Assistive technologies

Swinburne recognises the importance of course materials being accessible to all students regardless of any temporary or permanent impairment or disability.

There are a number of assistive technologies available to students.

Some common types of these technologies that can facilitate computer access, grouped by disability type, are:

Blindness - Screen readers, Braille input/output devices, scanners/ Optical Character Recognition (OCR)/readers
Low vision - Screen magnification software, large monitors, customized color contrast
Deaf or hard-of-hearing - Visual signals that accompany computer sounds
Orthopedic/motor - Speech recognition, alternative keyboards, alternative pointing devices, word prediction software
Learning disabilities - Word prediction software, speech recognition, scanners/OCR/readers

Subject to eligibility, Swinburne is able to provide a screen reader, JAWS (Job Access With Speech) for visually impaired students. JAWS is a powerful text to speech program, however, if the course materials are not constructed with accessibility in mind, the usefulness of JAWS (and other assistive technologies) will be limited.