Visually Impaired Persons
The Copyright (Visually Impaired Persons) Act 2002 revised the existing copyright legislation to permit greater freedom to copy for and by the visually impaired. The Act has removed the need to seek permission for those needing an accessible copy of a work.
The definition visually impaired includes the blind and partially sighted, and those who, through physical disability, are unable either to hold and manipulate a book or to focus or move their eyes to the extent that would normally be required for reading. It should be noted that unfortunately the definition does not include those with dyslexia or similar disabilities or those with hearing impairments. The University does, however, offer support to all students with disabilities and may be able to obtain permission to copy from the rightsholder. Please contact Student Services for further assistance with this.
The act refers to literary, artistic, dramatic and musical works in printed form. These may be copied in any format which provides the visually impaired person with an accessible copy, which is defined as "a version which provides for a visually impaired person improved access to the work" e.g. enlarged print, Braille, digital or audio copies. Accessible copies can be requested from the University's Alternative Format Suite (AFS). Please see the AFS website for more information.
Copying by an individual
If you are visually impaired, you may make a copy for personal use, provided that you have a lawful copy of the original work and it is not already available in a suitable accessible format. If you share your accessible copy with another visually impaired person, that person should also be in possession of a lawful copy of the original work. If you have made an accessible copy of a book on loan from the Library, you should return the accessible copy when you return the book. This may then be loaned to other visually impaired users who borrow the same book.
Accessible copies should carry an acknowledgement of source and the statement "copied under s. 31A of the Copyright, Designs and Patents Act 1988". No profit may be made from the creation or use of the copy.
Copying for multiple users
As an educational establishment, the University may make multiple copies for its own educational purposes if no suitable versions of the work are commercially available. The University must be in possession of the original work and may only make the changes necessary for the work to be accessible to the particular visually impaired users. The copying of databases or sound recordings is not permitted.
As with individual copies, accessible copies should carry an acknowledgement of source and the statement "copied under s. 31A of the Copyright, Designs and Patents Act 1988" and the copying must be for non-commercial educational use only.
Further information
The RNIB website has further useful information on the copying of material for Visually Impaired Persons under the Copyright (Visually Impaired Persons) Act 2002.