2008 Woodie Awards
Alternative Media Center offers resources to students with disabilities
Colleen Watson
Issue date: 2/26/08 Section: Student Culture
On the second floor of the Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Library against the north wall is an electric, sliding glass door. From the outside, it looks like a small office.
Through the door the room opens to the Emma E. Legg Adaptive Technology Center, which is filled with computers, each in its own little cubicle. Students can be seen diligently typing away, some wearing headphones.
Past the computer bay is the Alternative Media Center. Part of the technology center, the AMC is responsible for making textbooks and other print materials accessible to disabled students.
The Alternative Media Center trains visually impaired and blind students, said Eric Christierson, the Alternative Media Center coordinator.
"We put everything on a CD," he said.
When students get the software from the Alternative Media Center they can then use the programs and hardware of the Adaptive Technology Center to access the information.
"Students learn all different ways, and we provide the tools to aid students in learning through our adaptive software," said Kerri Simmons, an Adaptive Technology Center support specialist.
The technology center has scanners that will read documents, software that reads aloud what is on the screen of a computer, software that helps people with reading disabilities and software that can turn text files into audio files.
Kasey Carrillo, a senior liberal studies major, said she is an auditory learner and that she uses the scanners at the center to help her with school.
"I scan in documents, and the software reads it," she said. "It helps with editing and stuff."
"It provides necessary resources to make my education process easier," Carrillo said.
Simmons said, "A lot of students come in here to use documents readers. The other half come in here to use Microsoft Office.
"Students come in and get help on a wide variety of things," she said.
Kibiwot Limo, a senior photography major, said, "I just come here to do assignments and e-mails."
The Adaptive Technology Center is part of the Disability Resource Center. Only SJSU students who are registered with the resource center may use the technology center.
According to the technology center's Web site, new students must go through a 20-minute orientation, and the staff also trains students on the use of the adaptive software.
Simmons said the technology center sees about 50 to 60 students a day.
"I think more of our students are not aware of all that we have to offer here," she said.
Irena Valera, a senior behavioral science and sociology major, was standing outside of the King Library and said she had never heard of the Adaptive Technology Center.
"I had a friend that was disabled that didn't know about it," she said, adding that he graduated last year and had retinitis pigmentosa, which is retinal degeneration where a person gradually loses his or her vision.
Through the door the room opens to the Emma E. Legg Adaptive Technology Center, which is filled with computers, each in its own little cubicle. Students can be seen diligently typing away, some wearing headphones.
Past the computer bay is the Alternative Media Center. Part of the technology center, the AMC is responsible for making textbooks and other print materials accessible to disabled students.
The Alternative Media Center trains visually impaired and blind students, said Eric Christierson, the Alternative Media Center coordinator.
"We put everything on a CD," he said.
When students get the software from the Alternative Media Center they can then use the programs and hardware of the Adaptive Technology Center to access the information.
"Students learn all different ways, and we provide the tools to aid students in learning through our adaptive software," said Kerri Simmons, an Adaptive Technology Center support specialist.
The technology center has scanners that will read documents, software that reads aloud what is on the screen of a computer, software that helps people with reading disabilities and software that can turn text files into audio files.
Kasey Carrillo, a senior liberal studies major, said she is an auditory learner and that she uses the scanners at the center to help her with school.
"I scan in documents, and the software reads it," she said. "It helps with editing and stuff."
"It provides necessary resources to make my education process easier," Carrillo said.
Simmons said, "A lot of students come in here to use documents readers. The other half come in here to use Microsoft Office.
"Students come in and get help on a wide variety of things," she said.
Kibiwot Limo, a senior photography major, said, "I just come here to do assignments and e-mails."
The Adaptive Technology Center is part of the Disability Resource Center. Only SJSU students who are registered with the resource center may use the technology center.
According to the technology center's Web site, new students must go through a 20-minute orientation, and the staff also trains students on the use of the adaptive software.
Simmons said the technology center sees about 50 to 60 students a day.
"I think more of our students are not aware of all that we have to offer here," she said.
Irena Valera, a senior behavioral science and sociology major, was standing outside of the King Library and said she had never heard of the Adaptive Technology Center.
"I had a friend that was disabled that didn't know about it," she said, adding that he graduated last year and had retinitis pigmentosa, which is retinal degeneration where a person gradually loses his or her vision.
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