Sutherland Shire Libraries offers several alternatives to bridge the barriers to reading for people with low vision, including large print books, ebooks and audiobooks.
Our collection of large print, eBooks and audiobooks is designed to assist people with low vision by increasing readability, reducing eye strain and preserving literacy and independence by breaking down barriers to reading.
Large print texts improve text readability with increased font size, adjusted line spacing and optimised typography to ensure they are legible for people with low vision.
These texts provide an effective alternative format for reading, as they make it easier to decode text, track words and engage with content without magnification.
Both large print fiction and non-fiction books are available to borrow and can be identified in the format tabs of the library catalogue.
eBooks are an alternative for people with low vision, due to their customisable text features like font size, typeface, foreground/background colours, brightness, contrast, margins, line spacing and columns to make reading easier.
These digital features provide greater control and accessibility, enabling individuals with low vision or blindness to read content independently.
eBooks in our collection are identified in the format tabs on our catalogue and search results can be filtered to only show titles with an eBook format available.
Audiobooks are essential for people with low vision because they provide a way to access written material without needing to rely on sight. They offer independence for readers with low vision or blindness, who can enjoy books and develop literacy without barriers.
We offer audiobooks on CDs, as well as eAudiobooks that can be borrowed at any time to listen to at your leisure. Audiobooks are easily identified in our collection using the format tabs on our library catalogue, or filtering search results to only show titles in audiobook format.
