Special Needs - Services, Material & Equipment

Materials-By-Mail
Materials are available through the mail for homebound individuals. Call 207-2500 for this service.

Books On Tape and CD
A nice selection of both fiction and nonfiction titles are available on the first floor. Applications for the Texas State Library Talking Book Program are kept at the second floor Reference Desk.

Braille
A small collection of Braille books is located at Central. The adult titles are located on the first floor and the juvenile titles are located on the third floor.

CCTV
Closed circuit televisions are available at all locations of the San Antonio Public Library. This device allows material to be greatly magnified onto a television monitor.

Computer Terminals for the Visually Impaired
Jaws, OpenBook and ZoomText software are available on a workstation at six library locations. The locations that have these workstation are:

• Carver
• Central (Additional terminal with ZoomText on the second floor.)
• Cortez
• Great Northwest
• Las Palmas and
• Oakwell

The JAWS and OpenBook software can be used to allow a blind individual to access the Internet, use MS Office products and with the use of a scanner listen to printed material such as books or magazines. ZoomText software allows a user to magnify the material on the computer screen up to 16 times its original size.

Closed Captioned Videos
Over half of the videos in our collection have the closed captioned feature.

Descriptive Videos
These tapes are the same as ordinary VHS recordings except that they have an additional audio track which features a narrator subtly describing the action which is taking place. This allows an individual with a visual disability the opportunity to more fully enjoy the video experience. To access these titles in CARL, the Library's online catalog, you can either do a call number search, such as "video DVS," or enter the keyword search, "video recordings visually handicapped."

Large Print Books
A large collection of both fiction and nonfiction titles are available on the first floor in the Fiction Department at Central and all locations have a separate large print section.

Braille
A small collection of Braille books is located at Central. The adult titles are located on the first floor and the juvenile titles are located on the third floor.

Magnifying Glasses
All locations have magnifying glasses for the public to use while at the library.

Reference Materials
A wide variety of reference materials concerning disabilities are available in the Reference Department on the second floor. Topics covered include: financial aid for students with disabilities, ADA compliance and social services directories.

TDD
A TDD device is available in the Telephone Reference Department which allows access to the library over the phone for people who are deaf or hard of hearing. The Library’s TDD phone number is 207-2534. Many branch libraries also have TDD's that can be reached using the branch's main phone number.

Wheelchairs
One wheelchair is available for the public to use while at Central. It is located behind the circulation desk on the first floor.

World Wide Web Disability Links
A listing of disabilities related Web sites is available on the San Antonio Public Library homepage. The Disabilities Resources WWW address is http://www.sanantonio.gov/library/web/disabilities.asp.

Patrons needing help retrieving materials can get assistance from any public service desk.

Updated: 09/08/2005