Assistive Technologies: Home

The Library collaborates with Access Services to provide assistive technology resources to complement student computing needs, particularly in support of students with physical or learning disabilities. Please ask for assistance with these resources at the Circulation Desk on the 2nd floor (Plaza level).

What types of assistive technologies and adaptive equipment can I find at the Library?

7 Adjustable Tables

Locations: 5 tables on 2nd floor (Plaza, east), 2 on 3rd floor, 1 on 4th floor 

Individuals often need to adjust their workstation table up or down and these tables adjust easily to accommodate different height requirements.

2nd floor:

• Two are equipped with a computer and flatbed scanner.
• 3rd table: on the west side of the 2nd floor

3rd floor: 

• One table on the east side near the fire extinguisher

4th floor

• just off the elevator near the hanging quilt art display

Video Phone - for sign language users

Location: 2nd floor (Plaza, West)

Sorenson video phone. Allows you to place calls using sign language, either calling another video phone directly or placing a call through an interpreter. To check out the remote control, please go to the Circulation Desk on the 2nd floor (Plaza level).

Vision Magnifier

Location: 1 on 2nd floor, east side against the short wall near the freight elevator and computers

One Acrobat HD Desktop Magnifier provides magnification of printed material onto a monitor. The reading material is placed on the viewing table and projected onto a screen magnified to the size needed by the individual.

Zoom Feature

Location: All Information Commons computers - 2nd floor (Plaza, east)

Note: The Google Chrome, Internet Explorer, and Mozilla Firefox browsers all have a zoom feature that increases the font size on the computer monitors. It may be used by pressing CTRL and either + (to zoom in) or - (to zoom out) or 0 (to reset).

Library ADA Workstations

Location: 2nd floor (Plaza, east in front of the Reference Desk and in classroom 206A)

The library has 2 accessible computers for people with disabilities. Priority use will be given to students with Letters of Accommodation.

Computers are equipped with: 

ZoomText

ZoomText is a powerful screen magnifier and screen reader that makes the computer easier to see, hear, and use. It is designed for individuals with visual impairments such as macular degeneration and glaucoma. It enlarges computer text and photographs, and can read text out loud.

JAWS screen reader

With JAWS for Windows, blind and visually impaired users can browse the Web, read or write email messages, or access database information. Using JAWS for Windows is relatively easy to do. The pitch, speed and gender of the voice can be easily altered to match the user's comfort range.

Kurzweil 3000

Kurzweil 3000 was designed as a learning aid for people who have difficulty reading. It can help users read faster and understand more. By speaking and highlighting or enlarging text, it provides both auditory and visual input to the reader. The program reads text scanned from a book or document or it can open and read a word processing file. The original page layout, including pictures and charts, etc., are maintained and displayed on the screen. Changing the reading speed and voice is simple and words can be spelled, broken into syllables and defined with the click of a button.