LibGuides: Coventry University London: Library Accessibility Services

Accessibility Overview

Accessibility In The Library

The Library is committed to providing an equal and inclusive service for all students and staff.

You can find out more about the services we provide in-house below. We also offer links to downloadable software and help guides for your devices.

Accessibility in the Library

Accessible Equipment

We have a selection of accessible equipment in the Library for different needs - please see below for a list of what we have available.

Let us know if you need any help or assistance using this equipment.

Electronic Adjustable Desks

These are located in the Silent Study Room. You can control and adjust the height using the switches.

Magnified Keyboard

This is available at the rear of the Library (next to the Huddle Rooms).

Electronic Magnifier

We have an electronic magnifier with optical character recognition for users who are print impaired.

The Student Support Service will advise if this device is helpful to you.

Hearing Loop Provision

We have a portable hearing loop available at the Helpdesk. If you require this service, please let the Library Team know and we will activate it for you.

Don't forget to switch your hearing device to the "T" position.

Print Services

We offer the following accessibility services for books and printed materials.

Extended Loans

We can arrange for any of your loans to be extended for a longer period.

Please speak to a member of the Library Team to arrange this for you.

Book Fetching Service

We offer a fetching service for any students who have difficulties accessing our book collections.

Please speak to a member of the Library Team and we will be able to fetch the relevant book(s) and issue them for you at the Helpdesk.

Alternative Formats

We may be able to provide you with a book in an alternative format, i.e. electronic access to a physical book.

We work with individual publishers and the RNIB (Royal National Institute for the Blind) to make these available. Any use is subject to copyright law.

Please note that we may not be able to obtain every title that's requested in an alternative format.

Please speak to a member of the Library Team if you would like to use this service.

Document Services

We offer the following accessibility services for electronic documents.

Document Digitisation

We are able to scan documents for you and save them as text (RTF) files.

You can read these using text-to-speech software - this is available on most PCs.

Staff can also request for larger items to be sent to our Coventry campus for digitisation.

If you need any additional help, please speak to the Library Team or Digital Services.

Printing/Photocopying/Scanning

Our photocopying, printing and scanning terminals can enlarge your documents, and print them on A4 & A3 paper.

If you would benefit from printing onto coloured paper, we have a limited range available.

Please speak to a member of the Library Team if you need any help with this.

Flying Start Scheme

Our eTextbook scheme provides electronic, accessible copies of your core textbooks.

You can access these through your reading list via. Aula or the BibliU app.

Find out more at our Flying Start page.

Accessibility for Devices

Microsoft Tools

Microsoft have in-built accessibility tools to support you in your studies.

For more help and support with accessibility, you can visit the Microsoft Accessibility pages here.

Apple Mac Tools

Apple also provide accessibility support for Mac users.

For more help and support with accessibility, you can visit the Apple Mac pages here.

Apple iPhone Tools

Apple also provide accessibility support for iPhone users.

For more help and support with accessibility, you can visit the Apple iPhone pages here.

Android Phone Tools

Accessibility support is also available to Android phone users.

For more help and support with accessibility, you can visit the Android Accessibility pages here.

Text-to-Speech Software

There are a variety of text-to-speech software that you can use to help support you in your studies.

Read & Write 12

Read & Write is text-to-speech software, available from our AppsAnywhere website. It gives you a toolbar with various support features, designed to support you with reading and writing.

Please be aware that our licence only covers the UK - you won't be able to access Read & Write outside of the UK.

Windows Narrator

A screen reader app built into Windows 10 - it uses touch gestures and a braille display. You'll also be able to customize the app.

Find out more about Windows Narrator on the Microsoft website.

ClaroSpeak Chrome

ClaroSpeak is a free app available on Google Chrome.

It offers text-to-speech for documents, a dictionary, a spell-checker and personal dictation. It will open in a separate pop-up and works offline.

Compatible documents include - Word docs, PDFs, RTF docs.

Find out more at the Chrome Web Store.

NVDA Screen Reader (non-visual desktop access)

NVDA is an established screen reader for Windows systems. It's available in over 55 languages and is highly recommended.

Find out more at the NVDA website.

Please be aware that NVDA won't work with Apple Mac systems.