For Day #6 of the Arden Library Appvent Calendar, one of our expert colleagues in the Digital Learning Team has shared this very useful resource for free supportive digital tools that can help with accessibility and online learning: AT Hive.
The aim of 'AT Hive' is to guide you through various technologies that can help people with disabilities in many ways, including for students to assist you to learn and/or work effectively. Technologies designed to support people with disabilities are called Assistive Technologies (AT) and can also be referred to as Inclusive Technologies too. Increasingly, the term also describes accessibility features in mainstream products like Microsoft Office, helping to empower people with disabilities to reach their fullest potential, and give them an opportunity to work and learn on their own terms.
If you are new to Assistive Technology (AT), AT Hive has 12 categories across note-taking, reading, organising and more that you can explore to find suggestions, tools and advice – you can browse these here. The best way to start is to choose one section that you relate to or just interests you!
However, if you would like specific Assistive Technology suggestions, you can try their new tool: 'Discover your AT', which makes individualised AT suggestions for you based on 3 questions. Then a list of suitable Assistive Technology, or AT, will appear for you and you can filter the results. There is also a helpful video guide here that provides more detail about the tool and gets you started.
If you feel you could benefit from further support and assistance around disability or learning needs, don’t forget that there is a dedicated Inclusion Team available to you here at Arden, who are committed to helping you in your studies and providing the best possible support along your Arden journey! We encourage you to get in touch with them around any concerns you may have, so that they can ensure you have the right support in place and can access the resources you need.
You can find out more about the Inclusion Team and contact them here.