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| Library Facilities and Services to Users With Disabilities in Universities of India | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Paper Id :
16242 Submission Date :
01/07/2022 Acceptance Date :
15/07/2022 Publication Date :
22/07/2022
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| Abstract | This paper attempts to study the various facilities and services for persons with disability in university libraries of India. As India have approximately 150 million persons with disabilities. Such kind of persons has the inalienable fundamental right to life as enshrined in the Constitution which also includes the right to seek knowledge and education. The study also focuses on various measures taken by Government of India, for persons with disability available for public libraries in India. The objective of the study is to train the library staff in providing information services to the physically challenged users. The study finds out that users with disabilities visits the library and well trained staff is available to help to find the desired information required. | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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| Keywords | Information, Disabled, Technology, Librarian, Resources. | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Introduction |
In India Public libraries plays a vital role in creating an enabling environment for citizens to gain knowledge, information and education. This is in particular true in the case of persons with disabilities who have limited access to purchase books through dominant shops due to various barriers including lack of physical access to shops. The another reason is lack of availability of books in accessible formats like Braille, etc,
As per Census of India 2011 report by the Social Statistics Division of the Ministry of Statistics and Programme Implementation, Government of India, it is revealed that about 2.21% population of India has one or the other kind of disability. This means that about 2.68 crore people in India are disabled. Out of total 58.76 crore female Indian citizens, there are 1.18 crore disabled females in India. Relying on their disability, persons with disability have varying degrees of problems in accessing libraries and the material available at libraries in India. It is found that out of total disabled population, nearly 55% or 1.46 Crores people are literates. It is revealed that about62% of males and only 45% of females are literate. In the rural areas, 49% of the disabled are literates while in urban areas, the percentage of literates among disabled population is 67%.The types of disabilities found in India were as follows-
1. 19% people have vision related disabilities.
2. Another 19% people have hearing related disabilities.
3. 7% people have speech impairment.
4. 20% people have locomotors disabilities.
5. 6% people are affected by mental retardation.
6. 3% people are suffering with mental illness.
7. 18% people have other types of disabilities.
8. 8% people have multiple disabilities. |
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| Aim of study | 1. To study the access of library facilities and services for persons with disabilities in university of India. 2. To highlight the availability of assistive technologies for persons with disabilities in university libraries of India. | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Review of Literature | Nazim, M., Beg, A., & Sarkar, M. (2021),the purpose of this study was to assess the convenience and accessibility of library services to users with disabilities at Aligarh Muslim University in India. The study practiced both quantitative and qualitative methods through questionnaires, interview to investigate the scenario. The study investigate that Aligarh Muslim University has a purpose built library to accommodate users with disabilities; however, additional funds were not allocated for developing library facilities, assistive technologies and compilation in the accessible formats that lead to the delivery in lack of services to users with disabilities. Chandrakanth, H. G., & Reddy, K. R. (2019),it has been found that Mysore University occupies the top position, Visvesvaraya Technological University at the bottom and rest falls in between. The study found that in some libraries the physical accesses in the form of parking slots, un-obstructed pedestrian routes, accessibility of circulation desks, accessible furniture, toilet, etc., have been provided. In relation to services and communications, the most provided service was sensitizing training for the staff and information booklet, followed by postal services. As measured in terms of access to resources, back up format service is the most popular service, followed by accessible Library website and Digital Library. Finally it can be concluded that physical access for library building was most prevalent services followed by access to resource services, and services and communications facilities. When the aggregate services or total number of responses are considered, Mysore University provides maximum number of facilities followed by National Law University, Karnataka University, Bangalore University, Agriculture University, IISc, GKVK, Reva University, and VTU. |
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| Main Text | Table 1 (Value in Crore)
Graph 1 Showing Disabled Population by Type of Disability |
