With one in five Australians living with a print disability, the deployment of assistive technologies in the information services sector is vital to ensure equal access to information. Print disabilities can range from vision impairment through to other physical and cognitive impairments that prevent people from accessing printed media (see Figure 1 below).
Note. The icons were designed by the Graphic Artists Guild Foundation. From Signs & Symbols, 2011, March 6.
A Canadian study by Michael Ciccone (2018) examines the provision of materials to print disabled library patrons through the Centre for Equitable Library Access (CELA). CELA holds and distributes materials in:
- DAISY human-narrated audio
- Braille
- Print-braille, children’s picture books with Braille overlay
DAISY, an acronym for Digital Accessible Information System (DAISY) is the technical standard for talking books and periodicals designed for people with print disabilities. Materials are accessed using an electronic audiobook player (see Figure 2).
Through funded partnerships with local libraries, CELA provides DAISY audiobooks to local libraries to add to their collections, or send them directly to patrons through a mail service. CELA has also developed a “one-way Braille” system where embossed Braille can be shipped to patrons on demand and recycled after use rather than returned.
A centralised service like CELA benefits print disabled patrons by fostering access to the organisation’s full collection in multiple formats. It also assists local libraries to provide a wide range of reading materials to print disabled patrons within their limited budget. The provision of reading materials to all library patrons allows libraries to fulfil their objectives and meet requirements for access and inclusion.
Suggestions for further reading
Ciccone, M. (2018). Equitable Public Library Services for Canadians with Print Disabilities. Reference services review. 46(3), 379-398.
Fitzgerald, B., Hawkins, W., Denison, T. & Kop T. (2015). Digital inclusion, disability, and public libraries: A summary Australian perspective. In B. Wentz, P.T. Jaeger & J. C. Bertot (Eds.), Accessibility for persons with disabilities and the inclusive future of libraries 40 (pp.213-236). Emerald Publishing Limited. https://doi.org/10.1108/S0065-2830201540
IPSOS Australia. (2014). Secondary Research to determine the size of the national print disabled audience. IPSOS Social Research Institute. https://www.rph.org.au/wp-content/uploads/2014/11/Ipsos-RPH-Secondary-Research-May-2014.pdf
