In keeping with its commitment to become a barrier-free municipality, Wellington County recently added some technology to its library branches to assist the disabled.
Through a Ministry of Culture grant, the county was able to purchase three closed circuit television magnifiers, allowing patrons to magnify books, magazines, and Newspapers onto computer screens.
The closed circuit televisions are currently located at the Drayton, Rockwood, and the Aboyne library branches. The grant also helped finance 14 copies of ZoomText, a software program allowing users to magnify email applications, the internet, documents, and other computer software up to 32 times its original size.
“The County of Wellington is taking a proactive approach when it comes to making services accessible for all residents,” said Warden Chris White.
“This new assistive technology available in county libraries will help people with low vision access traditional library resources and services.”
Accessible customer service is the first standard to become law under the Accessibility for Ontarians with Disabilities Act.
It came into effect on Jan. 1, 2008. Businesses and organizations that provide goods or services to people in Ontario are now legally required to make their customer services operations accessible to people with disabilities. That standard also requires that staff be given training on how to provide accessible customer service to persons with disabilities.
“Having ZoomText and closed circuit televisions available in libraries ensures the County of Wellington is compliant with these requirements,” said Jennifer Cowan, the county accessibility clerk. “Staff have been trained on how to use this technology. Library patrons wishing to use it are asked to contact a branch supervisor.”
Currently, over 1.85 million people in Ontario have a disability and that number is on the rise.
