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

Part I: Summary Report

Forces for change

Technology

Technology is a major force for change in this area and it is repeatedly discussed in the report in relation to the initiatives that are occurring. For example, as more publishers move towards creating files in XML, there is great potential for converting more material more speedily to alternative formats in ways that require far less human intervention. One of the most interesting international initiatives in this area is the European Accessible Information Network (EUAIN) project, funded by the European Commission, which seeks to bring together stakeholders in the content creation and publishing industries and help them to solve the problems which currently form obstacles to the provision of accessible versions of their products and services. As the EUAIN site states:

"Accessibility for print impaired people can be an increasingly integrated component of the document management and publishing process and should not be a specialised, additional service...... From a technical perspective, it is now possible to address key concerns of content creators and providers and coherently address issues such as: automation of document structuring, adherence to emerging standards, workflow support, digital rights management and secure distribution platforms."

Digital technologies are clearly a key driver for enabling improved library and information services to visually and print-impaired people in a series of ways:

• Expediting and automating the creation of alternative format materials through the provision of publishers' electronic files
• Accessible digital versions being created as part of the process of publication (websites containing official information; newspapers and magazines);
• The convergence of the specialised and the mainstream e.g. unabridged audiobooks, text-to-speech synthesis and other voice technologies. This should not be overstated but it does have potential to lower costs and broaden ranges
• Print-on-demand for large print and Braille, and the production of audio on demand, can increase the range of material available and also reduce the need for libraries to store large quantities of bulky material
• Creating opportunities for alternative systems of delivery through digital networks (broadband, wireless, satellite) and to new devices which are more portable and easier to use
• Creating opportunities for better responsiveness to user needs by allowing more two way communication and more content to be created on-demand

In some cases e.g. Denmark, Sweden and the Netherlands, the impact of digital technologies on the creation and delivery of alternative format materials is already very advanced, in others the consequences are yet to be worked through.

However, there is a long way to go in ensuring that web sites genuinely are accessible and ensuring that users have the technology and skills to access what is available. Web accessibility standards are laid down in different countries, but not always followed; it is important that assumptions are not made that when material is made available online e.g. government information or newspapers and magazines, it is automatically accessible. In fact some research by W3C suggests that less than 3% of public information in Europe is truly accessible.

Given that most users are elderly, and often on low incomes, there are also considerable issues both of acceptability and affordability.

Other important issues thrown up by digital technologies concern to what extent and how quickly existing collections should be digitised; how quickly old formats should be phased out; and how to migrate users from the old access technologies to new ones and how this should be financed.

In some organisations, equipment manufacture and loan or sale is an important income source, but users may prefer to use more standard equipment as it becomes available.

There are some potentially negative impacts of technology.

The ease with which digital copies are made has also had the effect of making many rightsowners more nervous and cautious about exceptions to copyright; more proactive in enforcement; and more likely to resort to Technical Protection Measures (TPMs) which can have the effect of rendering electronic files inaccessible to equipment used by visually impaired people.

More fundamentally, if steps are not taken to ensure that visually impaired people keep pace with technology, a wider gap could open up between sighted readers and those with vision loss, as society as a whole comes to depend more and more on the Internet and electronic devices for information, e-commerce and entertainment. Digital divides on the basis of income have been apparent for a long time, and because the incomes of visually impaired people are generally low, they can be affected by a double disadvantage as they may not be able to afford the latest technology and even if they can, much of the information and content may be inaccessible.

Mainstreaming of services

This applies both to education in mainstream schools and to the tendency in many countries for services to be delivered through common access points in public libraries. Arguably, mainstreaming can also be construed as encompassing the kind of convergence of content between sighted and visually impaired people referred to above. The role of public libraries in general (and bookshops for that matter) is now a matter for debate as a result of the impact of the Internet. This is genuinely a moment when services can be recast to make them more inclusive, but the opportunity could also be lost.

Movements for equality

There are laws in place in all the countries under consideration, which theoretically provide for equal access to education and in most places to goods, services, buildings and cultural life. However, the reality is often very different, but this gap is increasingly the subject of campaigning and test cases in the courts. The Right to Read Alliance in the UK is a relevant example.

Demographic change

Population changes such as the growing numbers of over-65 year olds in the population of the countries under discussion, and the fact that the next generation of people who are likely to suffer from increasing vision loss are the 'baby boomers' who are used to campaigning and having demands met, will be influential.