Studying with special needs: some personal narratives
Abstract
Purpose
The aim of this article is to interview three academic library users with different special needs, one of whom is a current undergraduate, whilst the others graduated two and five years ago. Acknowledging that disabled people in earlier generations have often been barred from the student experience, it was hoped that the interview process would serve to identify ways in which our modern, up‐to‐date libraries now made it possible for users with special needs to use our facilities with a better level of parity, and thus to achieve academic success.
Design/methodology/approach
A descriptive account based on conversations and emails with three volunteers.
Findings
Our more modern, up‐to‐date libraries do now make it possible for users with special needs to use our facilities with a better level of parity, and thus to achieve academic success.
Research limitations/implications
Whilst the in‐depth interviews with three volunteers yielded interesting and informative results, a wider survey would be required to achieve a representative over‐view.
Practical implications
The paper examines the measures that libraries can take to improve the learning experience for users with special needs.
Originality/value
The paper is written from the academic user's perspective, and demonstrates the importance of the staff‐user interface, as much as of specific assistive technology.
Keywords
Citation
McAulay, K.E. (2005), "Studying with special needs: some personal narratives", Library Review, Vol. 54 No. 8, pp. 486-491. https://doi.org/10.1108/00242530510619192
Publisher
:Emerald Group Publishing Limited
Copyright © 2005, Emerald Group Publishing Limited