Federal Government Publications Issued in Alternative Format, 1981-1996

Since the International Year of Disabled Persons in 1981, the Canadian government has attempted to provide print-handicapped Canadians with equitable access to information. To achieve this, more and more government documents have been published in alternative formats.

This bibliography lists alternative format publications for Canadians with print handicaps, issued by agencies and departments of the federal government from 1981 to 1996. The formats included are large print, braille, sound recordings and some electronic texts. Electronic texts, such as CD-ROMs, that may not be compatible with alternate output devices, have been excluded from the bibliography.

The National Library has endeavoured to acquire a complete collection of federal government documents in alternative format. These publications can be consulted at the National Library and are also available through interlibrary loan. They are catalogued on the National Library's automated system, AMICUS. They are also listed in CANUC:H, the National Library's union catalogue of the alternative format holdings of over 29 libraries.

The bibliography is organized alphabetically by name of the issuing department or agency with publications listed alphabetically by title underneath. Some publications issued prior to 1993 are listed under former department or agency names. Others have been included under the current names, such as those issued by Consumer and Corporate Affairs, which can be found under Industry Canada. Publications of the Secretary of State have been listed under Human Resources Development Canada and those of Parks Canada are listed under Environment Canada. The AMICUS Number (AN) is included to assist in locating complete bibliographic citations.

The tax guides and forms of Revenue Canada have been omitted from the bibliography since they are not collected by the National Library of Canada. Revenue Canada does, however, produce all its publications including guides and forms upon request in the alternative format requested.

Copies of the publications listed in this bibliography can be obtained from the issuing department or borrowed on interlibrary loan from the National Library of Canada. For assistance contact your local library.