Digital libraries: A lifeline for visually impaired students

More than 25 million people on the African continent have a form of visual impairment and they constitute around 15.3% of the world’s blind population, according to the World Health Organization (WHO).

Despite significant increases in the number of visually impaired people in higher education in African countries, library services catering for them tend to be inadequate.

Research suggests that one of the most oft-cited hindrances to access is a lack of assistive technologies available to visually impaired students.

One solution to the challenges faced by visually impaired people in accessing library services is a digital library offering assistive technologies to enable visually impaired people to easily access information. In Africa, there are examples of digital libraries built in countries such as Ethiopia and Lesotho by private organisations and companies.

To better understand how tertiary institutions in Africa can introduce digital libraries for the visually impaired on their campuses, University World News spoke to Jace Nair, CEO of Blind South Africa.

UWN: Exactly what sort of digital library services do people who are visually impaired need and how do they differ from what is offered in libraries not built to accommodate them?

JN: Traditional libraries have very limited digital material which is actually accessible to screen reading software like JAWS and NVDA. In the digital material offered in traditional libraries, there is little room for navigation that enables one to jump from chapter to chapter or to the next page, paragraph, or phrase. MP3 formats in traditional libraries do not allow for full navigation.

UWN: In comparison to braille and other old information formats, what are the advantages of information formats offered in digital libraries?

JN: DAISY (Digital Access Information Systems), which is offered in digital libraries for people who are visually impaired, is a multimedia format which integrates text and speech with full navigation facilities. Electronic braille formats, also offered in digital libraries for people who are visually impaired, can be read using refreshable braille display. Traditional hard-copy braille is time-consuming and more costly.

UWN: What are the major steps and stages of building a digital library for the visually impaired?

JN: ICT equipment needs to be updated and text-to-speech, or human narration, needs to be utilised. A soundproof recording studio has to be used for human narration, together with a high-quality microphone and headphones. The DAISY software needs to be installed and personnel need to be skilled in digital formats, especially in respect of the DAISY software.

UWN: Is the technical expertise required to build a digital library for the visually impaired easily available?

JN: Technical knowledge and skills are available. However, they are very limited and highly specialised.

UWN: The issue of copyright is a major challenge when building a digital library for the visually impaired. How can this challenge be surmounted?

JN: National copyright legislation needs to have exceptions and limitations to enable format shifting for accessibility. At international level, the ratification of the Marrakesh Treaty is important, and so is participation in the Accessible Book Consortium. Publishers should use universal access and designs for book publishing.

UWN: When setting up a digital library for the visually impaired, what sort of support, if any, is required from the government?

JN: In addition to creating a national copyright regime to enable format shifting which will enable the transcribing of published works into accessible formats, governments generally need to provide the necessary infrastructure to enable access to information and digital library services.

UWN: When a digital library for the visually impaired is incorporated into an existing library, do library staff need additional training to run the digital library for the visually impaired?

JN: Personnel in the existing library services will need to be given in-service training on the technical aspects regarding equipment, including software and equipment maintenance. They will need to be sensitised regarding visual impairment accessible formats.

UWN: What factors determine the length of time it takes to build a digital library for the visually impaired?

JN: It will depend on the resources and investments available, the technical knowledge and skills as well as the will and intention to sustain the library services.

UWN: Are there any specific issues that are relevant to higher education institutions when building a digital library for the visually impaired?

JN: Blind SA is working with the South African Department of Higher Education and Training’s Language Policy Project, coordinated by Professor Bassey Antia of the University of the Western Cape. We are also working with the University of South Africa’s Centre for Excellence in Disability Studies, Wits University [University of the Witwatersrand] School of African Languages and Linguistics and the Department of Sports, Arts and Culture to coordinate digital library services.

From our experience with work in the tertiary sector, we would say that, in universities, titles need to be available in electronic formats including large print, audio, DAISY and EPUB 3 and relevant software and assistive devices should be made affordable and accessible for use by visually impaired people.

UWN: Is there a digital library for the visually impaired in South Africa or elsewhere that provides an example of best practice for those who want to build their own digital library?

JN: The South African Library for the Blind in Grahamstown and Tape Aids for the Blind in Durban are good examples.