Week 10: Assistive Technology

Week 9&10:

March 9-22

This was a long period but Week 9 was Spring Break, although for me that did not really make a difference.

The topic for the week was Assistive Technologies in libraries, which refers to technology that helps person with disabilities to fully enjoy library services. This could through a variety of devices such as magnifying glasses for readers to see text properly, speech to text software on computers for low-vision and vision impaired individuals, Braille materials and more.

This topic actually made me really think about what accommodations my library has in place for individuals with disabilities that cannot use some library services. We have a wheelchair accessible ramp outside and widely spaced shelves for wheelchairs to easily maneuver, many of the tables and the service desk are low enough for wheel chair users to use comfortably. There are automatic doors at the entrance which utilize sensors to open and close. But upon further inspection after covering this topic in class, I realized that there isn't much for visually impaired users, we have a magnifying glass and the desk for patrons to use but this pretty much it. The system headquarters has a GLASS (Georgia Libraries for Accessible Statewide Services) office, where they have a lab equipped with assistive technology, computers with assistive software, braille materials, and more. But at the branch level, it appears many of the smaller branches do not have much to offer in terms of Assistive Technology.

I have made it a point to inform patrons who may have questions about Assistive Technlogy about the GLASS office at the system headquarters, and provide them with contact information as needed.
This topic was definitely an eye opener for me, because many of our libraries are seriously lacking Assistive tools and technology to assist patrons with some forms of disabilities.