From Booklist
Providing library access to the disabled includes making available not only physical facilities but also the information they contain, including electronic information. Mates, head of the Cleveland Library for the Blind and Physically Handicapped, presents guidance for providing electronic information to visually and aurally impaired patrons and to those whose learning disabilities make using printed materials difficult or impossible. She reviews such devices as voice synthesizers, Braille printers and translators, modifications to keyboards and other input devices, and optical character recognition systems. She considers funding the acquisition of such aids, publicizing them, and training staff to use them; and she lists selected vendors, adaptive technology Web sites, and libraries possessing adaptive technology programs. Edward Swanson
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Most Helpful Customer Reviews   5 of 5 people found the following review helpful: Could Helen Keller Use Your Library?, April 9, 2002 By  Spud (Bynum, NC USA) - See all my reviews Adaptive Technology for the Internet: Making Electronic Resources Accessible to All is a resource for libraries attempting to make web material available to the entire community, published by the American Library Association. After an introduction to basic web design, the book discusses specific methods for improving accessibility. It provides software and hardware solutions for a variety of visual and auditory impairments and descriptions of how the products function and interact with each other and considerations for their use. For example when talking about Braille displays, the author says that they are very expensive and gives a brief description of display features and what librarians need to consider if they are acquiring this technology. Pictures, charts and drawings illustrate products and clarify topics. The chapter on funding adaptive technology contains advice on how to present your plan as well as finding the right funder. Another chapter is about training library staff that has, among other things, tips for assisting persons with disabilities. This book is full of very specific information . On page 39 you can get system requirements for a public access computer and learn why it's a good idea to have a high quality graphics card for a computer that will primarily be used for visually impaired patrons. Appendixes contain helpful websites, vendor, manufacturer and consultant contact information and special libraries with adaptive technology programs. At the back of the book is a glossary, a bibliography of reading resources and an eight page index.  Comment | Permalink | Was this review helpful to you? (Report this)   9 of 11 people found the following review helpful: A "must" for all academic & community library collections, February 3, 2000 By  Midwest Book Review (Oregon, Wisconsin) - See all my reviews A library's principle mission is to make its resources available to the entire community, including those with disabilities. Recent court decisions affirm that libraries must proactively and deliberately plan for accessability of their electronic resources as well. Adaptive Technology For The Internet: Making Electronic Resources Accessible To All is a handbook that will show librarians how to carry out this mandate imposed upon them by the Americans With Disabilities Act and covers such electronic technologies as screen readers, Braille screens, voice recognition systems, hearing assistance devices, and HTML coding for accessability. The pay off for all this effort and adaptation is the opening up of the library to a new and appreciative community of patrons.  Comment | Permalink | Was this review helpful to you?