Library Services for Disabled People

1. Believes that everyone has the right to access to library services and materials to meet their needs for information, education, inspiration and recreation.
2. Supports programmes that will strengthen and expand library and information services to people with all types of disabilities.
3. Encourages national and local authorities to provide adequate financial support so that all libraries can offer the specialised services and materials needed by disabled people to take full advantage of all library services.
4. Supports efforts to ensure that libraries co-operate with other agencies assisting disabled people.
5. Promotes the universal application of building standards, in particular, New Zealand Standard 4121, to ensure maximum ease of access to and use within library buildings for disabled people.
6. Suppports efforts by the National Library and public libraries to promote the production of materials especially needed by disabled people, to provide appropriate equipment for their use, and to facilitate inter-library lending of these materials.
7. Is concerned to ensure that copyright law does not unnecessarily hinder access by disabled people to copies of material in special formats.

NOTE: Disabled people are understood here to be those with a physical, intellectual or sensory disability which handicaps them in their use of conventional library and information services and materials.