Philips Academy Empowers Students With More Accessible Yearbook

The yearbook team of Philips Academy, a special needs middle- and high school located in Charlotte, North Carolina, is collaborating with Entourage Yearbooks this year to create a yearbook that all can enjoy. Kris Shields and Deborah Hofland, representatives from the school and leaders of the project, are looking forward to the opportunities that Entourage’s technology will provide. As the mission of Philips Academy is to empower students and prepare them to live and work independently, this year’s team is particularly excited about Entourage’s QR Code Generator. This new tool will make the yearbook more accessible to all school community members.

Cindy, a visually impaired student at Philips Academy, used to need assistance to enjoy her image-based yearbook. This year, she can experience her yearbook independently for the first time. With Entourage’s QR Code Generator, each page will incorporate audio that Cindy can scan and play on her smartphone. In addition to photos and text, each page will feature a student's voice who will provide a self-written description of the page and additional information. The narrations will provide an opportunity for each child to add a personal touch, as well as to practice their communication skills. Shields and Hofland note that larger schools can use the same method if they record by class rather than by student.

Shields and Hofland worked with their school’s Braille teacher to find a location where QR codes could be placed consistently on each page. Ultimately, they decided to put the codes on the bottom right-hand corner of the pages because a visually impaired individual can find that corner more efficiently – and students will still be able to dog-ear a page if needed.

For Cindy, adding audio to her school’s yearbook is significant. She will finally be able to appreciate the content of every page independently – just like the school’s mission states. Elias Jo, CEO of Entourage Yearbooks, remarked: “We’re excited to be part of Cindy’s journey. The team at Philips Academy is truly the future of yearbooks.”