At last, we have a US book on people with disabilities that does not use the term “handicapped”! This work looks at how people with disabilities can access information through the use of adaptive technology, defined as “computer software and hardware that have been modified to be accessible by people with disabilities, or equipment that has been created to be compensatory tools for people with disabilities” (p. 3).
The 12 chapter titles indicate their coverage pretty clearly: “Higher education’s obligation to people with disabilities”; “the Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990”; “Planning an adaptive computer program”; “Implementing an adaptive computing program”; “Creating accessible workstations and facilities; scope and limits of supporting students with disabilities”; “Technology and techniques”; “Matching people and technology”; “Issues in science, engineering and mathematics”; “Creating accessible libraries”; “The information highway and the information hungry”; and “Sensitivity”.
The premise of this book is that adaptive technology has the potential to “enable individuals with disabilities to become fully effective participants in the information age” (p. ix). Although not aimed specifically at librarians, the content does treat the role of libraries quite prominently. In the chapter on creating accessible libraries, for example, the authors discuss the provision of accessible terminals, provision for patrons with disabilities, access to CD‐ROMs, books available electronically and advice on library staff training to welcome and encourage library use by people with disabilities. The chapter on the Internet explores the potential of this medium and provides hints on how to design accessible Web pages. There is an appendix listing model campuses and libraries; this presents profiles of the Bobst Library at New York University, the University of Wisconsin‐Stout Libraries and the Seattle Public Library. These case studies demonstrate how to implement the theory in order to achieve practical outcomes for clients with disabilities. Other appendixes include relevant resources on adaptive technology and a list of manufacturer addresses, which doubles as a concise guide to “alternative input/output software for IBM‐compatible PCs”. There is also a bibliography and an index.
This book is aimed at the US market with the case studies, appendices and information all US‐specific. However, in an age of globalisation this is not the disadvantage it once was, and this book would be a useful starting point for those libraries willing to invest the time and funds to ensure that their clients with disabilities are able to access information through the use of adaptive technology.
