Abstract:
A library is basically a public building with facilities and services serving the varying educational and social needs of a particular community. A public building is therefore by definition, a building that must accommodate everybody at whatever age in life and anthropometrical limitations. The way buildings are used change because of the needs of ageing people and people with disabilities. The major difficulties experienced by people with disabilities are due, often, to the same obstacles encountered by people without disabilities, but who are handicapped for other reasons, such as their age, their family situation or their job. The subject of accessibility is often used to focus on these persons and their right of access to entities. The need for the design of libraries to take into account the diverse capabilities of human beings can not be overemphasized. Taking account of the wide range of disabilities cannot but improve the quality and convenience of these products and services provided for the population at large. This should be seen as a way of making life more convenient for everyone and, therefore, as an investment. This research, studies the concept of accessibility vis-a-vis society's perception of disabilities within the context of the new paradigm for accessibility. It examines the concept of universal design and its ability to create more opportunities for the use of libraries for persons with disabilities.
