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

Part2:Country studies

The Netherlands

Definitions and their effects

There is not really a major difference between the official and library definitions of visual impairment. Both are based on research from the Verwey Jonker institute (1998). Libraries register people as visually impaired readers when they can prove the need the service with a notification from their GP or specialist. This is all well within these definitions:

Blind: cannot distinguish between light and dark

Very severe visual impairment: cannot see furniture at a close range, or cannot read newspaper headlines

Severe visual impairment: cannot read newspaper text (with or without glasses)

Beside visual impairment Dedicon also recognises dyslexia, aphasia and some physical handicaps (cannot use a book) as print impairments

Of course the definitions used influence the number of visually impaired people, although the fluctuation in numbers are higher when the grade of impairment is lower.