covered in the book are: implications of the Americans with Disabilities Act, programs and services, assistive technology, and people with mental and physical disabilities.

Including Families of Children with Special Needs: A How-To-Do-It Manual for Librarians

Revised Edition by: Carrie Scott Banks (2014) Sandra Feinberg, Barbara Jordan, Kathleen Deerr, and Michelle Langa

ISBN: 978-1-55570-791-0

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This is a step-by-step guide to serving children and youth with disabilities as well as their family members. The needs of Spanish-speaking children with disabilities and their families, looking at cultural competency as well as Spanish-language resources are also included. The book includes checklists, stories based on real experiences, descriptions of model programs and resources, and an overview of appropriate internet sites and services.

Assistive Technology

Assistive Technology Products for Information Access

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This website contains current information, descriptions, links and prices for various assistive technology.

Keep It Simple: A Guide to Assistive Technologies

By: Ravonne A. Green and Vera Blair (2011)

ISBN: 978-1591588665

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The book contains a variety of assistive technology available, contact information, and the URL's for the companies that make them. In each chapter, the book touches on some basic information for various conditions (for example, mobility disabilities) with resources for learning more about them. There is also chapter dedicated to staff training.

  

Standard Assistive Technology Tools Checklist for Elementary

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techsoup for Libraries

This website contains multiple resources in relation to assistive technology. 

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Websites

Disability in KidLit

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Libraries and Autism, We’re Connected

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Read and Write Google

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Special Needs and Inclusive Library Services (SNAILS)

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Other Resources
Apple Accessibility

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Visitors can learn about Apple’s built-in accessibility features as well as some basic information relating to assistive technology.

Microsoft Accessibility: Technology for Everyone

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In addition to providing a thorough overview of Microsoft’s Accessibility Products, this website provides an overview of assistive technology products and useful articles on access.

Section 508.gov: Assistive Technology Showcase Devices

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The U.S. government’s official showcase of assistive technology and a listing of providers of the technology.

DO-IT – Disabilities, Opportunities, Internetworking, and Technology

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National Library Service for the Blind and Print Disabled Library of Congress (NLS)

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The NLS provides the BARD (Braille and Audio Reading Download), which is a free library service of downloadable braille and audio reading material for residents of the United States. BARD provides access to thousands of special-format books, magazines, and music scores. The website also has multiple helpful links that contain so many a resource guide on magnifying devices, large print material, a general resources page, employment opportunities, and a directory of producers of accessible reading materials.

Association of Specialized Government and Cooperative Library Agencies (ASGCLA)

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This is a division of the American Library Association and includes a lot of Library Accessibility Toolkits for various disabilities. These digital toolkits are free to users and contain an overview, recommendations, tips, resources, and links.

Bookshare

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Bookshare is the world’s largest online library of accessible eBooks with over 450,000 titles in accessible formats that lets students read in ways that work for them. Members can listen to words read aloud, follow along with highlighted text, read with large fonts, and read in braille. Bookshare is free resource for K-12 schools in the U.S. and qualified students can also sign up for free personal memberships. The website even provides suggestions on what type of reader to use depending upon their disability (learning disability, blind, low vision, physical disability).

Project ENABLE

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Project ENABLE provides free, foundational training, designed specifically for public, academic or school librarians worldwide, to help them gain the knowledge and skills needed to create inclusive and accessible libraries that meet the needs of all students. The training is free, you just need to create an account.

Assistive Technology on Pinterest (broken into 25 categories)

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    "One of the most important aspects of technology in education is its ability to level the field of opportunity for students". -John King, U.S. Secretary of Education 2016-2017