Making libraries accessible: The vision of Access City Award winners

Abstract

For over 10 years, the Access City Award, presented by the European Commission in conjunction with the European Disability Forum, has raised awareness of and concern for the issues of people with disabilities, while continuing to promote accessibility for all European citizens. Looking at the whole palette of good practices in providing accessible environments implemented by the prizewinners, it is striking that library accessibility is not only part of them but is being established as a priority for many cities. This article presents the library accessibility activities of 20 cities that have won the Access City Award from its first iteration in 2011 to 2022 and have focused on this type of accessibility in their portfolio. It is concluded that far from being a luxury, library accessibility is now a necessary normality, and the achievements of Access City Award winners in this field are an inspiration for all cities that adopt accessibility as their mission.