The Exclusion of Persons with Visual Impairment in Nigerian Academic Libraries\u27 Websites

Libraries facilities and resources are expected to be accessible to patrons including people with disabilities. The experience in Nigeria appears to dictate otherwise.This study therefore examines the extent of inclusion and exclusion of persons with visual impairment with respect to access the contents of websites of Nigerian academic libraries. Data used for this study were derived from content analysis of websites of the first top ten universities in the webometric ranking of universities in Nigeria, The analysis was based on the checklist of the International Federation of Library Associations and Institutions (IFLA). This study discovered that only two of the top ten university libraries in Nigeria have web links on disability resources for persons with disabilities. The study shows a high level of exclusion of persons with visual impairments in the websites of the leading university libraries in Nigeria. The findings suggests that the websites of the leading university libraries in Nigeria require additional information to be considered inclusive. The study concludes with recommendations and implications for policy formulation concerning the need for a more inclusive culture in the university libraries to accommodate persons with visual impairment

The Exclusion of Persons with Visual Impairment in Nigerian Academic Libraries\u27 Websites

Libraries facilities and resources are expected to be accessible to patrons including people with disabilities. The experience in Nigeria appears to dictate otherwise.This study therefore examines the extent of inclusion and exclusion of persons with visual impairment with respect to access the contents of websites of Nigerian academic libraries. Data used for this study were derived from content analysis of websites of the first top ten universities in the webometric ranking of universities in Nigeria, The analysis was based on the checklist of the International Federation of Library Associations and Institutions (IFLA). This study discovered that only two of the top ten university libraries in Nigeria have web links on disability resources for persons with disabilities. The study shows a high level of exclusion of persons with visual impairments in the websites of the leading university libraries in Nigeria. The findings suggests that the websites of the leading university libraries in Nigeria require additional information to be considered inclusive. The study concludes with recommendations and implications for policy formulation concerning the need for a more inclusive culture in the university libraries to accommodate persons with visual impairment

Quality of Life among Rural Nigerian Women: The Role of Information

The quality of life of people in developing countries including Nigeria is not near the expected standard. This is especially so with women living in the rural areas whose lives are characterized by poor income, poverty, hunger, diseases as well as lack of potable water, good shelter and access to medical attention. This is due to the fact that these women do not have access to valuable information and may not make use of available information which could help them meet the challenges of daily living. This study, therefore, investigated the extent to which information accessibility and use could improve the quality of life of rural women in Nigeria. Focus Group Discussions was used to gather data from 100 rural women from ten local government areas in Ekiti state, Nigeria. The choice of the state was informed for two reasons. Firstly, the state is one of those with the largest concentration of mainly rural and semi-rural towns in Nigeria. Secondly, collaborative report of the Centre for Development and Action Research and Nigerian Institute of Social and Economic Research shows that the World Bank once selected Ekiti State for pilot activities of its Ekiti State Community Based Poverty Reduction Agency (ESCOBPRA) and reported the state as having the highest poverty level in the Southwest Region of Nigeria. Badly affected by this state of affair are rural women living in the state. The paper shows the quality of life of the rural women living in the state, their information needs, sources of information they found accessible to use to improve their quality of life and factors militating against access and use of information. It shows ways to remedy the situation by recommending the need to recognize access to use of information as important inputs in improving the quality of life of rural women in Ekiti state, Nigeria