In an exciting step forward for accessibility at UC Santa Cruz, students can now check out laptops equipped with essential assistive technology. Thanks to the efforts of Heather Mietz Egli, Accessible Media Coordinator, in collaboration with Information Technology Services (ITS), all Dell laptops available for checkout at McHenry Library and the Science & Engineering Library kiosks now come with Kurzweil, a powerful text-to-speech and study tool, along with easy-access desktop links to Glean and Otter.ai for online note-taking.
This initiative enhances access for hundreds of disabled students who rely on these tools for learning, ensuring they have the support they need in classrooms, workshops, and study sessions. Students can check out a laptop using their CruzID and Gold password, free for the first 24 hours ($5/day afterward). All personal data is securely erased upon return.
Our long-term goal is to expand this accessibility effort to all publicly and academically available computers on campus, furthering UCSC’s mission to create a truly inclusive and accessible environment. For more information, please reach out to drcicat@ucsc.edu