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| Methodology | As the study is based on secondary data an investigation into library facilities and services in universities of India is done through secondary data published by various government agencies of India. |
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| Conclusion | Everybody should be able to use the libraries of a country in this 21st century innovative world. Many facilities should be available for persons with different kinds of disabilities in India such as the surroundings of the library, the entrance, restrooms, stairs, elevators and special rooms. All over the world in libraries a person in a wheelchair should be able to reach all departments, a visually impaired person should be able to walk with a cane or a guide dog and find his/her way without striking into hurdles. There should be proper facilities for a deaf person to communicate with library staff. To easily find books and other materials a person with an intellectual impairment should be made available. There should be proper arrangement for a person with dyslexia or another other reading problem to find his/her way around. A proper arrangement should be made outside the library people with disabilities to arrive at the site and approach different areas of library building and enter the building easily and safely. If the main entrance cannot be made reachable, a secondary usable entrance should be provided, equipped with automatic door opener, a ramp, and a telephone. There must be enough parking spaces marked with the international symbol for the disabled. Parking should be close to the library entrance with clear and easy to read signposting. Library should be well lighted with access paths to the entrance with smooth and non-slip surface at the entrance. | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Suggestions for the future Study | Public libraries play a critical role in creating apermissive environment for citizens to gain knowledge, information and education all over the world. This is particularly true in the case of persons with disabilities who have limited access to purchase books through dominant shops due to various barriers including lack of physical approach to shops, lack of availability of books in available formats like Braille, etc. India has signed and permitted the United Nations Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities, and therefore India is required to “to take all appropriate measures, including legislation, to modify or put an end to existing laws, regulations, customs and practices that constitute discrimination against persons with disabilities, to develop, promulgate and monitor the exertion of minimum standards and guidelines for the accessibility of facilities and services open or provided to the public” and take all appropriate measures to ensure that persons with disabilities enjoy access to libraries. Given below are suggestions to make the public library system all together to Persons withDisabilities based on internationally recognized best practices: 1. Structural modifications must be made to the library to ensure that Persons withDisabilities can use the library building easily and safely, without any barriers or obstructions. Some of the alterations required include usable parking, clear paths of travel to and throughout the facility, entrances with sufficient, clear openings or automatic doors, handrails, ramps and elevators, tables and public service desks, and available public conveniences such as toilets, and drinking facilities. Other acceptable modifications may include visible alarms in toilets and general usage areas and signs that have Braille and easily visible character size, font, contrast and finish. 2. Person with disabilities, who are blind, have low vision, dyslexia and other print disabilities that cannot access reading materials in printed formats, require reading material in “accessible formats”. The formats must be in Braille, large print, audio recordings and electronic formats which also includes digital talking books. In addition, people with some disabilities may find it difficult to come to the library. 3. Libraries now have the remarkable opportunity to create an extensive collection of reading material in the accessible formats mentioned above in English and all Indian languages and make them convenient at the library in the form of physical copies, on CDs and other media, as well as over the internet. 4. Convenient Aids and Equipment Persons with Disabilities require certain dependable aids and equipment to be able to fully utilize the services of the library and the information available therein. 5. Training and sensitization adequate training and sensitization must be given to library staff to ensure that they are able to interact with Persons with Disabilities. A short refresher course and the training and sensitization programs must be acquired in appointment with the disability sector and must be conducted with the assistance of experts in the disability space. 