Library Services For Persons With Disabilities

The University Library is committed to providing equal access to services and collections for all library patrons. Where self-use of library services or facilities are difficult, the Library will make provisions, as needed, to permit users with disabilities to examine sources, retrieve materials, and access services.

Users should register with the campus Student Disability Resource Center (SDRC) in Library 2177 to receive training on the equipment. In addition, the office provides a variety of academic accommodations and support services to individuals with temporary or permanent disabilities.

Adaptive technologies available in the University Library are available to assist learning disabled, low vision, or blind patrons.

A workstation, on a wheelchair accessible table, contains a special scanner, trackball, and speech and text magnification software. The workstation is available for use in the Database Center during all hours that the library is open.

Current software applications include:

• Kurzweil 1000 which converts text into speech for those who are blind, visually impaired, or learning disabled.
• Kurzweil 3000 which is an advanced multi-sensory approach to reading for students with learning disabilities. It displays an on-screen version of any printed material, provides read aloud web pages, and permits materials to be scanned and displayed.
• TextHELP assists those with reading and writing difficulties by providing screen reading, word prediction, and spelling assistance.
• Zoomtext enlarges text for those who are visually impaired.
• JAWS (Job Access With Speech) permits screen text to be read for those who are blind. Headphones are available.

In addition, the Library’s Media Resources and Reserve Desk contains capabilities for close-caption viewing of videotapes by small or large groups. Call 510-885-3778 for further information about this service.

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