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Accessibility

The Library of the University of Crete, in the context of the firm conviction that disability is not only a congenital or acquired physical limitation, but mainly constitutes -according to the United Nations- a social condition between the individual and his/her environment, makes every effort to cancel in practice the discrimination of disability, offering an environment capable of removing existing barriers as far as possible.
In this context:

A. all physical areas of the Library in Rethymnon and Heraklion are designed to be accessible for people in wheelchairs (there are relevant access corridors, inclined levels, and lifts between floors).
Each building also has a special toilet for people with disabilities (WC-AMEA).

Β. The Library provides its "print-disabled" users, students with defective or impaired vision and persons who, due to a disability, are unable to read a printed text in a conventional way or to perceive the content of a work using their physical senses (definition according to YPPO/DIOIK/98546 Government Gazette: B 2065/24.10.2007), with the following:

a) Two workstations with full Internet access and support equipment for users with visual impairments and for users with mobility problems in the upper limbs.

b) Requests for electronic textbook applications. Students with disabilities have the possibility to request their academic texts in an accessible format. The service contacts the publishers, then converts and modifies the material into an accessible format and uploads it to the Accessible Multimodal Digital Library of Controlled Access AMELib. Students gain access to the requested material through AMELib.

https://www.lib.uoc.gr/info/absrv/amea/requests/index.tkl?lang=en

Formally disabled students have the right to request their academic texts in an accessible format.The availability of the texts in "accessible electronic form" (pdf, word, e-pub, daisy etc.) does not constitute a "grant of right" or "licence", but an exception to the author's property right for print-disabled persons, as provided for in the legislation on intellectual property (Law 2121/1993 and Hellenic Ministry of Culture and Information Technology/DIOIC/98546 as applicable).

(c) Use of AMELib (Accessible Multi-modal Electronic Library).
In order to serve their print-disabled users, Greek academic libraries have created the special accessible digital library with controlled access AMELib (Accessible Multi-modal Electronic Library), where they post electronic copies of accessible texts.
AMELib was created in the framework of Action 9.7 of the Association of Greek Academic Libraries (SEAB) and is primarily addressed to users of Greek academic libraries.
AMELib is an accessible web application that offers print-disabled users content in "accessible electronic format" (pdf, word, e-pub, daisy), based on the application of the copyright exception for print-disabled people as provided for in copyright legislation. The content of AMELib is constantly enriched by the uploading of titles by the participating institutions.

Access to this database is granted by means of controlled access codes for print-disabled users only. Users are bound by a declaration of responsibility for the correct and lawful use of the accessible material, as provided for in the Ministerial Decision Hellenic Ministry of Culture/DIOIC/98546 (Government Gazette B 2065 24.10.2007), taking note of the consequences of the Copyright Protection Act 2121/1993 in the event of infringement.