6. The library should have a devoted person to interact with persons with disabilities. The devoted person should have a background in disability, highly motivated, familiar with sign language and also be responsible for providing specific assistance required by persons with disabilities such as analytical them to print out books in Braille, procuring books from the online database etc. The library should offer specialized services to Persons with Disabilities including a telephonic help line and home delivery of books ordered online or over the phone and reading service at designated times at the library. It is appropriate to note that literature for the blind has no postal fees. 7. The main gate of the entrance of the library must be made reachable in accordance with applicable accessibility standards. If the main entrance cannot be made reachable, a secondary usable entrance should be provided. 8. Free and well lit access paths from the main gate to the entrance of the library must be provided. All steps must be replaced and complimented with ramps having less than 5% gradient, with railings on both sides. 9. A person with disability using any kinds of support such as wheelchair, crutches or walker, cane, or guide dog, should be able to enter through the door and pass through security check points, if any, without meeting hurdles. 9. All aids and dependable devices including wheelchairs, walkers, and communicators among others must be able to pass through security checkpoints, if any. 11. Ample space must be provided in front of the door to allow a wheelchair to turn around. 12. Main door should be wide enough to allow a wheelchair to enter. 13. Non-automatic doors should be attainable using one hand. 14. Glass doors of the library must be highlighted with contrast colour band at eye level to prevent persons with low vision. 15. Stairs and steps points must be marked with a contrasting color band. 16. Pictogram signs must be provided for services and conveniences such as toilets, elevators, stairways. 17. Elevators in the library must be well lit with buttons and signs in Braille and synthetic speech.Elevator buttons must be reachable from a wheelchair. 18. There must be clear and easy to read signs with pictograms be provided. 19. Book shelves in the library must be easily approachable from a wheelchair. 20. In libraries visible and audible fire alarms must be provided. 21. In libraries printers must be kept in areas away from reading areas to reduce sound in the reading areas. 22. Suitable sound cushioning to be used to minimize sound in the reading areas. 23. Plants inside the libraries space can help with air filtering, which can make a huge difference to the level of comfort. 24. The desks in the libraries must be of flexible height to enable persons in wheelchair to be able access the desk. 25. A large magnification device such as closed-circuit television magnifiers, this system employs a video camera lens to enlarge text from three to thirty time’s normal text size. 26. To access the information on a computer screen through voice output screen reader software programs enables individuals who are blind or visually impaired. 27. Scanning and reading software helps those with low or no vision. Scans printed text and converse the text via synthetic speech using optical character recognition technology. 28. All the Users with deafness or have hearing impairments do not have problems using the computer except problems will arise from programs and websites that have audio cues. 29. Sound Sentry option directs the operating system to display a visual signal when a sound is generated by a Windows application. 30. For assisting people with learning disabilitiesall multimedia content to have captions. 31. For people who have learning differences will display print as well as provide auditory reading of the text simultaneously with the help of Specialized software programs and hardware. 32. In using the computer apart from having physical accessibility Persons with physical disabilities may need assistance. The following items increase computer usability and safety. The input devices such as trackballs, joysticks, switches, touch pads, and augmented keyboards (micro keyboards or oversize keyboards with enlarged keys). A computer camera/tracker allows users to manage the cursor through head movement. 33. Users can reach books on higher shelves on the rack motorized wheelchairs to be used by physically impaired users especially motorized chairs whose seat can raise so that availability of users to access books that may be placed too low or too high on the book rack. 34. Page turners |
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| References | 1. American Library Association (2001), “Library Services for People with Disabilities Policy”, viewed 21 October 2014,
2. Baker, P.M.A., Hanson, J. and Myhill, W.N. (2009), “The promise of municipal WiFi and failed policies of inclusion: The disability divide”, Information Polity: The International Journal of Government & Democracy in the Information Age, Vol.14, no.1/2, pp.47-59, viewed 05 August 2014,
3. Chandrakanth, H. G., & Reddy, K. R. (2019). Library facilities and services for differently abled students in universities of Karnataka: A study. Library Philosophy and Practice, 1-11.
4. Hopkins, J. (2004), “School library accessibility: The role of assistive technology”, Teacher Librarian, Vol.31, no.3, pp.15-18, viewed 21 October 2009.
5. Nazim, M., Beg, A., & Sarkar, M. (2021). Access to library facilities and services for users with disabilities: a study of Aligarh Muslim University in India. Journal of Access Services, 18(1), 30-49.
6. Raju, K. N., & Kishore, A. (2021). Library Book Transactions by PG Students of School of Sciences in Indira Gandhi Memorial Library, University of Hyderabad. |
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