Reading Interest and Alternative Format Utilisation by Persons with Visual Impairment in Nigeria

Abstract

The transcription of information in conventional materials into alternative formats for the use of persons with visual impairment (PVI) in Nigerian libraries is often premised upon the belief that the reading interests of such persons are as varied as or similar to those of sighted persons. Such belief might be in error, thereby unwittingly forcing such persons to read whatever materials had been transcribed and provided for reading by the libraries instead of what they really want. This study was undertaken to obtain evidence to confirm or debunk the belief. Fourteen libraries, including public libraries and those serving users in non-governmental organisations, tertiary institutions and secondary schools, were purposively selected based on the population of their visually impaired users who used the alternative format materials. The sample of users was selected proportionately to population of PVI in the libraries, and data from 71.3% of the 563 administered copies of a questionnaire that were retrieved were analysed. The results show that adult PVI had high reading interests in religious, business/enterprise and entertainment materials, and in manuals and reference materials, while secondary school respondents were interested in arts related subjects, reference materials, manuals, and animal stories. Braille is the most frequently utilised format (79.8%), although it was preferred by a lower percentage of the users (58.3%). The study recommends that the reading interests and format preferences of PVI, as had been found out in this and other studies, should be carefully considered when libraries are considering the nature of alternative format materials that should be provided for such users.