AN ASSESSMENT OF ADAPTIVE EQUIPMENT TECHNOLOGY FOR SUPPORTING HANDICAPPED PERSONS IN THE LIBRARY ENVIRONMENT

AN ASSESSMENT OF ADAPTIVE EQUIPMENT TECHNOLOGY FOR SUPPORTING HANDICAPPED PERSONS IN THE LIBRARY ENVIRONMENT

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Background of the Study

Articles 19 and 21 of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights (UDHR) of December 10, 1948, state that the availability and use of information are essential human rights problems. In this information age, it is more important than ever to provide individuals with the skills and resources they need to become information literate and to be able to identify, access, and assess information without bias (Abdulrazaq, 2010). This is in keeping with the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) and the Federal Republic of Nigeria's National Policy on Education's primary objectives of inclusive education, equity in education, education for all, and library and information service for all (Aramide et al, 2010). All individuals, even the physically impaired, should have full access to information in the knowledge society. This is the foundation for allowing people, particularly the physically challenged, to engage as active citizens since they must make educated decisions and act on them. The accessibility and use of relevant, accurate, and current library materials and services by the physically challenged are proven methods for building human resources and promoting long-term self-reliance and national development (Echezona et al, 2015).

There are a variety of disabilities, including visual, hearing, mobility, cognitive, linguistic, and speech impairments. Physical and mobility disability, visual impairment (complete blindness), and hearing impairment are the ones addressed in this study, which were chosen because they are more frequent in ordinary tertiary institutions, according to Quality Assurance Agency (2010). (deaf and dumb). Physical and mobility impairments include severe disabilities, students in wheelchairs, students using crutches, amputees, students using prosthetic hands or legs, and dwarfs. Navigating the library and its setting, choosing books off the shelves, and using other general facilities that may be meant for the able-bodied are some of the issues they face at the library. Hearing impaired people are unable to recognize spoken words. They have a lack of responsiveness to spoken words, as well as an indifference to noises and commotion (Abdulrazaq, 2010). The visually challenged, on the other hand, have reading difficulties as well as general navigating issues. Visually challenged people may require assistance in reading. They may also struggle to read tiny print items, especially if their disability is just partial. This group of persons is unable to read traditional print publications. They require reading materials in alternate forms that they may read at their own pace and in their own time. The provision of library services to this group of physically challenged people necessitates a large number of resources and well-trained personnel (Echezona et al, 2015). For reading and mobility about the library, visually impaired people may rely on Braille books, talking books, acoustic guides, mowart sensors, and other aids, as movement might be difficult.

Physically disabled people make up a significant fraction of the overall population. With rising life expectancy in most areas of the world and rapid urbanization in certain African nations, such as Nigeria (especially South-East Nigeria), the number of physically challenged people is rising in lockstep. Today, a large number of people with disabilities are attempting to obtain tertiary education in colleges and universities, including polytechnics (Aramide et al, 2010).

Polytechnics are higher education institutions that offer undergraduate and postgraduate courses as well as funded research (McCartney, 1990). Any school of higher learning that offers a range of scientific, technical, and business diploma programs at the National Diploma and Higher National Diploma levels is referred to as a polytechnic. Polytechnics' main goals, according to the Federal Government of Nigeria's National Policy on Education (2004), are to provide full-time and part-time courses and training in engineering, technology, applied science, commerce, management, natural science, and agricultural distribution, resulting in the production of trained manpower. These courses provide the technical knowledge and skills required for Nigeria's agricultural, industrial, commercial, and economic development, as well as training to impact the necessary skills for the production of technicians, technologists, and other skilled personnel who are entrepreneurial and self-sufficient (Aramide et al, 2010).

The awareness of the urgent need for indigenous technical and middle-level workforce for the country's rapid technological and industrial take-off required the formation of this sector of higher education in Nigeria. The goals of polytechnics have been developed in response to the necessity stated above. These are designed to give students with opportunities for training and technique acquisition in applied science, engineering, and commerce, as well as other areas of study. Because the researcher noticed an issue with the study at certain polytechnics, and because the current literature in the field indicates a scarcity of research reports on physically challenged polytechnic students, this work is focused on polytechnics. Similar studies have been conducted at universities, however not in the same setting or in the same field of study (Abdulrazaq, 2010).

