Live Chat Support
Accessible Technology Center
The Accessible Technology Center (ATC) on the first floor of Meriam Library (adjacent to the main computer lab) is now operated by the Office of Accessible Technology and Services. (OATS) The lab serves as a technology space for students registered with Accessibility Resource Center. (ARC) Aside from individual technology use, OATS has launched an accessible technology tutoring program. The program provides 1 v 1 tutoring on all of the latest accessible technologies.
Available Software in the ATC
The ATC provides the following accessibility software:
- Speech recognition
- Screen reader
- Screen magnification
- Text to speech
- LD assistive reading software
A brief description of each software and links to software manufacturers are provided below.
Speech Recognition Software
Speech recognition software attempts to "humanize" the interface between people and machines by expanding the use of speech. The speech capabilities of this software include continuous and discrete dictation systems, voice command systems, and text-to-speech systems. The ATC has the following software installed on several computers:
Screen Reader Software
Screen reader software reads aloud the contents of the computer screen, including text on drop-down menus, dialog boxes, help files, e-mail, web pages, or any text documents.
Screen Magnification Software
Screen magnifiers magnify the display of word processors, spreadsheets, databases, and online services on the computer. The IT Support Services labs have built-in screen magnification capability in the operating system software installed on the PCs in all the open access labs as well as in the ATC. In addition, the following software program is available on the ATC workstations:
- Zoom Text by AI Squared
LD Assistive Reading Software
Kurzweil 3000 is software that helps people with reading or learning difficulties increase their reading speed and comprehension. Kurzweil 3000 can read virtually any scanned document or other electronic file on your computer or the Internet, using a high quality synthetic speech. Plus, with Kurzweil 3000, words are highlighted in a contrasting color to the reading unit making tracking easier.
- Kurzweil 3000 by Kurzweil Educational Systems