Danny Bittker
At one point in time, having a disability at Michigan State came with a unique set of circumstances. Computers were inaccessible, books were difficult to find, and microphones in classrooms were non-existent. For students with visual or hearing impairments the old days at MSU were complicated and education was an uphill battle. But, not anymore.
Now, students with disabilities have numerous options and can find technology to fit their needs. Computers can talk, microphones and real-time captioning services are readily available, and textbooks are accessible for anyone. A technological revolution has occurred on MSU's campus in the past several years.
The Resource Center for Persons with Disabilities has a number of different technologies for students to use. The Assistive Technology Center (ATC) is located within the RCPD and is available to all MSU students and employees. The ATC offers a state of the art facility that provides the latest technologies in voice and Braille output, screen enlargement, voice input, and reading equipment. There are a number of accessible workstations located not just within the ATC, but around campus. These offer the user the capability to have screen content read aloud. The MSU Main Library offers a parallel experience as the RCPD ATC. Every computer station in each computer lab at Michigan State, using screen-reader technology, has the capability to read text on the screen to visually impaired users.
Tom Hwang is the RCPD's Media Access Specialist and works with students and staff members each day to ensure that those with disabilities have access to textbooks and other instructional media. "In the past three years, new technologies have been used more frequently, more efficiently and with more functionality," Hwang said. Working with student members of the sophomore honors organization- Tower Guard, Hwang and his staff ensure that the thousands of books required for classes at MSU are available to visually impaired students in Braille, Large Print and Electronic Format. "Today, Tower Guard members do not have to solve computer problems, instead they can devote their time to E-Text production," he said. Hwang, his staff and the current 84 Tower Guard members produce hundreds of books annually for students with print-related disabilities. To optimize efficiency, Hwang works in collaboration with a number of different organizations and universities to find textbooks that have already been produced in E-Text format allowing the text to be read aloud by computers. He also works with several textbook publishers in an attempt to get the electronic versions directly from them. But in cases where the publisher will not provide an electronic format and other organizations do not have the book, Hwang and his staff go to work. They scan each page of a book, ensure that the scanning was done with no mistakes and check that the computer recognizes and accurately reproduces each page. The entire process varies, but the technology is so advanced that books that are virtually error-free can be scanned in less than an hour. Additional time is spent to perfect quality and ensures students receive the best possible texts.
Hwang and the Tower Guard play an integral part in providing assistive technology to MSU students and employees with disabilities. The accessible textbook program is one component in a comprehensive program at MSU. There are a number of other disability-related technologies available. Visit the MSU RCPD Assistive Technology page to learn more.