The study sought to investigate access to and use of libraries among students with special needs at two tertiary institutions in Ghana. They are the University of Education, Winneba and Kumasi Polytechnic, Kumasi. A total of 40 participants comprising 20 students with special needs and 20 library staff were selected for the study. Questionnaire was used as the main research instrument for gathering data. Purposive and simple random sampling techniques were used to sample the students with special needs and the library staff for the study. The study revealed that though both institutions’ libraries have students with special needs who sometimes use the library, there are no specialized facilities in terms of equipment and reading materials for them. Also, the libraries do not have a policy which takes care of the needs of these groups of students. Finally, the staff who assist these students with special needs are not specially trained to assist them. Based on the problems identified above, it was recommended among others that the library must have separate rooms stocked with modern equipment and other materials for use by students with special needs. Also staff who assist these students with special needs must be given some training to be able to offer better services to them. Finally, there should be a policy governing access and use of the library of which students and staff would be educated on.

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.

The paper examines an assessment of the resources and services provision for the disabled library users in University of Ilorin and Federal College of Education (Special) Oyo. The study adapted the qualitative research approach in order to carry out the investigation. The population for this study consisted of all the disabled library patrons in University of Ilorin and Federal College of Education (Special) Oyo. The purposive sampling was used to select sample for this study. Three data gathering instruments consisting of questionnaires, observation and interview were used in this study. Data were analysed using frequency and percentages findings of the study showed that the deaf constitute 126%, follow by the dumb which is 84%. While others are the least in the University of Ilorin and Federal College of Education (Special) Oyo. Most of the disabled library users indicated that the resources and services of the library are accessible in Federal College of Education (Special) Oyo u...

This article is based on a study that examined library services provision for people with visual impairments and in wheelchairs in academic libraries in Tanzania. The article looks at access to the information resources available and the layout of library buildings in five universities in Tanzania. The broader issues in this study were grounded in the importance of access to information as a fundamental right and, particularly, in university studies. The study drew on a pragmatism paradigm and the social model of disability of Oliver which emphasises universal access as the norm. Both quantitative and qualitative methods were used to conduct survey and observation-based research. The findings reveal that academic libraries provide services to people with visual impairments and in wheelchairs but these services are not inclusive or universal.The study therefore recommends that academic libraries, as manifest in the social model, should strive to provide inclusive services to all users including people with disabilities. To achieve this universal access requires the formulating of policy regarding provision of library services to people with disabilities, providing adequate budgets and staff training. In addition, practical measures are needed such as constructing library buildings with ramps and maintaining working lifts, acquiring Braille and large print information resources, as well as providing assistive equipment.

. This article argues that accessibility to, and of information in institutions of learning is as much a right as is education to all human beings. The premise for this deductive declarative observation is based on the understanding that information is a facility that enhances learning without which we can hardly talk of education. Many countries in the world, Zimbabwe included, ratified and signed protocols on equal access to education for all their citizens. For that reason, Zimbabwe formulated regulatory policies on inclusive education as a way of discouraging discrimination in education and society at large. In short, the implied value of inclusivity is equal access to education in spite of mental, physical challenges or otherwise. These researchers argue that equal access to education is much more than having the various categories of learners in one class, one group or same institutions or signing protocols but includes all the support services that should act as equalization ...

This study surveyed the access and use of public libraries by disabled persons in Nigeria. The role of public libraries in providing services to all irrespective of disability has been a daunting task for public libraries as a result of government's negligence. The methodology adopted for the study is the survey design in which questionnaire was use for obtaining data. The target population was public library staff in some selected states in Niger Delta region of Nigeria. However, public libraries in Bayelsa, Delta, Edo and River States were used for the study. The sample size of the study was 86 librarians drawn from study population of 126. Data were analysed using descriptive statistic. Among the findings were, that library building were not design to take care of people with special needs, coupled with the poor state of public library services in general. The need for public libraries to embrace the use of ICTs was recommended. Government should ensure that public library policy statements are translated into reality through proper funding.

Supplemental material, supplement_material_1 for Access to library services and facilities by persons with disability: Insights from academic libraries in Ghana by Daniel Azerikatoa Ayoung, Frederic Naazi-Ale Baada and Patrick Baayel in Journal of Librarianship and Information Science

Despite the fact that academic libraries put their effort to satisfy the needs of their users, they however still neglect some group of users (physically challenged) in the information and service provision. This study was therefore undertaken to find out the physically challenged undergraduates satisfaction with library and information services in Kwara State higher education institutions. Survey research design was adopted to give in-depth information about the study while data was collected through questionnaire. Five research questions were answered by study. The results revealed that information needs of the physically challenged undergraduates in the various higher institutions are the same. The level of availability and accessibility of information materials and services to these groups of users was also revealed in the study. Limitations such as non-inclusion of the physically challenged students in the decision making process of the library as well as unavailability of spec...