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Funding and governance of library and information services for visually impaired people: international case studies

Part2:Country studies

UK

Basic country data

Population 59.668m (2005).

Over 65s as % of total population: 2005 16.0%; 2020 18.4% (projected).

GNI per capita (international dollars converted at purchasing power parities) 2005: $32,690

Government: Unitary, with devolved powers to Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland (the latter suspended). Legislation, education and legal systems vary to some extent, especially in Scotland.

Number of visually impaired people: 370,000

Numbers who have difficulty reading standard print (including those with vision loss): 2-3m.

Note on information sources

The information in this section is based on responses from the National Library for the Blind (which has now merged with the RNIB); Share the Vision; the Calibre Audio library; the Department of Culture, Media and Sport (DCMS); representatives of the public library service and university libraries (SCONUL).