Service Alert

May 20 – Victoria Day

Due to Victoria Day, CELA will be closed on Monday, May 19. Our office will reopen and our Contact Centre services will resume on Tuesday, May 20. Enjoy your holiday!

Public library services for Canadians with print disabilities
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CELAPublic library services for Canadians with print disabilities

Centre for Equitable Library Access
Public library service for Canadians with print disabilities

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Copyright and print disability

Information about copyright law and access for Canadians with print disabilities

Print-disabled Canadians have a legal right under section 32 of the Copyright Act to make accessible versions of books and other publications, or to have them made for them. The same legislation authorizes libraries to produce and distribute these versions:

(1) It is not an infringement of copyright for a person with a perceptual disability, for a person acting at the request of such a person or for a non-profit organization acting for the benefit of such a person to

  1. make a copy or sound recording of a literary, musical, artistic or dramatic work, other than a cinematographic work, in a format specially designed for persons with a perceptual disability;
  2. not relevant here
  3. not relevant here

(2) Subsection (1) does not authorize the making of a large print book.

(3) Subsection (1) does not apply where the work or sound recording is commercially available in a format specially designed to meet the needs of any person referred to in that subsection, within the meaning of paragraph (a) of the definition “commercially available”.

(8) In this section, “print disability” means a disability that prevents or inhibits a person from reading a literary, musical or dramatic work in its original format, and includes such a disability resulting from

  1. severe or total impairment of sight or the inability to focus or move one’s eyes;
  2. the inability to hold or manipulate a book; or
  3. an impairment relating to comprehension.

Other provisions of the Copyright Act allow for the importation of alternate format materials from other countries, and for Canadian libraries to export works from their collection to those countries.

Read section 32 of the Copyright Act.

FAQ

Which devices can I use to read books and magazines from CELA?

Answer: CELA books and magazines work with many popular accessible reading devices and apps. Find out more on ourCompatible devices and formats page.

Go to Frequently Asked Questions page

About us

The Centre for Equitable Library Access, CELA, is an accessible library service, providing books and other materials to Canadians with print disabilities.

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CELA welcomes all feedback and suggestions:

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Email us at help@celalibrary.ca or call us at 1-855-655-2273 for support.

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