Open Access Open Access  Restricted Access Subscription Access
Open Access Open Access Open Access  Restricted Access Restricted Access Subscription Access

Everyday Life Information for People with Special Needs : A Refuge to Technology


Affiliations
1 Derozio Memorial College, Kolkata – 700136, West Bengal, India
     

   Subscribe/Renew Journal


Access to everyday life information of a person with special needs seems to experience frequent hindrances in the form of “Way of Life” and “Mastery of Life” since a person of such difficulties finds the traditional mode of delivery of information from public libraries in West Bengal insufficient in getting the required information for lifelong learning. Modern day technology comes as a remedy to this. Everyday life information seeking of twenty four people with special needs of the existing six public libraries in Chanditala II and adjunct blocks of Hooghly District in West Bengal has been studied in the present investigation using micro-moment timeline interview and survey method. Recommendations have been made exploring various apps-developing platforms such as Android, Apple, and even search engines like Google etc. to endeavour to reach the zenith of mass literacy. Google search through Google Voices etc. offered by Google; Text-to Speech apps offered by Android; AccessTech, Proloquo2Go, iConverse, iCommunicate etc. offered by Apple for blind and visually impaired people are some of them that can be used in public libraries in order to smoothen the everyday life information searching experience of persons with special needs like never before. DAISY Digital Talking Book, Audio Books, books procured from the Organizations such as Learning Ally (U.S.) can be made accessible in order to secure the lifelong learning of people with special needs in public parties.

Keywords

Everyday Life Information Seeking, Life-Long Learning, Mastery of Life, Mass Literacy, People with Special Needs, Public Libraries, Way of Life.
User
About The Author

Avik Roy
Derozio Memorial College, Kolkata – 700136, West Bengal
India


Notifications

  • Savolainen, R. (1995). Everyday life information seeking: Approaching information seeking in the context of “way of life”. Library and Information Science Research, 17, 259-294. https://doi.org/10.1016/0740-8188(95)90048-9.
  • Savolainen, R. (2006). Time as a context of information seeking. Library and Information Science Research, 28, 110-127. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.lisr.2005.11.001.
  • Savolainen, R. (2008). Everyday Information Practices: A Social Phenomenological Perspective. Toronto: The Scarecrow Press; p. 53.
  • Berger, P. and Luckmann, T. (1979). The Social Construction of Reality. Great Britain: Penguin Books.
  • Hazra, U. and Sengupta, S. (2015). Development of public libraries in the district of Burdwan, West Bengal: A Study. IASLIC Bulletin, 60(3), 164-184.
  • Ministry of Home Affairs. (2016). Census 2011: Data on disability. Retrieved from http://www.censusindia.gov.in/2011census/population_enumeration.html.
  • Hill, H. (2013). Disability and accessibility in the library and information science literature: A content analysis. Library and Information Science Research, Retrieved from http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.lisr.2012.11.002.
  • United Nations (2009). What is a disability and who are persons with disabilities? FAQ: United Nations enable: Rights and dignity of persons with disabilities. Retrieved from http://www.un.org/disabilities on April 29, 2013.
  • Terzi, L. (2008). Justice and Equality in Education: A Capability Perspective on Disability and Special Needs. New York, NY: Continuum International.
  • Burgstahler, S. (1992). Working together: People with disabilities and computer technology. Seattle: DO-IT, 1-4.
  • Bhattacharya, U. and Roy, A. (2013). Digital Reference Service for the People with Special Needs: Why, why and how. IFLA World Library and Information Congress: 79th IFLA General Conference and Assembly, Singapore; August 2013. p. 17-23. Retrieved from http://library.ifla.org/.
  • Addlakha, R. (Ed.). (2013). Disability Studies in India: Global Discourses, Local Realities, New Delhi, India: Routledge India.
  • Singh, D. (2004). Reference Services in the Digital Age. Paper Presented at the Conference on Library Management in the 21st Century, 29-30 March 2004, Philippines: Ateneo de Manila University; p. 1-8.

Abstract Views: 325

PDF Views: 4




  • Everyday Life Information for People with Special Needs : A Refuge to Technology

Abstract Views: 325  |  PDF Views: 4

Authors

Avik Roy
Derozio Memorial College, Kolkata – 700136, West Bengal, India

Abstract


Access to everyday life information of a person with special needs seems to experience frequent hindrances in the form of “Way of Life” and “Mastery of Life” since a person of such difficulties finds the traditional mode of delivery of information from public libraries in West Bengal insufficient in getting the required information for lifelong learning. Modern day technology comes as a remedy to this. Everyday life information seeking of twenty four people with special needs of the existing six public libraries in Chanditala II and adjunct blocks of Hooghly District in West Bengal has been studied in the present investigation using micro-moment timeline interview and survey method. Recommendations have been made exploring various apps-developing platforms such as Android, Apple, and even search engines like Google etc. to endeavour to reach the zenith of mass literacy. Google search through Google Voices etc. offered by Google; Text-to Speech apps offered by Android; AccessTech, Proloquo2Go, iConverse, iCommunicate etc. offered by Apple for blind and visually impaired people are some of them that can be used in public libraries in order to smoothen the everyday life information searching experience of persons with special needs like never before. DAISY Digital Talking Book, Audio Books, books procured from the Organizations such as Learning Ally (U.S.) can be made accessible in order to secure the lifelong learning of people with special needs in public parties.

Keywords


Everyday Life Information Seeking, Life-Long Learning, Mastery of Life, Mass Literacy, People with Special Needs, Public Libraries, Way of Life.

References