The Okanagan Regional Library partners with the Centre for Equitable Library Access (CELA) to offer accessible collections for patrons with print disabilities and support for professionals who work with the print disabled community. CELA offers a growing collection of more than 700,000 items for all ages, including:
• Newspapers, magazines, and books
• Audio, e-audio, e-text, braille, printbraille, and eBraille
• English and French titles, with some additional languages
• Access to Bookshare, a United States-based accessible online library for people with print disabilities
Who Can Sign Up
The CELA collection is available to library customers with a print disability, as defined in Section 32 of the Canadian Copyright Act:
• Learning disability: an impairment relating to comprehension
• Physical disability: the inability to hold or manipulate a book
• Visual disability: severe or total impairment of sight, or the inability to focus or move one’s eyes
How to Sign Up
To register with CELA, first contact your local library branch to ensure your membership status allows access to print disability materials. Then choose one of the following options:
• Self-register on the CELA website
• Contact the ORL Access Services team:
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Phone: 778-658-6394
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Email: access@orl.bc.ca
CELA is also available to educators and other professionals who work with the print disabled community. To learn more or register, visit the Educator Access Program or Client Access Support Program pages on the CELA website.
Find Books
Search or browse the collection directly on the CELA website. Delivery options include:
• Online access and download: read newspapers online and download books and magazines to a computer or mobile device
• Direct download to a DAISY player: download books and magazines to an internet-enabled DAISY player over a wireless connection
• Delivery by mail: receive DAISY audiobooks and magazines on CD, embossed braille, or printbraille (children’s picture books with see-through braille sheets) by mail
• Automatic selection: receive new books that match your interests
CELA Help
Support is available on CELA’s Help Page, including information on how to use the website, get started, choose devices, and find answers to frequently asked questions. You can also contact CELA directly for assistance with your account, services, or materials:
• Email: help@celalibrary.ca
• Phone: 1-855-655-2273 (5:00 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. PST, Monday to Friday)
Need Further Help?
Connect with the ORL’s Access Services team:
• Email: access@orl.bc.ca
• Phone: 778-658-6394