IT Accessibility
Introduction
IT Services is committed to making our services available to all staff and students and is particularly keen to improve access for anyone with a particular disability. The use of information services on campus has a particular role to play in serving this commitment and meeting demands by bringing information and e-mail to the users workstation, and giving users immediate access to staff.
Labs
A lift is available in the Haslegrave Building and other computing Labs are reasonably accessible to all (with the exception of S006). However, wheelchair users will probably find doors in the Haslegrave building difficult unless they are accompanied. It is also our policy to encourage staff to work with people across the campus and we will respond to particular demands of users with disabilities in a flexible manner. We support various screen enhancing systems and can advise on other software such as Speech Recognition systems.
Information on accessing computer labs is at www.lboro.ac.uk/it/access/find.html.
Dyslexia
The Text Help system www.lboro.ac.uk/it/access/texthelp/ may be helpful for those with dyslexia. The Text Help system may also be useful to those International Students who have English as a second or other language. This system is available in computer labs, and optionally available to staff for their staff computers (a video tutorial for Labs and Staff Desktop XP www.lboro.ac.uk/it/access/texthelp/intro.html is now available).
Scanners www.lboro.ac.uk/it/labs/scanning.html are available in some computer labs and can either scan images or can scan text and import it into a document (Optical Character Recognition). This text can subsequently be read to you with the Text Help system - see Reading Printed Documents with TextHelp Movie www.lboro.ac.uk/it/access/texthelp/scanning.html.
Mind mapping software: Mind Genius www.lboro.ac.uk/it/access/mind-mapping/ is available in all computer labs, and is also optionally available to staff for their staff computers via the Staff Desktop XP service.
Sight
The Library also has a Galileo Reading System for those with dyslexia or a visual impairment. The automatic scanner scans a page and analyses it to learn which parts are text and which graphics. After scanning, the text can either be read back immediately, or saved to disk. They also have a Telesensory Chroma Plus camera and viewing table to aid users with limited vision. Further information on the Library's facilities for those with additional needs www.lboro.ac.uk/library/services/additionalneeds.html.
Keyboard Shortcuts
Some users may find that the Keyboard Shortcuts for popular software allows them to work more efficiently. The Computer Labs use Office 2007 and Windows XP. The Staff Desktop XP service uses Office 2003 and Windows XP.
Disabilities and Additional Needs Department
www.lboro.ac.uk/disabilities/
English Language Studies Unit (for those with dyslexia)
www.lboro.ac.uk/admin/elsu/