• Introduction
• PSE Institutional Disability Policies
• Accommodations
• Financial Support
• Transition from High-School to Post-Secondary Education
• Physical Accessibility
• Alternate Formats
• Assistive Technology
• Mental Health
• Sports and Recreation
• Social Inclusion
• Transition to Employment
• Training and Development for Faculty
• Training and Development For Staff
• Inclusive Education
• Professional Organizations for Post-Secondary Disability Service Providers

Enhancing Accessibility in Post-Secondary Education Institutions

Assistive Technology Resources

In this section you will find resources and information on assistive technology and how they can be implemented to assist students with disabilities to be successful in PSE.

College/University Resources

• The University of Prince Edward Island offers a brochure for the Adaptive Technology Centre. The brochure is available online at http://www.upei.ca/webstercentre/files/webstercentre/adaptive_technology.pdf
• The University of Prince Edward Island also provides an online tutorial on text-to-speech and speech-to-text software as a part of the introductory video on their accessibility website. The full video can be seen at http://www.upei.ca/webstercentre/accessibility/
• The Adaptive Technology Resource Centre (ATRC) at the University of Toronto works with Accessibility Services to help students successfully use technology to meet their educational goals. In addition to individualized consultation, the ATRC provides facilities for training individuals on the use of technologies both on an individual and group basis. For a list of workshops currently being offered by the ATRC, visit: http://www.utoronto.ca/atrc/education/workshops/upcoming.html
• The University of Western has two very differently designed and equipped assistive technology labs; one for students who have learning disabilities and one for those who have visually based disabilities. http://www.sdc.uwo.ca/ssd/index.html?assist_tech
• York University has an Assistive Technology Lab which offers services to students affiliated with Learning Disability Services, Mental Health Disability Services, and Physical, Sensory and Medical Disability Services. The Assistive Technology Lab provides:
  • A quiet work space that has access to the internet and limited printing
  • Access to word processing and various assistive technologies
  • An Assistive Technology Specialist that offers training and support in the use of various assistive (and mainstream) software programs

  http://www.yorku.ca/cds/lds/technology.html

• Access Centre for Students with Disabilities operates two computer labs at Concordia University with adapted computer hardware and software available for use by students with disabilities. The University also has a Technology Assistant who is available by appointment to instruct students in the use of the equipment and software. Students who use adaptive/assistive software and hardware to write exams must participate in training to ensure proper use of the equipment. http://supportservices.concordia.ca/disabilities/adaptiveassistivetechnology/
• The Inclusive Design Research Centre is a research and development centre at Ontario College of Art and Design University where an international community of open source developers, designers, researchers, advocates, and volunteers work together to ensure that emerging information technology and practices are designed inclusively. The group promotes inclusion by:
  • growing design and development practices
  • creating tools that others can use and contribute to
  • teaching the principles and techniques of inclusive design
  • advocating for inclusion in international standards
  • providing services that match solutions with individuals

  http://idrc.ocad.ca/

• The University of Victoria Assistive Technology Team (UVATT) is dedicated to developing technology, devices and services that improve the quality of life of those with special needs. http://design.engr.uvic.ca/category/media/uvatt/

External Resources

• The Liberated Learning Consortium is an international research group dedicated to improving access to information through Speech Recognition (SR) based captioning and transcription systems. The Consortium has initiated partnerships with a number of Canada’s leading national disability organizations and is working collaboratively to develop emerging SR technologies that increase access to information for Canadians with disabilities. To find out more visit www.liberatedlearning.com.
• Assistive Technology Links (AT-Links) includes resources on the Canadian Assistive Devices Industry, development groups, and the acquisition of assistive devices. http://www.at-links.gc.ca
• Free Assistive Technology for People with Learning Disabilities provides links to various free software downloads including reading software, editing tools and word prediction software. http://www.centreforliteracy.qc.ca/courses/Free_AT_Wkshp.pdf
• Assistive Technology Tools, Tips and Tricks contains information and resources on assistive technology that targets students and adults with learning disabilities or other cognitive challenges. http://www.nsnet.org/atc/tools/contents.html
• Designing the Web for People with Disabilities identifies common problems with inaccessible websites and outlines strategies and resources people can use to make them accessible. http://www.paciellogroup.com/resources/whitepapers/WPDesignWebAccess.htm
• Designing More Usable Web Sites is a large database that includes accessible web site guidelines, access tools, and information on accessibility. http://trace.wisc.edu/world/web/

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