Disability and accessibility

 

We offer access services if you are unable to visit your library, have a visual impairment or are hard of hearing.

 

Access Ticket

 

If you find it hard to read print – for example, your sight may be impaired or you may not be able to hold a book – then you may be eligible for a library Access Ticket.

 

An Access Ticket allows you to borrow our audio-visual items for free. Charges would apply only if you are not housebound and you do not return an item to us on time.

 

We can provide a Temporary Access Ticket if you have a short-term problem such as cataracts or a broken leg. We may have to visit you at home to find out what type of access would be best.

 

Home-Link - Home Library Service

 

Our Home-Link service is for people who have difficulty accessing the borough's libraries. Difficulties could include:

• mobility difficulties
• sight impairment – registered blind or partially sighted
• other medical conditions, which are assessed on a case by case basis

Library volunteers deliver books, DVDs, CDs and talking books to homes across Thurrock. You can either tell us which items you would like borrow, or ask us to select items for you. All items are issued for 12 weeks.

 

You can register for the Home-Link service by calling your local library.

 

We do not run a mobile library service.

 

'Wireless for the Blind' devices

 

We work with the British Wireless for the Blind Fund and to provide radios, USB-ready MP3 playback and Amazon Echo devices for talking books. These are free if you are on a benefit such as Attendance Allowance. We must visit you at home before we can give you this service.

 

Royal National Institute of Blind People (RNIB) Talking Books

 

If you are registered blind or partially sighted, you can also apply to RNIB Talking Books for their free books – phone their helpline or download a library registration form. RNIB Talking Books can be supplied digitally or be posted direct to your home on a CD or USB memory stick.

 

Our Dyslexia-Friendly Collection

 

Thurrock Libraries support readers with dyslexia. Our Dyslexia-Friendly collections provide:
•    Use fonts specifically designed to be dyslexia-friendly
•    Lightly tinted, uncluttered backgrounds to reduce glare and eye strain
•    Slightly wider spacing between letters to improve clarity
•    Simple, clear sentence structure to support comprehension
•    Conventional text flow (left to right, top to bottom) to help readers track the narrative easily.

 

The Dyslexia-Friendly collection for adult readers can be browsed at Grays Central Library.

 

 

Contact us

 

Contact libraries@thurrock.gov.uk if you would like more information about these services.