The Exclusion Of Persons With Visual Impairment In Nigerian Academic Libraries' Websites

Introduction

University library websites constitute important access points to online resources for library users including persons with disabilities. This is evidenced by the United Nations’ adoption of the Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities (CRPD), which guarantees that people with disabilities have the same access and opportunities as everyone else to participate in all areas of public life, including jobs, schools, transportation, and all public and private settings open to accommodate the general public (United Nations, 2006). Within the library and information science (LIS) profession, equal access has been emphasized as one of the foundational principles of intellectual freedom and participation for members of the society (American Library Association, 2004; International Federation of Library Associations and Institutions, 2015; Yoon, Dols, Hulscher & Newberry, 2016). Moreover, digital formats have become an acceptable standard for information exchange, which reinforces the equitable provision of online information services to all types of library users. This paper therefore examines the extent of inclusion or exclusion of persons with visual impairments in the websites of leading university libraries in Nigeria. The implications of the extent of inclusion or exclusion for the issue of equity of library services are also examined in this paper. Moreover, this study evaluates the resource richness or otherwise of the websites of leading university libraries in Nigeria. Then, the resources and services availability are discussed in relative to the need for inclusiveness of patrons with visual impairment in packaging information services.