Services & Collections

Resources for People with a Disability

The following resources are available:

large print books
talking books for people with a print disability
captioned videos for use by people with hearing impairment
Narkaling kits - these are books and audio-cassettes at slow speed narration for adults and children
Kurzweil 3000 reader

Large Print Books
This collection includes both fiction and non-fiction materials. Titles in this collection can be located through use of our Library Catalogue, and can be identified through the use of the collection code LP.

Talking Book Collection
These are books that have been recorded onto cassette tapes and can be borrowed by any member of the public.

People who are using this collection for reasons of print disability are also eligible to borrow talking books from the Restricted Taped Books Collection.

Restricted Taped Books Collection
These are taped books that are produced exclusively for the use of those who have a print disability. This restriction of use is imposed under the Copyright Act 1968. Print disabilities include:

Blindness or vision impairment
Physical disabilities which limit capacity to hold or manipulate print material
Perceptual disabilities which limit ability to follow a line of print

The Kurzweil 3000 Reader
The Kurzweil reader is designed to help people who are blind or visually impaired to independently read books, magazines and correspondence. The Kurzweil reader scans the printed text and "reads" it aloud. A range of voice profiles is available. The machine is located on the 2^nd floor of the Ipswich Global Information Centre. Booking is recommended.

Jaws - Computer screen reading software for people who are blind or vision impaired.

Zoomtext - Image magnification software for people with low vision.

Intellikeys - An expanded, alternative keyboard for people with a physical disability who cannot use a standard computer keyboard. Currently available on the Kurzweil 3000 Reader at the Ipswich Global Information Centre.