National Network for Equitable Library Services (NNELS) and the Centre for Equitable Library Access (CELA)
If you or someone you know require access to Print-Disabled materials and don't already have a library card, please contact us and we will be happy to help!
It is estimated that there are more than three million Canadians with print disabilities, but less than 5% of published material is available in accessible formats. Improvements in delivery provides libraries with an opportunity to make additional materials more widely available to this underserved population.
The National Network for Equitable Library Services (NNELS) provides access to a growing collection of downloadable audio books and other accessible formats restricted to the print disabled, made available through the SILS catalogue in Saskatchewan.
The Centre for Equitable Library Access (CELA) provides its own library of physical items for all ages, such as Braille books, Described videos, and digital items such as eBraille and eAudiobooks to print-disabled patrons of member libraries. You can have these items delivered to your home, but some are also made available for ordering through the province-wide catalogue.
NNELS and CELA materials have been produced for the print disabled community under section 32 of the Canadian Copyright Act.
For the sake of access, a print disability is defined as an impairment that prevents or inhibits someone from reading a literary, musical, dramatic or artistic work in its original format and includes a disability resulting from:
- Severe or total impairment of sight or hearing or the inability to focus or move one's eyes
- The inability to hold or manipulate a book
- An impairment relating to comprehension
A person meeting one of these criteria can fill out a self-declaration form at their local library.
Print-Disabled Application Forms
Access to the restricted collections starts with bringing the Print Disabled - Self Declaration Form to your local library. If you or someone you know needs help completing the form, please contact your local librarian. Patrons who require extended collection access may want to also have the Print Disabled - Competent Authority Form completed and submitted to CELA and NNELS. Institutions with multiple students or residents requiring access can use the Print Disabled - Institutional Access Form to assign access control and responsibility to one staff member.
- Print Disabled - Self Declaration Form
- Print Disabled - Competent Authority Form
- Print Disabled - Institutional Access Form
The print disabled status will be added to his/her card and the corresponding barcode and PIN can then be used to access NNELS material.
Your public library can sign you up with a CELA account, but you can also go here to start the process yourself.
Finding NNELS and CELA materials
NNELS material can be found in the SILS catalogue. The results of a keyword search can be limited to Accessible. NNELS material is available in the following three formats: RESTRICTED EAUDIO, RESTRICTED EBRAILLE, RESTRICTED ETEXT. To see the entire list of NNELS titles, do a keyword search for "national network for equitable".
Titles can also be found on nnels.ca
CELA materials can also be found in the catalogue, but these are limited to existing DAISY discs, as CELA has stopped producing new audio CDs in favour of the direct-to-player options available on their website. To see the complete CELA collection and order any physical materials, such as Braille books and Described Videos, or digital materials, such as Electronic Braille or eAudiobooks, visit celalibrary.ca
Listening to NNELS materials and CELA digital materials
Patrons with print disabilities can download the NNELS restricted e-Audio file onto an existing listening device including an iPod, iPad, iPhone, Tablet or Victor Stream Reader.
For those using an iDevice, try the wireless download option using the Voice Dream app described here.
For additional help on reading and downloading NNELS titles using other devices please click here.
For downloading digital CELA titles, it is best to follow their provided tutorials as the process changes depending on your listening device. Find the full list of CELA tutorials here.
NNELS Talking Book Disc Service
Patrons who prefer a physical disc can also request that any NNELS titles be transferred to disc and sent to their home library. An MP3 compatible CD Player is required. If you would like a disc to be made, please speak to your local librarian or email [email protected]