In Nigeria's southeast, there are eight polytechnics (National Board for Technical Education, 2010). These institutes also provide training to a significant number of physically challenged individuals. It is understood that there are a significant number of physically challenged students in polytechnics and colleges. When Echezona, Osadebe, and Asogwa-Eze (2009) said that the number of individuals with disabilities in educational institutions is increasing, they were confirming this. They remarked that the rise in the number of people with disabilities at conventional tertiary institutions was due to the necessity for mainstreaming, since the age of sending people with disabilities to rehabilitation centers was not only gone and outmoded, but also unproductive. According to Echezona et al. (2009), the reasons for the growing number of physically challenged people in society include population growth, the availability of medical technology, which is increasing the chances of infants with disabilities surviving, and health care is becoming more expensive, putting more children at risk during birth. They also stated that hunger, infectious illnesses, and accidents are the leading causes of impairment in poor nations, accounting for around one-third of all disabilities. As the number of traffic accidents has increased in recent years, more accident victims have become physically challenged. The deplorable state of main connection highways in the southeast exacerbates the situation. This is in addition to the current threat posed by the rising usage of motorcycles, commonly referred to as "Okadas," as a mode of transportation in the southeast, as well as the resulting increase in "Okada" accident fatalities. At light of the growing number of handicapped students in educational institutions, especially polytechnics, it is important to remember that, disability aside, they require library and information resources and services to complete their studies.

Every educational institution, including polytechnics, must consequently have a functioning library staffed by a competent librarian. Students and researchers who have access to a decent and effective polytechnic library can study and be evaluated on their ability to define an issue, acquire knowledge related to its solution, and draw conclusions. Such a student or researcher will have mastered the fundamentals of self-study. All of this applies to all polytechnic students, including those who are physically handicapped (Echezona et al, 2015).

Libraries in polytechnics owe it to individuals with disabilities to provide specific library services, just as everyone else must be supplied with suitable opportunities to enable them to engage fully and become productive members of society. The Nigerians with Disability Decree (NWDD) (1993), which imposes legislative obligations on organizations, including libraries, to make reasonable adjustments in the form of special library services to satisfy the requirements of handicapped individuals, must be known by polytechnic librarians.

If the much-anticipated sustainable development is to be realized, it is vital to make library resources and services available and accessible to these less affluent individuals in order to better enlighten them and make them more helpful and productive. Neglecting the physically challenged in the polytechnic community, who make up a significant portion of the student body, regardless of their numbers, is equal to underutilization and waste of human resources and services (Abdulrazaq, 2010). This will be counterproductive because it will cause people to retreat from their efforts to contribute to national development by obtaining necessary manpower training required for individual and societal self-reliance and survival, as outlined in the National Policy on Education (Federal Republic of Nigeria, 2004). Physically challenged students at Nigerian higher institutions, according to Aina (1995) and Akinpelu (1998), begin with the same qualifications as other students but face impediments to learning, such as the use of library services and facilities, resulting in poor academic success.

The purpose of this study is to look into the availability and use of polytechnic library resources and services by physically challenged students. In this study, availability refers to the library materials and services available to students with disabilities who are physically present in the libraries under investigation. The capacity of this user group to reach, see, and feel the presence of library resources and services in a cost-effective way is referred to as accessibility. It also entails being able to access libraries without encountering any physical or environmental obstacles. Information resources, as well as additional support resources and library facilities that might improve access and usage, are among the library's resources. Braille books, talking books, twin-vision books, big print materials, tactile or raised surfaces, talking computer, moon kinds, CDs/DVDs, laser cane, Sonic guide, Computer Braille, tape recordings, and other library resources for the visually impaired are among the items available. Others, such as height-adjustable catalogues, Online Public Access Catalogues (OPACS), microform projectors, closed circuit television, computers with adaptive keyboards, and so on, are for the orthopaedic and mobility impaired, whereas induction loops, audiological devices, sign language videos, VCDs/DVDs, OPACS, text telephone, and so on are for the hearing impaired. This is in addition to the general resources they require, such as periodicals, microforms, newspapers, government documents, reference materials, and leisure goods. Accessible study tables, study rooms, and carrels, directional signposts, ramps, handrails, wheel-chair accessible paths, automated doors, street-level entry, kick-step, and other support resources and facilities can all help to improve library resource and service use. Extending loans, waiving late fees, borrowing by proxy, interlibrary loan, study rooms, photocopying, online reference services, Selective Dissemination of Information (SDI), Current Awareness Services (CAS), book retrieval, search request assistance, and volunteer readers are just a few of the services that should be available.

