Information Accessibility Centre
Introduction
The Information Accessibility Centre aims to provide library services to meet the needs of visually impaired users for knowledge and information; to support life- long learning, continuous education, profitable use of leisure time and to enhance their quality of life. Our recording studio helps to record talking books and periodicals. Our staff recruit and train volunteers to do the recording.
Objectives
1. To provide the visually impaired with the library services that are catered for their needs, with a view to enable them to have better information accessibility;
2. To foster a reading interest among the visually impaired library users, so as to widen their exposure and enrich their knowledge;
3. To enhance the visually impaired persons’ equal participation in society, through the provision of audio description, to enable them to participate in mainstream cultural activities, exhibitions and visits, etc.
Services
I. Library Service for the Visually Impaired
1. We provide a collection of Braille and talking books/periodicals for loan to our visually impaired users. Our collection includes textbooks, reference books and materials for leisure reading; and they are on different subjects, such as rehabilitation, education, social science, language, literature, humanities, science, technology and recreation, etc.;
2. We provide a collection of music CDs, DVDs, VCDs and video tapes for loan to our service users;
3. We provide different kinds of adaptive technical aids and software, to facilitate our visually impaired users to enjoy easy access to information and the library materials;
4. We arrange local and overseas inter-library loan services for our service users.
II. Tele-digital Library Services
Our Tele-digital Library provides 24-hour access to the voice-based library catalogue, talking books, periodicals, newspapers, supermarket sales items information, leisure and cultural activities, etc. Our visually impaired users can access the aforesaid information either through our hotline or website.
The telephone lines are sponsored by the Hong Kong Telecommunications (HKT) Limited and The Community Chest of Hong Kong respectively.
III. Audio Description Services for the Visually Impaired
Audio Description is the art of making visual images accessible to those who are blind or with low vision, by using precise language to describe the visual images which are not accessible to the visually impaired. We facilitate our service users to have an equal opportunity to participate in ordinary cultural and leisure activities by providing audio description in screenings, dramas, performing arts, exhibitions, visits, outings, etc.
These services are sponsored by The Film Development Fund and Service Development Fund respectively.
IV. Cultural and Leisure Activities
In order to enhance our visually impaired service users’ abilities to appreciate arts and cultural activities, and to widen their exposure, we arranged talks on different interests and facilitate them to attend different kinds of art performance.
V. Netshare for the Visually Impaired
Netshare for the Visually Impaired (available in Chinese only) is a website that provides online news, periodicals and other information that are of interests to the visually impaired.
Service Target
Hong Kong citizens who are certified as visually impaired by registered ophthalmologists.
Fee
Free of charge.
Application Procedure
All qualified applicants can apply for membership by completing the application form and submit it with valid documentation certifying visual impairment.
Withdrawal Procedure
Members must inform the centre in person for withdrawal. Withdrawn members are welcome to reapply for membership.
Opening Hours
Mondays to Fridays: 8:45am – 5:35pm
Saturdays: 8:45am – 1:00pm
Closed on Sundays & Public Holidays
Download Area
Membership Application Form – Guarantee
Links
Tele-digital Library for the Visually Impaired: https://iac-tdls.hksb.org.hk/web_index.php
Acknowledgment
Subsidised Service by the Social Welfare Department.
Telephone: 3723 8325
Email: iac@hksb.org.hk
Website: https://iac.hksb.org.hk/
Address: 2/F, West Wing, 248 Nam Cheong Street, Shamshuipo, Kowloon