Blind and low‑vision advocates urge Boston Public Library improvements; staff training and branch‑level equipment gaps highlighted

At the Sep. 11 committee hearing on City Hall accessibility, citizen testifier Bill Taub used his time to describe obstacles blind and low‑vision residents face using Boston Public Library services and urged improvements in branch‑level adaptive technology and outreach. Councilors and city disability staff took the testimony as a prompt to improve the public availability of branch accessibility information. Taub said he has received assistive equipment through state and nonprofit partnerships but that service availability at Boston Public Library branches is inconsistent. “In my opinion, the Boston Public Library is the worst library in the country if you're blind or visually impaired,” he said. He described having a 27‑inch monitor, yellow keyboard keys and an iPad Pro through programs with MassAbility and Easterseals, and said the central library had been the only branch he found with a functioning specialized computer running the JAWS screen reader. City staff and the Disabilities Commission said several libraries already offer accessibility tools and that the city can do a better job listing which branches provide specific equipment and services. Commissioner Makash said 16 branches have large keyboards and that libraries provide some basic accessibility features; library staff training on built‑in screen readers and published branch inventories were noted as next steps. At the hearing a city staffer added that every library computer includes built‑in screen readers—Windows Narrator and Apple VoiceOver—but that staff need training to deploy those features for patrons who ask. Witnesses identified two common constraints: (1) some specialist screen readers or browser extensions (for example, commercial readers or extensions) require installation or licensing that library frontline staff cannot add without city IT involvement; and (2) more extensive adaptive setups (Jaws, training, one‑on‑one assistance) are concentrated at larger branches, leaving smaller neighborhood branches with more limited options. Councilors said they would follow up with library management and staff to publish clear, branch‑by‑branch information about the availability of screen readers, large keyboards, adaptive desks and other equipment; they suggested using library web pages and centralized city information to make those services discoverable before patrons travel to a branch. No formal policy or budget decision was made at the hearing.