Quando o toque é informação: uma análise das fontes e recursos informacionais no Instituto dos Cegos da Paraíba Adalgisa Cunha (ICPAC)

Abstract

Access to information is a fundamental and indispensable right for the social, educational, and cultural inclusion of visually impaired people. In this context, specialized institutions must provide information sources, products, services, and resources aimed at meeting specific informational needs, contributing to informational accessibility. Therefore, this research aims to identify the information sources and resources of the library at the Adalgisa da Cunha Institute for the Blind of Paraíba, considering the contribution of these materials as the basis for the development of teaching and learning within the blind community. This is a qualitative, descriptive, and exploratory study, which used searches in virtual information sources, direct observation, and field notes as data collection instruments. The results indicate that Braille is the most prevalent format among the materials available, in addition to assistive technology resources such as screen readers. It is concluded that the library, as a social institution, represents a welcoming and inclusive space, especially the library of the institute for the blind, reflecting a space for new beginnings, which seeks to restore autonomy to the user, contributing to their informational independence.