The Digital Divide term
refers "to the fact that some people
are less able than others to take
advantage of the Internet. The
demographic description of those on
each side of the divide is relatively
stable, encompassing – in no particular
order – income, age, location, education and language. The only factor
that has improved is that females now
trail males by only a small margin" (Umbach 1).
I had not really given much thought to the concept of the Digital Divide before I went for a library visit for a class from last semester. I knew that people needed to use the computers in the library for many reasons. What I didn't realize was the amount of people who used the computers regularly for there only means of internet access. That was quite eye-opening for me. The computers at all the libraries I visited, public and academic were being used the entire time the library was open. The libraries have had to put time limits on the usage to ensure that other users can be accommodated. I know realize how fortunate I am to have access at home and how fortunate the children at the school I work at have iPad's or access to computers daily.
There are many types of disabilities. "It is essential for library staff to have a working knowledge of the various types of disabilities their user population may reflect so that they can tailor their services and tools most effectively." (Mates, 9). There are also many more assistive tools available today than ever. Providing access to assistive tools is necessary in a library setting. Some of these assistive tools include listening to books with software that reads to the person, screen readers, and modified displays. There continues to be a challenge for the deaf and hard of hearing community because not all sites offer captioning. Not all people are able to read well enough to follow the captioning either.*
Some Assistive Technology Apps for use in a library, school or home setting:
NaturalReader offers free TTS. Kids can paste text or import documents into the tool, press play and then listen and read along as the text is read aloud. They can choose different voices and speed up or slow down the reading speed. NaturalReader also offers many free e-books with TTS.
Rewordify simplifies text to make it easier to understand. Kids paste text or a web page address into the tool. Rewordify then replaces the difficult words in the text or web page with simpler words or definitions. In the tool’s settings, kids can choose their reading level. They can also choose how the simplified text is displayed. Rewordify has a library of classic literature and historical documents with simplified text. Some kids may find it easier to understand the Rewordify version of certain texts, like Shakespeare’s plays or the Declaration of Independence.
TalkTyper is a simple online dictation tool. When kids speak into their computer mic, the tool types out what they’re saying. The dictated words and sentences are collected in a basic word processor and can be edited with a keyboard. The finished writing can then be printed, emailed, or copied and pasted elsewhere. Two other online dictation options are Dictation and Speechnotes. All three of these tools only work in the Chrome web browser.
From the Apple App store:
Seesaw
Dragon Diction
Visual Hearing Aid
Helpful Links:
American Council of the Blind www.acb.org
National Federation of the Blind http://nfb.org
Easter Seals www.easterseals.com/site/PageServer
Hearing Loss Association of America www.hearingloss.org
Learning Disabilities Association of America www.ldanatl.org
Autism Society www.autism-society.org
United Cerebral Palsy www.ucp.org
Disabled Veterans National Foundation www.dvnf.org
Works Cited:
Mates, Barbara T., and Char Booth. “Information Power to All Patrons.” Library Technology Reports, vol. 48, no. 7, Oct. 2012, pp. 7–13. EBSCOhost, search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?direct=true&db=a9h&AN=83242900&site=ehost-live&scope=site.
Umbach, Judith M. “Libraries: Bridges Across the Digital Divide.” Feliciter, vol. 50, no. 2, Apr. 2004, p. 44. EBSCOhost, search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?direct=true&db=a9h&AN=12931886&site=ehost-live&scope=site.
https://helenmilnerdotcom.files.wordpress.com/2013/11/digital_nation_infographic1.jpg
https://www.understood.org/en/school-learning/assistive-technology/finding-an-assistive-technology/free-assistive-technology-tools-on-the-web
*This information was obtained by speaking with a colleague who works daily with children who are hearing impaired.
I had not really given much thought to the concept of the Digital Divide before I went for a library visit for a class from last semester. I knew that people needed to use the computers in the library for many reasons. What I didn't realize was the amount of people who used the computers regularly for there only means of internet access. That was quite eye-opening for me. The computers at all the libraries I visited, public and academic were being used the entire time the library was open. The libraries have had to put time limits on the usage to ensure that other users can be accommodated. I know realize how fortunate I am to have access at home and how fortunate the children at the school I work at have iPad's or access to computers daily.
There are many types of disabilities. "It is essential for library staff to have a working knowledge of the various types of disabilities their user population may reflect so that they can tailor their services and tools most effectively." (Mates, 9). There are also many more assistive tools available today than ever. Providing access to assistive tools is necessary in a library setting. Some of these assistive tools include listening to books with software that reads to the person, screen readers, and modified displays. There continues to be a challenge for the deaf and hard of hearing community because not all sites offer captioning. Not all people are able to read well enough to follow the captioning either.*
Some Assistive Technology Apps for use in a library, school or home setting:
NaturalReader offers free TTS. Kids can paste text or import documents into the tool, press play and then listen and read along as the text is read aloud. They can choose different voices and speed up or slow down the reading speed. NaturalReader also offers many free e-books with TTS.
Rewordify simplifies text to make it easier to understand. Kids paste text or a web page address into the tool. Rewordify then replaces the difficult words in the text or web page with simpler words or definitions. In the tool’s settings, kids can choose their reading level. They can also choose how the simplified text is displayed. Rewordify has a library of classic literature and historical documents with simplified text. Some kids may find it easier to understand the Rewordify version of certain texts, like Shakespeare’s plays or the Declaration of Independence.
TalkTyper is a simple online dictation tool. When kids speak into their computer mic, the tool types out what they’re saying. The dictated words and sentences are collected in a basic word processor and can be edited with a keyboard. The finished writing can then be printed, emailed, or copied and pasted elsewhere. Two other online dictation options are Dictation and Speechnotes. All three of these tools only work in the Chrome web browser.
From the Apple App store:
Seesaw
Dragon Diction
Visual Hearing Aid
Helpful Links:
American Council of the Blind www.acb.org
National Federation of the Blind http://nfb.org
Easter Seals www.easterseals.com/site/PageServer
Hearing Loss Association of America www.hearingloss.org
Learning Disabilities Association of America www.ldanatl.org
Autism Society www.autism-society.org
United Cerebral Palsy www.ucp.org
Disabled Veterans National Foundation www.dvnf.org
Works Cited:
Mates, Barbara T., and Char Booth. “Information Power to All Patrons.” Library Technology Reports, vol. 48, no. 7, Oct. 2012, pp. 7–13. EBSCOhost, search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?direct=true&db=a9h&AN=83242900&site=ehost-live&scope=site.
Umbach, Judith M. “Libraries: Bridges Across the Digital Divide.” Feliciter, vol. 50, no. 2, Apr. 2004, p. 44. EBSCOhost, search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?direct=true&db=a9h&AN=12931886&site=ehost-live&scope=site.
https://helenmilnerdotcom.files.wordpress.com/2013/11/digital_nation_infographic1.jpg
https://www.understood.org/en/school-learning/assistive-technology/finding-an-assistive-technology/free-assistive-technology-tools-on-the-web
*This information was obtained by speaking with a colleague who works daily with children who are hearing impaired.
Hey Carrie! Your graphic caught my attention, it is a great visual! I realized the same thing last year while on a library visit. I normally don't pay attention to the computer area at the library we normally go to, since we usually don't leave the kids' section. So many people must really be struggling without this service while libraries are closed. It felt good to have my feelings validated after reading your post. Assistive technology is amazing, however, it also overwhelms me because there is such a range. Having a job and knowing the population, would definitely provide direction as the individuals may already have preferred preferences. I've never used anything like rewordify, that is really neat, thanks for sharing!
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