Utilization will be defined as the ability to make effective and autonomous use of resources and services, as well as the resources' and services' utilitarian worth to intended users. The essential premise is that availability and accessibility, on the one hand, and use, on the other, are linked. While it is important to provide information, this does not guarantee that it will be used. As a result, while library materials may be available, they are inaccessible, and hence their effective use will be futile. Others may be available and accessible, but they are not being used to the library's benefit (Abdulrazaq, 2010). To address the diverse reading interests of students with disabilities, library materials must be available, accessible, and used. They require knowledge on how to deal with their impairments in their everyday lives, as well as educational options, job opportunities, politics and governance, socio-cultural, and bibliotherapy resources.

Poor access to and use of information resources and services has a negative impact on people with disabilities' quality of life and overall social development. If the polytechnic library materials and services are to serve all members of the polytechnic community adequately, they must adhere to recognized worldwide criteria for disability-friendly libraries. It's also worth noting that international policies and standards for disability-friendly libraries have emphasized quality over quantity, as evidenced by the Library of Congress's Collection Building Policy for the Blind and Physically Handicapped (2009), the International Federation of Library Association (IFLA) Access to Libraries for Persons with Disabilities Checklist (2005), and the American Library Association guidelines and standards (1998). As a result, the criteria do not specify the number of resources in quantitative terms; rather, they are only an enumeration of the resources and facilities that disability-friendly libraries should obtain.

Statement of the Problem

Like their able-bodied colleagues, physically challenged students in polytechnic institutions require library and information resources and services. To accomplish their academic work and other information demands, these students require equitable access to library and information resources. If physically disabled students in polytechnic institutions do not have equitable access to and use of library and information resources, their educational outcomes will suffer, as would their overall quality of life. The provision of library and information resources and services, as well as their efficient usage, improves the rights of the physically challenged to participate equitably in society progress (Abdulrazaq, 2010).

According to information gathered during a pre-research discussion with some professional colleagues, the polytechnic student population is becoming more diverse, with an increasing number of physically challenged students, and polytechnic libraries are not sufficiently committed to providing resources and services to meet the needs of students with disabilities. The researcher's finding that physically challenged pupils are not taken into account in program development backs up this claim. Furthermore, few studies have been conducted on physically challenged and library program planning in terms of architectural designs, resources and service provision, accessibility, and utilization, and there is also little information on information services for physically challenged polytechnic students (Aramide et al, 2010).

Pre-research talks with this major user group, as well as certain polytechnic librarians, confirmed this. Several authors, including Badawi (1994), Aramide, and Bolarinwa (2010), have written about the availability and use of library resources by students; others, including Kaijage (1993), Aina (1996), Onadiran (1998), Atinmo (2000), Eisenman (2005), and Forrest (2005), have written about the provision of library services for physically disabled students, but not in polytechnics. Physically challenged students' access to and use of library resources and services was not examined in these research. Again, the researchers did not look at polytechnic librarians' knowledge of services for physically challenged students. Because of the flaws and inadequacies in earlier studies, it is critical to do research on Adaptive Equipment Technology For Supporting Handicapped Persons In The Library Environment in the southeast of Nigeria, which is the topic of this study.

Purpose of the Study

The general purpose of the study is to investigate Adaptive Equipment Technology For Supporting Handicapped Persons In The Library Environment in Southeast Nigeria. The specific objectives include:

1. To identify the types of library resources available to the visually, mobility and hearing challenged polytechnic students in Southeast, Nigeria.

