ACCESS

Adaptive Computer Center for Effective Special Services

The ACCESS Center is located just inside the Library's doors, past the Circulation Desk and in the Reference Area.  The Center is comprised of four computers that outwardly look no different than any of the other sixty machines nearby.  What makes these computers special is not what you see, but what they can do.  These computers, through the use of specialty software, offer independence to study, browse, read, compose and function when a student's abilities are limited or impaired.  The ACCESS Center opens the doors to the wealth of information the Library provides all students via print, microfiche, film, electronic databases, etc. that would otherwise be difficult if not impossible to use, if the student had physical, cognitive or visual limitations. In this small section of the Library, giant steps are being taken.

For our ACCESS students we have:

21 Inch monitors

Push button adjustable height desks

Track ball mice

Braille keyboard

Software currently used in the ACCESS Center:

JAWS

          Jaws works with the computer to provide access to today's software applications and the Internet. With its internal software speech synthesizer and the computer's sound card, information from the screen is read aloud, providing access to a wide variety of information. 

KURZWEIL 1000

          Kurzweil 1000 is state of the art reading software that allows printed materials to be accessible to our students who are blind.  With a variety of life-like voices and variable reading speeds Kurzweil 1000 converts printed text into spoken word to the users specification.  Kurzweil 1000 turns a personal computer and scanner into an advanced reading machine.

KURZWEIL 3000

          Kurzweil 3000 is the leading reading, writing and learning solution for individuals of all ages with learning difficulties.  Kurzweil 3000 provides students with the tools they need to improve their reading speed and comprehension, plus a suite of features that make it possible to learn and study independently.

DRAGON NATURALLY SPEAKING

          Dragon Naturally Speaking accurately turns speech into text.  It enables students with limited mobility to dictate documents, control applications, manage the desktop, do research and check email all by speaking into a microphone. Dragon meets the Section 508 standards, established by the U.S. Government.

MAGIC

          With Magic screen magnification software a variety of visual impairments are addressed by simply changing the size of what is being viewed.  The desktop and all the applications on it can be magnified from two to sixteen times the original size.