Home | Access and Services for people with 
Physical, Sensory and Learning Difficulties (Summary)
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Survey results
In order to determine the degree of disability awareness and recent improvement in access and services in European public libraries, a survey was conducted by PULMAN in libraries in 12 different countries. 

Take-up
With the exception of a limited number of libraries where relevant projects have been set up, access and services for disabled people are still lacking. About 10% of Europeans of all ages have an impairment, and the average percentage of library users who are disabled is about 1% (rough average over all completed surveys), which clearly shows that public libraries in Europe are not yet fulfilling their social responsibility towards this group. Interestingly, in all those public libraries where special services have been set up for disabled persons, the percentage of customers with disabilities has increased, in some cases, such as at the Pazardzik District Library, Bulgaria, by as much as 600% in four years!

Physical access
The majority of public libraries who took part in the survey have improved access to and inside their buildings in recent years. In most cases, this has meant that old-fashioned revolving doors have been replaced or that lifts have been fitted. All respondents are aware that physical barriers remain. Most mentioned were shelves that are too high or too low. A noteworthy approach to obtaining relevant information through 
co-operation was taken by the public libraries in Nijmegen and Oss, Netherlands. Their new buildings were designed with the assistance of the Werkgroep Integratie Gehandicapten (Association for the Integration of Disabled People) and the Stichting Integratie Gehandicapten in de Maatschappij (Foundation for the Social Integration of the Disabled) respectively.

Intellectual access
In most public libraries, access to content is currently restricted for people with visual or reading impairments and learning difficulties, and for those who cannot move their hands or arms. As a result of a comparatively small target group and the high cost of production, alternative format materials in most countries are only available through centralised systems of production and dissemination. While a number of public libraries does provide a small selection of large print and audio books, few stock Braille books or have adapted workstations. However, some libraries have showed ingenuity and creativity in their effort to bridge this gap (see Links). While most of these projects are easily transferable to libraries in other regions and countries, it should be noted that digitisation will play an increasingly important role in similar initiatives. 

Staff training
The survey showed that this is not a central concern to the majority of public libraries, with the exception of those where specific projects have been set up. Few librarians are skilled in alternative communication such as sign language. Neither do colleges, institutes and universities responsible for librarian education programmes offer any form of special modules addressing disability issues in most countries (with the exception of Hungary). Yet, many libraries report that staff members do encounter problems in serving disabled persons, mainly in terms of communication (especially with people who are deaf or have learning difficulties) and finding extra time to assist wheelchair users or blind persons. 

The Danish Library for the Blind (DBB) carried out a noteworthy project, transferable to public libraries. It consisted of five half-day staff training modules to which the DBB invited doctors, researchers, social workers and a variety of user representatives of groups of people with different disabilities. All participants found the discussions on challenges and needs, wishes and concerns, practical and human implications and solutions extremely useful. 

Additionally, the Access Unit at Bristol University, UK, together with a number of partners, is planning to create a video to address the awareness of all library staff covering a wide range of disabilities. 

FUTURE AGENDA 

Efforts to enhance the accessibility of IST equipment and web-content for disabled people should be speeded-up by the implementation of the eEurope actions concerning the adoption of Web Accessibility Initiative (WAI) Guidelines, the conformity of legislation with eAccessibility principles, the networking of "Design for all" competencies and related curricula, and the publication of Design-for-all Standards.

Providing services for disabled people should be addressed in the context of widening participation, equal opportunity, lifelong learning and reaching out to the local community. Appropriate services will also be crucial to the libraries’ future competitiveness as the number of potential library customers with mobility, visual and hearing impairments is expected to grow due to ageing European societies. Planning must take into account this growing demand for accessible facilities and services.

Physical access 
While public libraries should do their utmost to guarantee easy access to and inside their buildings, it will not be possible to provide solutions for everyone all of the time and, indeed, there may be conflicting requirements. A substantial factor in facilitating physical access will therefore be that staffing levels allow for sufficient time to be given whenever help is needed. 

Intellectual access
Research by the Library and Information Statistics Unit at Loughborough University, UK, showed that on average 23% of visually impaired people in the UK use computers to find information. The percentage of computer users in the younger age groups is considerably higher (98% of those under 25 and 53% of those between 25 and 64). Throughout Europe, a rapid growth of the average user percentage should be expected and catered for.

The steep increase in numbers of ‘computer literate’ disabled persons (especially those with visual impairments) should result in far-reaching investments into digitisation. Since scanned material, with the help of special equipment, can be converted into the format which best suits their needs (large print, Braille, audio etc.), digitisation would also partly relieve libraries of the urgent need for adjusted stock policies and added investment into the provision of alternative format materials. 

The increase of electronically-handled information bears additional challenges. Disabled people, people who use text-based browsers, people with slow modem connections, and people without audio-visual applications are in danger of becoming a social underclass excluded from access to information and learning. This is a paradox, especially where people with access requirements are concerned, as ‘technology can ease their social integration’ (Erkki Liikanen, Member of the European Commission, The Future of the eEurope Action Plan, February 2002). With digital inclusion becoming ‘a social imperative and a duty of the welfare state’, preventing the development of an underclass of ‘information poor’ by providing adequate access to electronically handled information for all members of the community will be one of the public libraries’ main responsibilities and challenges for the next decade.

Home | Access and Services for people with 
Physical, Sensory and Learning Difficulties (Summary)
Full Text: Page 1 | Page 2 | Page 3 | Page 4