2. To identify the types of library services available to the visually, mobility and hearing challenged polytechnic students in Southeast Nigeria.

3. To find out the extent of use of library resources by the visually, mobility and hearing challenged polytechnic students in Southeast Nigeria.

4. To find out the extent of use of library services by the visually, mobility and hearing challenged students in the polytechnics under study.

5. To determine the level of awareness of polytechnic librarians on the library services for these physically challenged students in the polytechnic under study.

Research Questions

This study will be guided by the following research questions.

1. What are the types of library resources available to the visually, mobility and hearing challenged polytechnic students in Southeast, Nigeria?

2. What are the types of library services available to the visually, mobility and hearing challenged polytechnic students in Southeast, Nigeria?

3. What is the extent of use of library resources by the visually, mobility and hearing challenged polytechnic students in Southeast Nigeria?

4. What is the extent of use of library services by the mobility, hearing, and visually challenged students in polytechnics under study?

5. What is the level of awareness of polytechnic librarians on library services for these physically challenged students in the polytechnics under study?

Research Hypotheses

Ho1: There is no significant difference in the mean responses, on the extent of utilization of library resources, by mobility challenged students in the 8 polytechnic libraries under study.

Ho2: There is no significant difference in the mean responses, on the extent of utilization of library resources, by the hearing challenged students in the 8 polytechnic libraries under study.

Ho3: There is no significant difference in the mean responses, on the extent of utilization of library resources, by the visually challenged students in the 8 polytechnic libraries under study.

Ho4: There is no significant difference in the mean responses on the extent of utilization of library services by the mobility challenged polytechnic students in the 8 polytechnic libraries under study.

Ho5: There is no significant difference in the mean responses on the extent of utilization of library services by the visually challenged students in the 8 polytechnic libraries under study.

Significance of the Study

Polytechnic librarians, special educators, physically challenged students, and other researchers will benefit from the findings of this study in the following ways.

For starters, this research will assist polytechnic librarians in particular, as well as all other librarians, in finding specific library services that may be provided to physically challenged users in their areas. As a result, they will be more proactive in providing enough resources and services that will benefit user groups. It will educate polytechnic librarians on the need of making educational resources available to increase service delivery to impaired library users, as well as the basic issues that these students face when using the library. By undertaking this study, the polytechnic librarians will be in a better position to serve this user group by allowing impaired students who use the libraries to have a direct voice in the sufficiency and usage of existing resources, services, and facilities, as well as ideas for the future.

Furthermore, polytechnic librarians' attitudes about physically challenged people will alter as a result of learning that they have the same rights as everyone else. The librarians working at polytechnic libraries will be able to administer their libraries more effectively as a result of this. In other words, it will assist all library managers in creating an enabling environment that will enable them to realize the goal of providing equal access and opportunity in library services to all library users without prejudice, even in the face of limited financial resources.

It would also assist special educators in delivering proper special education services as well as inclusive education best practices for disadvantaged pupils. Furthermore, it will assist social workers and government policymakers in establishing suitable provisions for impaired students in the wider community by gaining a better grasp of their information demands and unique difficulties.

Scope/Limitation of the Study

This study is restricted to availability and utilization of library resources and services by physically challenged students in Southeast states of Nigeria, which are Abia, Anambra, Ebonyi, Enugu and Imo States. “Availability” is strictly restricted to physical presence while “utilization” relates to the possibility of the materials and services being in usable formats, frequency of use and utilitarian value of the resources and services.

The study covered the eight polytechnic libraries in South-East Nigeria namely Federal Polytechnic Nekede, Federal Polytechnic Okoh, Federal Polytechnic Unwana, IMT Enugu, Abia State Polytechnic Aba, OSISTECH Enugu, Imo State Polytechnic Ohaji- Umuagwo, and Temple Gate Polytechnic Abayi-Osisioma, while the respondents were all students with either hearing, mobility or visual disabilities in the polytechnics in one hand and the librarians in the polytechnic libraries under study on the other hand.

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