Library Service Provision for Students with Disabilities in Academic Libraries: A Literature Review

Globally, about 1.3 billion people experience significant disability, 400 million of whom live in developing countries, and 80 million in Africa. This poses a serious medical and social burden. This figure is projected to rise yearly, due to demographic and epidemiological factors, with an increase in the number of students with disabilities (SWDs) enrolling in higher education institutions (HEIs). This study reviews the status of library use and accessibility of SWDs to academic libraries. An extensive literature search was done using the keywords—"persons with disabilities", "inclusive education", "academic libraries", and "assistive technologies". Databases such as PubMed, Google Scholar, and EBSCOHost were searched, and literature in the 2008–2018 decade was given priority consideration, being the period preceding the original study from which the current chapter emerged. The findings reveal the library needs of SWDs and the assistive technologies available for themIt also notes that in developed countries, disability is integrated into the broader institutional diversity agenda, unlike the fragmented way it is tackled in developing countries. Furthermore, despite the increased awareness of disability issues, and the development of enabling policy, legislation, and treaties at both national and international levels, SWDs in developing countries face more barriers to accessing academic libraries due to poor implementation. The chapter concludes that implementation regulations and funding are key to the success of inclusive library and information services. Considering the ever-increasing number of SWDs, HEIS must take pragmatic measures to cater to their needs by making provision for them. This implies creating a special niche for them within the academic library setting. We acknowledge recent changes in the trends, challenges, and opportunities in service provision to people experiencing disability that the study period would not have highlighted and recommends that future studies build on this discourse. It is hoped that such comparative discourse could help to establish the contextual impact of development, such as society 5.0, global unforeseen disasters, such as the Covid-19 pandemic, on the study area.