Information accessibility for students with disabilities: An exploratory study of Pakistan (original) (raw)
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Information accessibility for students with disability: An exploratory study of Pakistan
Pakistan is signatory to the ‘Convention on the Right of Person with disabilities’ which reiterates upon equal right of information accessibility (United Nation/ Division for Social Policy and Development ,2006). This exploratory research study aimed to investigate the actual situation of information accessibility of students with disability (SWDs) in Lahore city of Pakistan. It was a qualitative study which employed both interview and reality verifying observation technique for gathering data from school and college students with various disabilities. It has been found that only family members and teachers support the SWDs in seeking information. Schools hardly provide required information services to the SWDs. Same is the case with colleges. The desired steps have been recommended to enhance information accessibility to such students. It is recommended that they must be provided with library having trained staff, and the library should be at accessible place having reading material in suitable alternate formats. This study is an effort for generating awareness among all stake holders like, Government, NGOs, educational institutions and Library and Information Science (LIS) professionals along with the students with disabilities for equal information accessibility, not only in Pakistan but other countries in South Asia also due to similar conditions.
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Information accessibility for visually impaired students in Pakistan
Pakistan Journal of Information Management & Libraries , 2020
This research aimed to explore the actual situation of information accessibility for university students with visual impairment at higher academic institutions of Lahore, Pakistan. This research adopted a qualitative research design using interpretative phenomenological analysis (IPA) to investigate the proposed phenomenon. The participants were recruited with purposive sampling from higher academic institutions for data collection. Face to face interview of 15 visually impaired students was conducted using an interview guide. The participants were debriefed for data authentication and verification at the end. Each interview was transcribed and analyzed carefully using IPA. The results indicated that these students utilized interpersonal relationships as the primary source of their academic information. The other available facilities for information access included the internet, disability resources center (if available at the institution), and the university library. The major barriers in accessing needed information included: format barriers, navigational barriers, technical barriers, ICTs illiteracy, and financial barriers. The university administration, especially libraries, should consider students with various disabilities while designing information infrastructure for its community. This research can be used as a guide by library staff in designing need-based information services for students with visual imprisonment. This research would be a worthy contribution to the existing literature as only a few studies were conducted in Pakistan.
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Exploration of School Library Services for Students with Disabilities
KnE Social Sciences, 2021
To implement inclusive education, schools need to provide a range of services for students with disabilities. One component that must be adapted is the school library, which must also create an inclusive environment so students with disabilities can access it. This research aimed to examine and explore school libraries’ readiness to provide services for students with disabilities. This was qualitative research. The research was conducted in five school libraries in the Special Region of Yogyakarta. Data were collected through library accessibility checklist forms from IFLA, in-depth interviews, and documentation analysis. Ten informants participated, while documentation was examined from school-owned documents, websites, and school library profile videos. The results showed that only two school libraries were well prepared to provide services for students with disabilities, one of which already provided special services for people with disabilities. In contrast, other libraries have...
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2015
The success of Books for All and "Library is a growing organism" depends upon number of variables one such important areas is that libraries service to differently abled persons in India. Due to implementation of inclusive education in India it is imperative that the role of Libraries has been crucial. They are now required to equip to meet the needs of diverse learners. This paper discusses universities library role in providing information services to the students with disabilities, legal framework, guidelines of different libraries authorities' bodies'. A suggestive proposal given to the Universities Libraries of Odisha State after careful assumption and literature review in the context of India.
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Library Resources for Persons with Special Needs: A Quantitative Analysis
2017
The main objective of this study was to identify the library resources available for persons with special needs in the libraries of public and private sector universities of Lahore, Punjab province. The sample of the study included 23 librarians working in the libraries of different departments which were selected through simple random sampling technique. A selfdeveloped and validated instrument “Adaptation in Library Resources Questionnaire (ALRQ)” having four components; building access and environment, library staff, library services and adaptive technology for computer was used. The reliability index (Cronbach Alpha) was .79. The responses of the subjects were rated on three-point criteria i.e. yes, no, to some extent. Data were analyzed on SPSS. The findings revealed that ramps and elevators were available, directional signs in large print, book call numbers converted into Braille for blind students and telecommunication devices had not been provided to the deaf persons in the ...
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Libraries and Students with Disabilities: Reflections from the Moshi Co-operative University
The need for information among libraries and information users today has increased as a result of the advantages that it offers in terms of the decision making power especially in political, economic and social aspects. Thus the right of access to information is no longer optional to any library users irrespective of their myriads as stipulated in Articles 18(1) and 18(2) of the Constitution of United Republic of Tanzania. With the help of Information and Communication Technologies, librarians have been working closely with library users so as to meet their information needs. Much has been done in Academic libraries such as the use of various information sources which are in different forms including print and electronic so as to suits the information needs of different categories of library users. In Academic libraries, staffs are expected to serve various categories of users including those with disabilities. In achieving this goal, the use of assistive technologies have been provided to library users with special needs to enable them to access the information at the right time and thus fulfilling the five laws of Library Science (i.e books are for use, every reader his/her book, every book its reader, save the time of the reader, and library is a growing organism). Despite the fact that right of access to information is a fundamental right to any human being including those with disabilities, still most academic libraries face challenges in serving students with disabilities. This paper seeks to investigate the challenges that academic libraries face in serving students with disabilities focusing on Moshi Cooperative University Library. The paper will also come out with solutions and recommendations to address the identified challenges.
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KLISC Journal of Information Science & Knowledge Management, 2023
Shiyali Ramamrita Ranganathan, an Indian librarian, and mathematician developed the Five Laws of Librarianship in 1931. Principles drawn from these laws undergird the design and delivery of library services to date. The second law states that "every reader his or her book". This implies that libraries should deliver services and resources which are customised for the specific needs of unique categories of their users. The degree to which academic libraries in Kenya offer appropriate services to persons with disabilities (PWDs), particularly in the post-COVID-19 era, is unknown. This paper evaluates the services offered to PWDs by academic libraries in Kenya using Tangaza University College Library as a case study. Specifically, the paper assesses the preparedness of academic libraries in Kenya to meet the information needs of PWDs, identifies the services and resources offered to PWDs by academic libraries in Kenya, evaluates the usability of the services, and proposes a framework for providing information services to PWDs in academic libraries in Kenya in the post-COVID 19 era. This paper was developed using concurrent triangulated mixed methods research through which quantitative and qualitative data was collected from 11 librarians and 9 PWDs using questionnaires and interviews respectively. Due to the small number of the target population, a census was used. The findings of the study reveal that academic libraries in Kenya are least prepared to offer information services and materials to PWDs. Although commendable efforts are being made, there are gaps in the conceptualization, design, and delivery of the services. There is a need for a framework to mainstream the needs of the PWDs in the bouquet of services offered by academic libraries in Kenya. The findings contribute to the discourses on the emerging role of libraries in safeguarding the information and communication rights of PWDs in Kenya and abroad in the post-COVID era. A framework to enhance information services to PWDs by academic libraries in Kenya is proposed.
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Library and Information Services for the differently abled users
National Conference on Information Technology in Libraries: Diversity and nnovation, 2018
The paper aims to give a brief description of Information services to be provided by Libraries to differently abled Library Users making use of Information Technology. The paper further highlighting the special equipments and services that the librarians are expected to provide to create a barrier free environment in a library and information center. There are many technological innovations and advances that are meant for the normal as well the differently enabled persons. Here an attempt has been made to highlight these technologies as well as those specifically meant to the differently enabled persons. A survey study was conducted with 87 visually impaired Library users as respondents of three different Institution Library users in Mysore city. The data collected has been processed to derive at the findings and conclusions.
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