Qualitative study of physical access for people with disabilities to public libraries in Wellington, New Zealand

Abstract

This study investigates the issue of physical accessibility for people with disabilities in Wellington public libraries. People with disabilities are often at a disadvantage in gaining access to public places as the architecture of buildings and the design of facilities are not disabled friendly. This study aims to explore the extent to which public libraries in Wellington meet the required standards for access to libraries for persons with disabilities. Observations were conducted in five central libraries in the Wellington region to assess the physical features that libraries provide for disabled users. The study found that libraries are providing good access in such aspects as nearby parkings, unobstructed entrances, automatic doors, sufficient space, wide aisles and tables of reasonable height. However, some major obstructions were found such as insufficient parking space, high shelves, inaccessible toilets, absence of signs and inconvenient arrangement of furniture. It was concluded that the five libraries studied need to make some changes to the present designs, facilities and arrangement of the library buildings in order to comply more with the required standards and to be fully accessible to all people.