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Introduction. The aim of this master’s thesis is to examine which factors affect how Swedish public libraries, financed by a grant from the Swedish Arts Council, work to improve their accessibility for people with cognitive disabilities.

Method. We have used qualitative methods for our study. The methods are semi-structured interviews with representatives from six public libraries, participant observation of a lecture about cognitive accessibility by Begripsam AB and a review of the libraries’ applications for the grant. The theoretical approaches are Critical Disability Theory, Stigma Theory and Spoon Theory.

Results. Our results show that the libraries use a solution-oriented approach to improve their accessibility. They have focused on improving the physical library, for example by making the lighting, sound environment, information, and signage more accessible. All libraries have collaborated with Begripsam. People with cognitive disabilities are a versatile group with different needs, which makes it difficult to follow the Swedish library law to be “accessible to all”. There are several laws and guidelines regarding cognitive accessibility, but they seem to be hard to find and interpret.

Conclusion. Our study shows that the grant from the Swedish Arts Council has been necessary to make the libraries more accessible for people with cognitive disabilities. Begripsam has had a great impact on what the libraries have done to improve their cognitive accessibility. There seems to be a need to make the guidelines on accessibility for people with cognitive disabilities more accessible for library staff. The grant is temporary, but the process of making libraries more accessible never ends. The lack of adequate finances is an obstacle for the public libraries’ ability to be accessible for all, and they would benefit from a more permanent solution.

This is a two-year master’s thesis in Library and Information Science.