Marissa Poe
\Being an Assistive Technology Trainer has taught me somuch. It helped me grow as an individual and gave me the opportunity to meet manygreat individuals-especially my colleagues Al, Tom, and Stephen, here at theRCPD," said Ben Wernette.
Ben is the newest addition to the Resource Center forPersons with Disabilities' technology team. He is a junior from Bloomfield Hills, Michigan majoring in BusinessManagement; one day, he hopes to own his own company. In high school, Benlogged hundreds of hours tutoring and translating books into accessible formsfor students with disabilities. When hecame to MSU he continued to help students with disabilities excel academicallyas a mentor through the STATE program.
This fall, the opportunity arose for a new assistivetechnology trainer. Having worked extensively with Matt Carbury, RCPD's lastAssistive Technology Trainer, Ben was familiar with the position. He knew he could uphold the standards and wasvery excited when he was offered the job.
As an assistive technology trainer for the RCPD Ben'sresponsibilities vary. He spends themajority of his time helping students download and read books with theirelectronic readers. Ben said, "the massproduction of E-readers has made the technology more affordable and attainable.The supportive and assistive technology has the potential to enhance RCPDstudents' academic performance."
College campuses around the nation have been experimentingwith E-readers. The appeal of an E-readeris that it allows students to upload and reference multiple books on a portabledevice. Many MSU professors have alreadyincorporated required reading in digital format on ANGEL. However, this is onlythe beginning.
Imagine if every textbook required for students was madeavailable in electronic form. Foreseeingthe seemingly inevitable transition from print texts to electronic, the USDepartments of Justice and Education urged colleges and universities to beselective when choosing E-readers required for students. The RCPD took this announcement as anopportunity to share their knowledge of accessible book readers with the MSUcommunity. The RCPD partnered with the MSU administration to educate facultyand staff about the importance of choosing accessible readers for theirstudents.
Recognizingtechnology as a vital source of accessibility for Michigan State students, theRCPD continues to research and find the latest technologies on the market. Director Michael Hudson of the RCPD believes,"We have reached a tipping point in textbookaccessibility. Today, mainstream textbooks are poised to become inherentlyaccessible. The RCPD is actively engaged to accelerate awareness andadoption of universally-designed solutions."
With thestart of the fall 2010 semester, the RCPD boosted its assistivetechnology program inventory with the new E-book Accessibility Project. The project includes a demonstration center,which allows students to test technology before purchasing it. This center can also be used for trainingsessions with RCPD specialists so that students can feel comfortable with thetechnology. The RCPD is especially enthusiasticabout introducing the Apple iPad.
The iPad has built-in accessibility features thatare unmatched by any other current commercial E-reader. A revolutionary screen reader called VoiceOver allows users to navigate all elements of the iPad's touch screen with aclear voice output.
Al Puzzuoli, the RCPD's Information Technologist, said, "Althoughpeople with disabilities still do not have equal access to all E-books, it ismy hope that in the next five years E-books will be accessible." The RCPD isthere every step of the way ensuring accessibility and equal opportunity forall students.