Kids InfoBits and Accessibility
One of the greatest tools we have to offer children is the Kids InfoBits database. You might already know it for its wide subject base and ability to adjust the reading levels of its content, making it an invaluable tool for any elementary-age student, but it’s also built with a number of features that make it accessible to everyone:
- You can have the text of the article read aloud by selecting the speaker icon at the top of the page. This function means the website is instantly accessible to anyone whose reading skills aren’t quite advanced enough to read it on their own. It also makes this a valuable tool for new readers: they can play the audio while reading, leading to higher word recognition and comprehension of the sentences.
- Adjustable text size makes the content available to anyone with visual impairments, and increases readability on a variety of screens. For younger readers who are used to seeing text nice and big, the text can be adjusted to be more familiar.
- Display options can be customized. The background color can be changed, and, most importantly, so can the text. There are only four font options, but one is Open Dyslexic, a font that’s easier for people with dyslexia to read. On top of different fonts, you can also adjust the spacing of each line, letter, and word.
- Articles can be translated to a variety of languages. You can also change your interface language, so the entire website will be presented to you in your chosen language. The importance of that is obvious, but I’ve got an additional benefit: for libraries with limited collections of books in languages other than English, this is a really useful tool. Kids InfoBits provides hours of readable content for kids who are learning a second language (and, of course, for anyone learning English as a second language).
With all of these features, Kids InfoBits is not only a great reference source, but an excellent companion to your early reader and international languages collections.
-Jaime @ Penn Hills Library