Based on a study of leading practices of foreign university libraries and achievements in computerization and the application of modern forms of library and information services, the university libraries developed a Strategy for developing adaptive services and new information opportunities for disabled people. The initiator of these activities is the Association of university libraries in Bulgaria.

The strategic goal of the Strategy is the development of adaptive services for disabled people in Bulgaria to support their educational and professional activities, continuing education and qualification, for personal and professional development.

The Strategy for development of adapted services and new information opportunities aims at providing unlimited access to information and information equality of the disabled people in Bulgaria. The Strategy includes a number of tasks: 1.Providing access to university libraries for the disabled. 2.Creation of a digital collection of basic teaching materials: articles, monographs, textbooks, questionnaires, tests, etc. to aid the individual study and education of disabled students.

3.Access to multidisciplinary on-line resources with a text version. 4.Cooperation with the University Publishing houses and other publishers for acquisition of the newly published editions (fiction, scientific and popular) on CD ROM for use by blind people. 5.Popularizing the free service for the disabled – electronic delivery of documents.

6.Creating a text version of the websites of the university libraries to overcome the difficulties of blind readers with graphic and pictorial images. Application of the methods of accessibility of the web pages by following a complex of criteria and compatibility of decisions with the leading foreign examples. 7.Qualification of the library information specialists, servicing the disabled. 8.Implementation of an educational program aiming at the formation of modern information competence of disabled people. 9.PR strategies for popularizing the new opportunities and library services among the disabled people. Publishing program – information bulletins, advertising radio-clips, etc.

The leading library in the realization of the strategy tasks is the University Library “St. Kliment Ohridski” at Sofia University. On 10 April 2003 the University Library “St. Kliment Ohridski” opened a new services addressed to the information needs of the disabled.

The “Mediatheque” reading room of the Central Library for blind students provides a place equipped with computer and special software – synthesizer of Bulgarian speech Speech Lab 2.0 and Screen reader.

The activities in the Strategy go far beyond the limits of traditional servicing of the blind offered in Bulgaria so far. They are based on the introduction of new information technologies and the use of the priorities of digital information. Having in mind the defects of the traditional approaches to services for the blind and people with impaired sight, the Strategy presented here relies on modern approaches and forms of access to information like: digitalization of materials, electronic document delivery, specialized software – synthesizer of Bulgarian speech Speech Lab 2.0 and Screen Reader, organizing electronic collections etc.

The achievements of the Strategy for adaptive services and new information opportunities for disabled people of the university libraries are open to all disabled people from the country, and the consistent PR strategies aims to inform for the new services and opportunities and to multiply its effect on a national level.