Accessibility

City Services 

The City is committed to providing equal access for all and recognizes that access is not just a civil right, it is a social responsibility. 

In accordance with the requirements of Title II of the Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990 ("ADA"), the City of Alameda will not discriminate against qualified individuals with disabilities on the basis of disability in its services, programs, or activities. 

The ADA/Section 504 Coordinator is responsible for coordinating the efforts of the City of Alameda to comply with Title II of the ADA and investigating any concerns, complaints, or requests regarding access to City programs, services, and activities. 

Lilian Jewell 
City of Alameda ADA/Section 504 Coordinator 
950 W Mall Square, Suite 110 
Alameda, CA 94501 
ada@alamedaca.gov or 510-747-7961 

 

Library Services

Audiobook and Large Type Book Collections 

  • Audiobooks are available at all three Alameda Free Library locations and can be placed on hold just like physical books. Contact your neighborhood branch if you need help placing holds.  

  • Large Type books are available at all three Alameda Free Library locations, including the Children’s Department. The Main Library’s large type collection is located on the first floor, near the Fiction Collection. Contact your neighborhood branch for additional information. 

Closed Circuit Television Magnifier 

  • Video magnifiers are designed to assist people with low vision by enlarging text, documents, and images on an integrated screen. An Optelec Spectrum video magnifier is available on the second floor of the Main Library. 

Home Delivery 

Sensory Kits 

  • Alameda Free Library offers Sensory Kits at all three library locations to enhance accessibility, inclusion, and patron comfort. Sensory Kit items can help patrons regulate sensor input, support reading and concentration, and reduce stress and anxiety while using the library. Available items may vary by location and the items are for in-library use only. 

TTY/TDD 

  • Individuals who are deaf, hard of hearing or have a speech disability, please use the California Relay Service at 7-1-1 to contact us. 

 

Local, State, and Federal Service

Bookshare   

An accessible online library for people with print disabilities. Bookshare is a global literacy non-profit organization which provides free accessible e-books to students of any age who qualify for the program. Non-students may also join the program for a fee. 

California's Library Services for People with Print Disabilities, in association with the Library of Congress, provides free Braille and audio books, magazines and playback equipment to all eligible Californians unable to read standard print. 

Dial 7-1-1 to reach the California Relay Service. The California Relay Service can relay telephone conversations for people with disabilities and their family, friends, business contacts.  The service is open to everyone. 

Newsline® for the Blind is a free newspaper and magazine service offered by the National Federation of the Blind to anyone who cannot read printed newspapers due to vision loss, dyslexia, or a physical disability. 

Website Accessibility

If you use assistive technology (such as a Braille reader or a screen reader) and the format of any material on this website interferes with your ability to access information, please report a digital barrier. To enable us to respond in a manner most helpful to you, please indicate the nature of your accessibility problem, the preferred format in which to receive the material, the web address of the requested material, and your contact information. 

  • Accessibility Design Guidelines 

Our website has been designed with the following accessibility guidelines in mind: 

  • To comply with the Department of Justice's adopted standards, WCAG 2.1 AA referring to website accessibility. 

  • If you have difficulty accessing the site or have any comments or feedback, please do not hesitate to provide digital access feedback. We are majority compliant — most content meets the standard, and we are actively working as a team to address any remaining digital accessibility barriers. To support compliance efforts, the City uses third-party tools for accessibility auditing, PDF transcription and remediation, and other digital content editors. 

  • Browser Accessibility Information 

Many popular browsers contain built-in accessibility tools. 

  • Additional Plug-Ins 

Adobe Reader is required to view and print PDF documents that appear on this website.To download this program for free, visit the Adobe website. 

To read PDF documents with a screen reader, please visit the Adobe Reader Accessibility website which provides useful tools and resources. 

  • Supported Assistive Technology 

  • Latest Version of JAWS for Windows 

  • Latest Version of NVDA for Windows 

  • Keyboard-Only Navigation 

 

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