Queensland resources
Disabilities Services Queensland
Queensland Braille Writing Association (QBWA)
More resources
Information for people with a disability
People with a disability
The State Library of Queensland seeks to provide equitable access to all clients using its services, facilities and resources.
Access to the building
All entrances and areas in the State Library building at South Bank are wheel-chair accessible. Additional facilities include:
- Parking spaces designated for people with a disability
- Lifts operating from the car park to all levels of the building
- Toilet facilities on each level
- Wheel-chair height reception and information desks
Access to collections using adaptive technology
The State Library offers a range of adaptive technology devices to enable people with a disability to use the collections and resources. They include:
- MaggyLamp – table-top magnifier with built-in light, available on Level 3
- Smartview – closed circuit magnifier that enlarges text and images on a colour monitor, available on Level 2
- Magnifying glasses - request at Information Desks on Levels 1-4
- MAGic – screen magnification software with speech, available on Levels 2-4
Operating instructions for MAGic [new window http://www.freedomscientific.com/fs_support/doc_screenmagnifiers.asp]
N.B. Headphones are required when using this equipment. These are not supplied but may be purchased at the Library Shop. - OpenBook – software that transforms scanned text into speech, available on Levels 2-4
Operating instructions for OpenBook [new window http://www.freedomscientific.com/fs_support/doc_scanningandreadings.asp]
N.B. Headphones are required when using this equipment. These are not supplied but may be purchased at the Library Shop.
N.B. State Library staff are not available to provide training on equipment. Please refer to above operating instructions.
Computers and internet
Wheel-chair accessible computers are available on Levels 1-4 of the State Library building at South Bank. They provide access to:
- State Library’s website and the Internet
- Catalogues and databases
- Word, Excel, PowerPoint
Locations of computers for people with a disability
Level 1
- PAC-1-45 (High wheelchair access)
Level 2
- PAC-2-02A (MAGic & OpenBook software)
- PAC-2-29 (High wheelchair access)
Level 3
- PAC-3-27 (MAGic & OpenBook software)
- PAC-3-28 (High wheelchair access)
- PAC-3-47 (MAGic & OpenBook software)
Level 4
- PAC-4-12 (MAGic & OpenBook software)
Material available to public libraries
The State Library has materials available for loan to public libraries. These include:
- Talking books
- Large print books
- Captioned videos
- Narkaling kits - these are books and audio-cassettes at slow speed narration for adults and children
For more information about these materials, please contact your local Queensland public library.
Braille
Braille material can be obtained from the Queensland Braille Writing Association (QBWA) [new window http://www.e-bility.com/qbwa/] library at Braille House, in Brisbane. The library is open Monday and Friday, 8:30 a.m. - 1:30 p.m. Please telephone before visiting. The QBWA teaches Braille and the Moon system and provides assistance to people from regional Queensland.
Contact QBWA by telephone on: +61 7 3848 5257
More information
If you have an enquiry, you can contact us in any of the following ways:
For general enquiries:
- Ask at your local Queensland public library
- Other libraries [new window http://www.nla.gov.au/libraries/]
Last updated: 3rd June 2008
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