Accessibility

The Accessibility Hub is a digital resource for any community organization with an interest in equity, human rights, and eliminating barriers for people with disabilities.

The Hub provides supports and resources to reduce barriers and create more accessible teaching and learning experiences.

At teaching and learning institutions, we have a collective and shared responsibility to identify and eliminate barriers to make our institutions more accessible for disabled students and staff. 

Accessibility is about equity. Accessibility is about human rights.

The mission of Niagara College Libraries is to enhance the learning, teaching and research experience for all Niagara College students and staff. Library staff members are dedicated to supporting students and staff in the successful use and efficient access to all library services and resources. Below are resources and services that help support students and staff with permanent or temporary disabilities.

It is free and available online: https://www.aoda.ca/free-online-training/

Accessible Content E-Portal (ACE) service is designed to make ncLibraries collections accessible to students and faculty with print disabilities. ACE is for library books only. Please see Accessibility Services - Alternative Format Textbooks for more information on alternative format for textbooks. ncLibraries will provide, upon request, an accessible format of the print books held in its collection to current students and faculty with a verified “perceptual disability” as defined in the Canadian Copyright Act. This service is in accordance with the Communication and Information Standards of the Accessibility for Ontarians with Disabilities Act.

How to Use ACE

• Only current Niagara College students and staff with a documented print disability on file with Accessibility Services are eligible to obtain an ACE token. If you are an eligible user, please fill out the form below for an ACE token:
   
• Please contact Accessibility Services to become an eligible user. 

Accessing ACE:

• Connect to the ACE Portal and log-in with your ACE token.

• Read and accept the "Terms of Use".  Continue to the Search screen.

• Please watch the Getting Started and Navigating & Searching tutorials to learn more ACE.

• Contact Kent Reynolds if the library book that you want is not available. 

LEAP is a College Libraries Ontario (CLO) initiative that is supported by the Ontario Colleges Library Service (OCLS).

• LEAP is a self-audit tool that library staff at participating institutions use to evaluate the accessibility of library e-resources.
• Completed evaluations are entered into a repository of accessibility assessment reports.
• Library staff can review the reports as they make acquisition decisions, support library users, and advocate for e-resource publishers to continually improve their accessibility features.
• Contact Kent Reynolds if you have questions about LEAP.

For assistance with finding or retrieving books and printing, photocopying or scanning journal articles:

• Daniel J. Patterson Campus: Please ask the staff at the circulation desk, call us at 905-641-2252 extension 4413, or email us at library@niagaracollege.ca

• Welland Campus: Please ask the staff at the circulation desk, call us at 905-735-2211 extension 7767, or email us at library@niagaracollege.ca

Niagara College's Accessibility team provides services and accommodations for students with permanent or temporary disabilities who are applying to or attending Niagara College. The following are services provided by Accessibility Services: 

• Alternative Format Textbooks - Students that require a textbook in an alternative format, please submit an alternative format textbook request . 

• Assistive Technology - ncLibraries has a variety of assistive technology to help students with temporary or permanent disabilities. In order to access assistive equipment and receive training, please contact Jim McEwen at Accessibility Services for more information.