Library:Help for People with Disabilities

A printable version of this page is available here.

At UBC Vancouver

Access to UBC Campus Libraries

Detailed information for individual branches:

Services for people with visual or print disabilities are available through the Centre for Accessibility.

General Information

The aim of these pages is to provide easy-to-use directions for students, faculty, staff, and visitors to UBC campus libraries. Clicking on the above links will take you to maps and access information for each library. Further (and more detailed) information is available at the Centre for Accessibility.

UBC students, faculty, and staff who have a disability are entitled to Enhanced Services at the libraries, for book/journal retrieval and other assistance.

Users who are visually impaired or require print accessibility options

The Centre for Accessibility helps students with vision and print-legibility. They provide various types of academic accommodations, including Assistive Technology. The Centre for Accessibility hires Library Access Student Assistants who work directly with students with disabilities. Duties may include photocopying and retrieving books for students who cannot access library shelves, catalogues, periodical indices, or other research material. Additional duties may include assisting with literature searches and scribing library information for the students. The pages of this UBC Library Guide include visual access information where possible and relevant, but mainly concentrate on physical and wheelchair access to UBC campus libraries.

Users who are deaf or hard of hearing

There is a public telephone in Koerner Library. For other numbers and e-mail addresses, please see individual library branch pages. Captioned videos and other services are available at Koerner Library. Following are Fax numbers for each campus library:

Asian Library	604-822-0650
David Lam Library	604-822-9398
Education Library	604-822-5378
IKBLC	604-822-3779
Koerner Library	604-822-9820
Law Library	604-822-6864
Woodward Library	604-822-5596
Xwi7xwa Library	604-822-8944

Users who are physically disabled

This guide provides basic access information for people with mobility needs and wheelchair-users, including where to park and how to get in each campus library. A very general review of access to essential services follows location information. For more detailed information on library services and actual measurements, contact the particular library.

About This Site

Use of symbols

The annotated symbols and are used to summarize accessibility for each library. The building sites and libraries were reviewed by a student in a manual wheelchair, with good upper-body strength. The principal goals were to describe wheelchair access routes to each campus library and to provide a general overview for universal access.

Parking at UBC

The three types of public parking are mentioned on these pages: visitor, designated, and assigned.

General visitor parking is in the parkades (involves parking fee), or at parking meters (free with display of valid decal).
Designated spaces are marked in parking lots and other areas; require display of a valid handicap permit (decal).
Assigned parking is obtained through UBC traffic & Parking; requires display of a valid UBC parking permit.

Maps

Small area maps are included on individual library pages; these show designated parking spaces, parking lots and parkades, and the accessible building entrance. Links to key plans have also been provided, in gif and pdf formats. The gif image will open in the ordinary Web browser. The pdf format offers significant magnification and improved printing capabilities, but requires Adobe Reader for reading and printing files. Free download available at Adobe Acrobat Reader.

Library Services

For more information on library services for people with disabilities, please see our Enhanced Library Services page.

At UBC Okanagan

The Inclusive Technology Lab (ITL) is a Library space to experiment with assistive technology. It is a supportive environment designed to facilitate learning and research through access and training with assistive technologies.

Located in LIB 101, the ITL provides students with six assistive technology workstations, a distraction-reduced study space, and an accessible group study space.
Peer and professional support is available to provide orientations and instruction on how to make the most of the technology available. For more information, visit the ITL website.
Additionally, assistive technology can be borrowed from the Library Service Desk, located centrally on the first floor of the Library.

UBC Okanagan's Disability Resource Centre (DRC) works to eliminate structural and attitudinal barriers to those with disabilities.

The DRC provides disability-related services including information on physical access and accessible parking on campus as well as academic accommodations to students, staff and faculty with documented disabilities.
For more information on the DRC and to find out about access to Okanagan Library facilities and services, visit the DRC website.