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Home Service / Library Access Materials / Assistive Technologies / LEAP computer station
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Library Access & Home Services
Library Access responds to the needs of people with disabilities and is open to the public. It is located on the first floor of the Milner Library.
- 1st floor, Stanley A. Milner Library
7 Sir Winston Churchill Square, (downtown) - Open 9 am to 5 pm, Monday to Friday.
Call 496-1888 for more information. - Library Access Volunteers needed
Library Access offers home service to people who are unable to come to the library for a period exceeding three months.
- Who Can Use Home Service?
- People living in their own homes.
- Residents of extended care facilities.
- Residents of seniors' lodges.
- Who Delivers Home Service?
- Carefully screened and trained volunteers select and deliver materials to registered home service customers. Volunteers are matched with customers according to proximity and reading interests.
Book-cart service is provided bi-weekly to most extended care facilities and seniors' lodges through the city.
Library Access customers may borrow from the Library's entire collection. In addition, Library Access offers the following:
- Large Print Books which include hardcover and lightweight softcover books. These are available at all Library locations with the largest selection housed at Library Access
- Talking Books are located in Library Access Division (1st floor, Milner Library), some require a Medical Certificate. Includes Cassettes and a few CDs. Does NOT include Spoken Word (see below).
They are specifically designed for people who are unable to read or hold conventional books. Talking books are available only through Library Access. Arrangements may be made to pick-up at any Library branch. A book discussion group is held every month for talking book customers.
- Daisy Books are digital talking books used by blind and visually impaired customers.
- Children's Braille Books have arrived with over 250 titles of kid’s favorite authors to choose from. Educational tools include Braille Phonics for Kindergarten to Grade 2 and a Braille Dictionary.
- Descriptive Videos/DVDs (DVS) are movies which describe the visual elements for people who are blind or have low vision.
Click here for Descriptive Video/DVD list
Assistive technology is any piece of equipment that eliminates or diminishes barriers to information and maximizes independence. The following assistive technology is available to the public at the locations specified.
- Closed Circuit Televisions (CCTVs): A CCTV permits readers to enlarge and enhance printed text or photos.These are located in the following branches: Stanley A. Milner, Whitemud Crossing, Londonderry, Mill Woods, Jasper Place, Castledowns, Capilano, Woodcroft, and Strathcona.
- Hand-held magnifiers: Magnifying glasses for in-library are available in most library branches.
- Hand-held digital magnifiers: 2 hand-held NEMO digital magnifiers are available Stanley A. Milner Library, Library Access Division, 1st floor.
- Reading Machine: A SARA reader scans print and reads it aloud. Available at Stanley A. Milner Library, Library Access Division, 1st floor.
- In addition, many branches have oversized monitors and large-print keyboards.
LEAP (Library Equal Access Program) Computer Workstation
The LEAP station, available at the Stanley A. Milner Library, 1st floor, combines hardware, software and equipment for customers with special visual, learning or physical needs. Staff is available to provide a basic orientation on how to use this equipment. Please call the Library Access Division at 496-1887 for more information and to reserve time.
- Motorized Furniture: the workstation can be adjusted to accommodate a variety of physical needs. It is wide enough to accommodate wheelchairs of any size and is height adjustable from sitting to standing.
- Alternate Keyboards: provides access for customers with physical, visual, or cognitive disabilities who have difficulty using a standard keyboard.
- Head Mouse and Alternate Mice: make it possible for people who have controlled head movement and lacking fine motor skills to use a computer with an onscreen keyboard.
- Screen Magnification Software: increases the size of text on the computer screen and allows the user the change the screen colours/contrast.
- Screen Reading Software: reads aloud the content of the computer screen.
- Refreshable Braille Display: converts text off the screen into a Braille display.
- Braille Printer: embosses Braille onto card stock paper.
- Optical Character Recognition Scanner: information in print-only can be scanned, displayed and read aloud.
- Word Prediction Software: assists in preparing written documents by signaling spelling problems and giving word suggestions to make reading and writing easier for people with learning disabilities, literacy challenges or learning English as a Second Language.
- Voice-Operated Dictation Software: using a microphone and headset and simple voice commands, customers can instruct the computer to create documents, send and receive e-mail and explore the Internet.
In addition to services offered by the Library Access Division, the following Edmonton Public Library services and programs may be of interest to persons with disabilities.
- Extended Loans
These may be arranged at all Library locations, although there may be limitations on extended loans for materials in particularly high demand. - Audiovisual Materials
A wide variety of VHS video cassettes, compact disks, audio-cassettes and books-on-cassette are available at all Library locations.
The following Web Sites have been selected because of their interests or relevance to customers of Library Access.
- American Council of the Blind
- CNIB
- Visunet Canada
- Recording for the Blind & Dyslexic
- Voiceprint
- Accessible Google (web search for the visually impaired)