Accessible Buildings
Accessible Building Features
Main, Beaty and Sherwood Library facilities have the following accessibility features:
- Service desks have at least one section accessible to persons who use a wheelchair or scooter. This section is no more than 28" above the ground and has knee space and open space around it to maneuver.
- Self-checkout kiosks are wheelchair accessible for those who want to use them.
- The two storey Main Library has an elevator. Beaty Branch and Sherwood Branch are all on one level.
- Book drops are accessible height and are operable using one hand.
- Clearances between and at the end of the stacks are enough to accommodate a wheelchair or scooter (43.25").
- Security gates are 37.5" apart.
Accessible Formats
Many of the resources available at the Milton Public Library are suited to accessibility needs.
Vision Enhancements
- Books on CD
- Downloadable E-audiobooks
- Downloadable E-books. The settings can be adjusted with the majority of our downloadable e-books to suit personal preferences for text size and typeface
Large Print books
Hearing Enhancements
- Many DVDs have the sub-title option
- Many of our databases, such as Gale Infotrac, PebbleGo, Early World of Learning, TumbleBooks, and TumbleReadables, offer text to speech capability
- Many online videos have captions and / or transcripts
Cognitive Enhancements
The Milton Public Library is proud to support MagnusCards, a free app created specifically for those living with autism. MagnusCards combines structured, step-by-step guidance with game design to help teach a variety of life skills through free downloadable Cards Decks. As part of our support, Milton Public Library has funded unique Card Decks that will help those with autism or other cognitive special needs feel welcomed and empowered when using the library.
This unique app helps family and friends to prepare for community outings, practice skills and routines, manage tasks with less anxiety, and explore community environments with greater independence. Milton Public Library developed five different Card Decks for its custom app, including:
- Registering for a library card
- Using the library catalogue
- Finding library items
- Using self check-out to borrow library items
- Returning a library item.
Website Features
The MPL website has features that make it accessible including:
- No reliance on fixed fonts - patrons are free to zoom in and out to view the site in a size comfortable to their viewing
- Text equivalents are used for images to facilitate those using screen readers
- Stylesheets are used to separate the document structure from presentation
- Device-independent interaction with the site: use a mouse, keyboard, et cetera
- Moving content can be stopped by users
Accessible Equipment
The Library has equipment that can assist patrons who have low vision or have a hearing impairment, including ....
Enhanced Reader
Large type keyboards are available
TTY telephone
Centre for Equitable Library Access (CELA) Collection
Do you have difficulty reading print due to a visual, physical or learning disability? Then the Milton Public Library can help you get reading materials in many different formats.
- Milton Public Library partners with the Centre for Equitable Library Access (CELA) to provide additionally accessible collections to customers with print disabilities and professionals who work with people with print disabilities.
- As a CELA member, you can borrow accessible audiobooks, Braille and print-Braille books, and audio versions of a wide range of magazines and newspapers. Many of these can be mailed directly to you at home.
- As a CELA member, you can also register for BookShare, an online service with thousands of accessible books.
Who Can Avail These Services?
The CELA collection is available to library customers with a print disability as defined in section 32 of the Canadian Copyright Act:
- Learning Disability: an impairment relating to comprehension.
- Physical Disability: the inability to hold or manipulate a book.
- Visual Disability: severe or total impairment of sight or the inability to focus or move one’s eyes.
- Educators: educators and other professionals who work with people with print disabilities.
What Do You Get?
CELA has a growing collection of 700,000 items for all ages, including:
- Newspapers, Magazines, Books.
- Audio, e-Audio, eText, braille, print braille, e-braille
- English and French with some other languages.
- Bookshare, a US-based accessible online library for people with print disabilities.
How to Access the Collection
Search or browse the collection on the CELA website
There are several delivery options:
- Online and download: read newspapers online and download books and magazines to your computer or mobile device
- Download without a computer: download books and magazines directly to an internet-enabled DAISY player over a wireless connection
How Do You Register?
Open Library's Accessible Books Collection
MPL has partnered with the Internet Archive to provide free books for the people with print disabilities that impact reading. If you have a disability that interferes with reading printed text then all of these books can be instantaneously available in your browser or via protected download once you become a qualified user.
Frequently Asked Questions
- What are the benefits of becoming a qualified user?
- Qualified users may borrow special formats of books from the Internet Archive collection of books for the print-disabled for up to 14 days. At the end of the 14 days, the qualified user may renew. To contrast, non-qualified users may not have any access to a particular book, only get particular formats, or have to join the waitlist to access material that is already lent out. Qualified users would not have to wait.
- How do I become a qualified user?
- First, you will need to create an account with Internet Archive. Visit this page to make your free account. Please note that your username will be publicly visible.
- Once you have created your Internet Archive account you will need to fill out this application form. Once you submit the form an MPL staff member will contact you within five (5) business days.
- How do I borrow books?
- Visit this page to see MPL’s collection of accessible materials. Once you see something you’d like to borrow you can log in to your account using the button in the upper right corner and then borrow the item. This help page has more detailed instructions.
