Temple University - Templar Yearbook (Philadelphia, PA)

Page 19 text:

blEd ' lottew. Jhonetic ily|lti[ oewlhey 3fd gets will be a etotake Opposite: This Apple lie with voicebox will soon have a partner in the law school that will also serve as a word processor. Left Above: The ITS computer on the seventh floor of the Computer Activity Building is a great asset to students studying computer science. The special coinputers did not divert the office frotn its main purpose: to integrate disabled students into the mainstream of the student body. As proof of this goal, director Ryan point- ed to the campus ' 95% accessibility to wheelchairs. Many buildings, those with the blue wheelchair signs, were renovated by state money. A few trouble spots remained, according to Ryan. The ramp at Mitten Hall is too steep and gets very icy in bad weather, and the elevator in Curtis Hall breaks down a lot, she said. Much campus housing also was renovat- ed to provide greater access to the dis- abled. Bedrooms and bathrooms on three floors of the dorms and three apartments in Cooney were available, said Ryan. Section copy and layout by Michael Norris and Patrice M. Beahr 15 1

Page 18 text:

CamputErs Enable DissblEd i i ■ hm Temple computers could do more than just process registration or library information. At the Office for the Disabled computers were used to help disabled students. The office owned and operated two computers that were specially adapted to meet the needs of the blind or visually-impaired. Both were acquired in the fall of 1984. The first was a Merlin Information Through Speech (ITS) that was available for use on the seventh floor of the Computer Activity Building. The ITS computer was paid for by a $12,000 grant from the Widener Foundation and arrived at Temple in October 1984. Attached to the computer, which is connected to the university ' s main- frame, was a special machine that could program and print in braille. The second computer, an Apple lie, was equipped with a small black voicebox that pronounced phonetically all information entered into the terminal. Located in the Office for the Disabled at 1828 Park Mall, the Apple was used primarily as a word processor for students ' papers. The voicebox allowed blind students to hear any mis- takes they made, and a standard printer printed the final draft. The computer, voicebox and printer cost $3,000 and were bought through a grant from the Charlotte W. Newcombe Foundation. The Apple was installed in the office in December 1984. One problem with the Apple, according to Mary Ryan, director of the Office for the Disabled, was its phonetic pronunciation. Users of the computer had to retrain their ears. A word like ' hoagie ' comes out as ' ho-a-gie ' , she said. Two people helped the office break in the computers this year, according to Ryan. George Crosson, a fulltime Temple student, spent many hours training himself to become the resident expert on the ITS computer. And law professor Steve Mikochik used the Apple to prepare several articles for publication. Ryan said that because the computers were so new they hadn ' t been in great demand. Once the word gets around about Steve and George the computers will be a lot busier, she said. Soon even more students and faculty will be able to take advantage of the office ' s computer facilities. Ryan said that a new grant from Mellon Bank will be used to buy a second Apple lie with voicebox that will most likely be installed in the law school. rrsi

Page 20 text:

1 - 1 students create graphic designs as pro- H fessor Stanley Lechtzin looks on. H