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

Part2:Country studies

UK

Definitions and their effects

People with defective vision can be registered as Blind or Partially Sighted under Section 29 of the National Assistance Act 1948. To be registered they have to be examined by a consultant ophthalmologist who certifies their condition.

The definition takes into account both visual acuity and visual field using a Snellen test and field of vision test. Generally to be registered as severely sight impaired (blind), sight has to fall into one of the following categories:

• Visual acuity of less than 3/60 with a full visual field.
• Visual acuity between 3/60 and 6/60 with a severe reduction of field of vision, such as tunnel vision.
• Visual acuity of 6/60 or above but with a very reduced field of vision, especially if a lot of sight is missing in the lower part of the field.

To be registered as sight impaired (partially sighted) sight has to fall into one of the following categories:

• Visual acuity of 3/60 to 6/60 with a full field of vision.
• Visual acuity of up to 6/24 with a moderate reduction of field of vision or with a central part of vision that is cloudy or blurry.
• Visual acuity of up to 6/18 if a large part of your field of vision, for example a whole half of your vision, is missing, or a lot of peripheral vision is missing.

No respondent was aware of any formal/legal definitions of “print impairment” but in practice it is used as shorthand for “visually impaired and/or sensory impaired and/or dyslexic”. In some contexts, people with learning disabilities or physical disabilities are included.

Share the Vision, which co-ordinates services and initiated the RevealWeb service, which acts as a gateway to resources, believes that “Libraries in the public, academic and voluntary sectors have become increasingly more progressive and liberal in their interpretation of eligibility. Instead of sticking by tight rules and requiring documentary proof there is an increasing trend to address the needs of the user and to accept a self-certification approach on the basis that they would not ask if they did not need [too many do not ask at all] and there is little abuse of a more liberal approach. We would like to think that STV has contributed to this attitudinal change but that is for others to judge.”

Our respondent from the public library service also took this view “In general, libraries would follow the lead of other organisations in ecognising those registered as blind or partially sighted as defined in the National Assistance Act. In practice I believe many library authorities would relax this where a customer may not be registered but still has obvious needs for specialist materials.”

In higher education, it is not the library that judges eligibility:

“Assessment is normally undertaken by a specialist unit within a University/College e.g. Disability Support Unit and not the library. It is the specialist unit who then informs the library of possible service requirements that need to be considered. Noticeably the education section has seen a steep rise in notification of students with dyslexia in the past 3 years.”

Calibre Audio Library noted that different voluntary organizations serve different constituencies, with some catering only to peopl with vision loss and others serving anyone who has difficulty with conventional print. Calibre itself uses this definition:

“any physical disability that makes it impossible for the person to access N12 print”.

Respondents in the voluntary sector and in higher education, felt the official definitions are too restrictive, and this, plus the fact that many people don't register leads to an underestimate of the numbers.

The responsible government ministry and the public library service felt the definitions were inclusive enough.

Two respondents also drew attention to the restrictions placed on library services by the limited copyright exception (see under Copyright below).

“I think our present arrangement in the UK is most unfair to those suffering from a cognitive complaint, such as dyslexia. They are also print disabled, but our recent Copyright (Visually Impaired Persons) Act, while making it easier for visually impaired people (and those providing reading services on their behalf) to access alternative reading formats, has made it much more difficult for dyslexics. This is particularly divisive in the school context.”

“It is also important to recognise that the charities which produce and lend alternative format materials have to avoid breaching the exceptions provided by The Copyright [Visually Impaired Persons] Act, 2002.”