ACCESSIBILITY OF NIGERIAN LAW LIBRARIES BY USERS WITH DISABILITIES

Abstract

This paper examines availability of provisions made for people with disabilities most especially in our law libraries in Nigeria and how they are accessible. Therefore, it investigates the provisions the apex and other subsidiary courts have made for the people with varying disabilities in our community. Oral interviews and physical observation methods were adopted to investigate the accessibility and availability of made ready facilities for people with disability in our law libraries. Thus the supreme Court, Appeal Court of Federal Capital Territory, Federal High Court, National Industrial Court of Nigeria, High Court of FCT and Customary Court of Appeal, National Judicial Court, Law School Abuja were investigated with the following findings: On availability, none of these Courts has made any provision for the disable people originally in the construction of the Court halls as well as the libraries. On accessibility, what is available cannot be accessible. Hence the paper suggested to library heads to raise accessibility librarians who will be at the fore front of advocacy for inclusion of users with disabilities in law libraries policies, an appeals was also made to the Federal Government of Nigeria and other stake holders in law business and our law institutions to please consider these people with varying disabilities to be able to meet up with their able counterparts by providing library facilities and resources with assistive technologies that are accessible by these special people among us.