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Adapting to the Web - Bronx Day Habilitation Service By Tech News Staff Writer Catherine Friesen
It may be tempting to take this familiar looking situation for granted. However, it is the product of deliberate thinking, and the foresight to make the Internet a more accessible experience to a population that has not traditionally been targeted by technology. The eager classmates are participants in the Bronx Day Habilitation Service for adults with developmental disabilities. It is one of the many FEGS Health and Human Services System (F.E.G.S.) programs that utilize technology to enhance the life experiences of their clients.  
The tool that makes this class possible is web adaptive software issued by IBM, originally developed for senior adults. Through their partnership with IBM, F.E.G.S., along with many similar organizations received the software to pilot with their developmentally disabled consumers. The software offers a range of settings each user can tailor to his or her needs. Settings allow users to simplify their visual experience of web pages by getting rid of flashing graphics, busy backgrounds, or altering colors. Others increase the font size and translate words into an easily legible typeface. There is also a setting that "reads" the pages aloud. After a client establishes their settings, they are automatically in place each time they log on. The goal of the software is to promote independence in using technology, which translates into self-confidence for the consumers. Internet access has revolutionized the computer experience for students at the Bronx Day Habilitation Service. In contrast to more traditional software for this population that aims to teach particular skills, it is a tool that can be used to navigate a wide range of learning experiences. Emily Hacker, Director of Learning Technologies, F.E.G.S., comments that the software is "very much about enabling user choice; it provides a window to information that consumers are interested in." During Black History month this class decided to look up important historic figures, and their research led to a special event in which they presented their findings. The class also looks up maps and details about admission to trip destinations or movies. Instructors have found that Internet access is most successful in this environment when computer classes are supported by curriculum or particular project goals, rather than simply open time to surf. Projects are chosen by a combination of instructor input and suggestions that the consumers make. F.E.G.S. has long been committed to using technology both on the administrative and programmatic level. This commitment has guided it to seek technology that enhances learning for all of the populations it serves. It has also given F.E.G.S. a solid IT infrastructure to support their endeavors on a daily basis, including a help desk that programs can utilize. Other software that F.E.G.S. locations have piloted include Reading Recognition for literacy and ESL groups, and IBM's Automatic Translation Project, which translates web pages from English to Spanish. In the case of the latter, Hacker notes that piloting the software was empowering for the consumers both through gaining access to information, and because they were the "experts" IBM needed in order to determine translation accuracy. Ms. Hacker asserts that, "there is a lot of need and buy-in" for such programs as the web adaptive software from consumers like those at the Bronx Day Habilitation Service. They are eager to leap the "digital divide." The problem so far has been a lack of good software to meet their needs. She observes that Internet accessibility continues to evolve as we expand the picture of who the users are, and may be.
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Special Populations.... KidSmart Early Learning Program (November, 2005) Adapting to the Web - Bronx Day Habilitation Service (October, 2004) The MOUSE Squad Supports and Rescues IT in City Schools (June, 2003) Harnessing the Internet: Building Online Communities (June, 2003) Bobby Doesn't Approve of Your Web Presence: Making Your Web Site "Disability-Friendly" (April, 2002) Building a Bridge Across the Digital Divide (November, 2000) The Homeless Information Management System: Making Technology Work for Government (May, 2000) LEGIT: Training Teens for Better Futures (March, 2000) School-Based Technology Volunteer Program Helps the Disadvantaged. . . (August, 1999) Finding Information Online: When it Comes to Rehabilitation and Disabilities try NARIC (June, 1999) Computers for Learning: Empowering America's Children for the 21st Century (April, 1999) Internet-Based System Eases Court Preparation for Domestic Violence Victims (Februry, 1999) Hispanic Federations CREDIT Project (December, 1999) Making Information Technology Accessible for People with Disabilities (October, 1998) Other Articles of Interest.... Searching for Cancer Information on the Internet: A New Project in Harlem (April, 2001) Black Data Processing Associates Offers Training, Performs Community Service (October, 1999) Distance Learning and Training can be Low-Key, Low-Tech, and Low-Budget (October, 1999) Community Voice Mail Comes to New York (August, 1999) New York Cares Launches Partners in Technology Program (April, 1999) It Takes More than Computers. . .Libraries in the Information Age (December, 1998) Fill Your Tech Jobs - Free - and Can We Train Your Displaced Worker Clients? (October, 1998) |
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