Designed to Excel–Adaptive Computer Lab
Equal access is not an empty promise at UMass Boston but, rather, a firm commitment—which brings us to the university’s Adaptive Computer Lab and the specialized software and hardware programs available to all individuals with disabilities.
Speech to text, text to speech, 27- inch monitors and large-size keyboards with high-contrast letters for individuals with low vision, greater magnification, auditory playback, adjustable lighting and seating are among the assistive technologies available. The goal, as described in the lab’s mission statement, is “to maintain, increase or improve the functional capabilities of individuals with disabilities.”
Matt McCubbin is the IT accessibility coordinator in Lab Operations under Client Services. “We’re constantly evaluating our specialized software programs, making sure we provide the tools and technical support needed,” says McCubbin.
This support is not limited to those individuals who frequent the lab. McCubbin also collaborates with Valerie Haven, academic technology coordinator in the Ross Center, “a resource for the UMass Boston campus community ensuring academic access and inclusion for students with disabilities.”
“Valerie and I work back and forth finding technology solutions to a variety of challenges,” says McCubbin. “I supply the tech support and Valerie adds that academic perspective.”
“Matt and I often meet to brainstorm technology solutions for our students with disabilities,” says Haven. “We share information on new forms of technology along with what we like or do not like about certain applications.”
Earl Williams, ’21, utilizes the Adaptive Computer Lab on a regular basis. Williams is legally blind and finds the screen magnifier Zoom Text and largesize keyboard extremely helpful. He also uses CCTV, which allows him to place a book under a magnifier that, in turn, enlarges the page on the monitor.
When and if Williams encounters a problem, McCubbin is there to help. “Matt is the go-to person,” says Williams. “He knows everything and, if he doesn’t, he’ll find someone who does. He ’s made it easy for me. He’s patient, and I’m very grateful for all he does.” himself unable to access computers in the public lab and was unsure how to proceed.
“We’re constantly evaluating our specialized software programs, making sure we provide the tools and technical support needed.” —Matt McCubbin, IT accessibility coordinator in Lab Operations under Client Services
However, any story on UMass Boston’s adaptive computer lab must, rightly, flash back to its origins and former UMass Boston staff members Charlotte Corbett and Donna Hill. Corbett wrote the grants, Hill researched adaptive technologies, and little by little the Adaptive Computer Lab at UMass Boston came to be. But long before the lab was up and running and fully equipped, Dann Brown enrolled in the university. A quadriplegic as a result of a car accident while serving in the United States Marines, he found himself unable to access the computers in the public lab and was unsure how to proceed.
“One day, I was wandering on the lower level of the Healey Library, and I stumbled on a lab where I saw a student tapping a computer with a stick in his mouth,” says Brown, who entered the lab and asked some questions. That was the beginning of his relationship with Hill and the Adaptive Computer Lab. He frequently used the somewhat limited technologies then available in the fledgling lab and says, “I hung out and learned so much that they offered me a job as a student consultant.”
Time passed. Brown graduated. The Adaptive Computer Lab came of age. And Brown is now computer lab supervisor in IT Lab Operations. What hasn’t changed over the years is Brown’s ongoing support for students with disabilities.
“At the time, the UMass Boston Adaptive Computer Lab was the first one of its kind at any college in our country,” says Brown with pride—pride that rightly can be shared by members of the entire UMass Boston community, past and present, a true testament to the university’s commitment to equal access for all.