The library provides services for people with special needs including Home Delivery, adaptive equipment, closed-captioned videos, descriptive videos (DVS), large print books, and audiobooks.

We serve as a source for equipment and tapes for the Talking Books Program of the Wisconsin Regional Library For The Blind and Physically Handicapped.

Home Delivery
Home Delivery Services of the library serves people in Eau Claire and surrounding communities confined at home or in a health-care facility due to illness, physical handicap, disability, or lack of transportation. Materials are selected based on an initial interview conducted by the Home Delivery Coordinator. Volunteers and library staff deliver books, videos, audiobooks and other materials to participants every three weeks. There is no charge for this service. For more information, contact the Home Delivery Coordinator at 715-839-4857.

Adaptive Equipment
The library has a wheelchair accessible workstation customers may use for the Internet, word processing, or searching the library's online catalog. This workstation is also the source for OpenBook and WindowEyes screen-reading software. With OpenBook and WindowEyes, users can scan printed documents to convert them into an electronic text format using optical character recognition and quality speech. Users are also able to type documents into word processing and have the text read back to them or search the Internet with these screen-reading software programs. The library has a Telephone Device for the Deaf (TDD) that enables people who are deaf, hard of hearing, or speech-disabled to use the telephone by typing messages that are exchanged between the user and library staff. Use the library's TDD number at 715-839-1689 if you need this service.

Various magnifiers for use in the library are available at the information and reference desk.

Lbrary Materials
The library has an extensive collection of closed-captioned videos and DVDs for the hearing impaired as well as a small collection of DVS or descriptive videos for the visually impaired. There is a limit of 10 videos and 8 DVDs per card and most checkout for one week. Audiobooks on compact discs or cassettes are located on the first floor of the library beginning in row 3. For the most part, the library only purchases unabridged titles. Fiction audiobooks are arranged by the author's last name and nonfiction by call number. Audiobooks check out for three weeks and there is a limit of 10 per library card. The library has a vast collection of large print books, both in fiction and nonfiction. Large print books are on the first floor of the library, beginning in row 26.

Talking Book Machine Program
The Wisconsin Regional Library For The Blind and Physically Handicapped serves people who cannot use conventional printed materials because of visual or physical impairments. Application forms for the program are available at Information and Reference. The library is a drop-off point for Talking Book Machines needing repair or replacement for a defective machine and will mail these machines to the library in Milwaukee at no charge to the customer. The library maintains a collection of cassettes on the first floor of the library playable only on the Talking Book Machines. Registered borrowers may check out up to 6 items at one time. Borrowers may return items to the library or mail directly to the Wisconsin Regional Library For The Blind and Physically Handicapped at no charge for postage.