Making Library Resources Accessible to People with Disabilities

“Making Library Resources Accessible to People with Disabilities” Laurie Staiger

Introductory Research September 29, 2013 I started thinking about the library at the college where I work as well as the small branch library where I used to work. One thing struck me that they have in common is lack of accessibility for disabled users. I work with learning disabled students and sometimes physical disabilities are also present. Neither library has computer stations that are wheelchair usable nor offer a large selection of materials for visually disabled persons. These were just a few of the disturbing items that I could think of. So my topic for the paper trail project became, “Making Library Resources Accessible to People with Disabilities”.

I. Introduction Initial Outline October 6, 2013 A. Examples of non-accessibilities in libraries for people with disabilities. B. Overview of some common disabilities C. Importance of issue Technologies available A. Hardware B. Software C. Additional equipment and resources III. Services A. Personnel and staff B. Accommodations C. Environment IV. Conclusion A. Summary B. Key points C. Legal and moral issues

Research Journal Research with annotations by date. First page artifact for each item. Items that would be used for this research project are highlighted in blue. Twenty one items that were found could be used. Items that would not be useful to this research are highlighted in red. Thirteen items that were found are not useful.

Research Journal September 29, 2013 v September 29, 2013 - Decided on topic and started research found several good articles using Google: http: //www. library. unlv. edu/services/disabled_persons http: //www. lib. washington. edu/services/disabled http: //www. ifla. org/files/assets/hq/publications/professi onal-report/89. pdf

http: //www. library. unlv. edu/servi ces/disabled_persons This is a very helpful website when researching assistive technology for library use. It contains different types of services for the disabled including assistive technology. It also contains a question center to answer any addition questions a patron might have. This would be useful for this research because it lists available technologies.

http: //www. lib. washington. edu/s ervices/disabled University of Washington This is a very good model for college libraries to assist the disabled. This school is already using the best practices for assisting the disabled. This would be useful for this research because it shares a successful library model.

http: //www. ifla. org/files/assets/h q/publications/professionalreport/89. pdf This document describes all of the Library Associations rules and standards for assisting library patrons with disabilities. It was created in 2005 and there have been some new types of technologies that should be added. This would be useful for this research because it is a checklist of best practices.

Research Journal October 6, 2013 v More research on Google: http: //archive. ifla. org/VII/s 9/nd 1/iflapr 89 e. pdf http: //dlis. dos. state. fl. us/bld/grants/DLISLRP 2013 -2017. pdf

http: //archive. ifla. org/VII/s 9/nd 1 /iflapr-89 e. pdf v This search took me to the same document as I found on September 29, 2013. The PDF is located within the website. It would be used for the research because it lists best practices.

Research Journal October 12, 2013 v I started research on USF library website. The first article that I found was Orientation/Training Programmes in NCR Libraries for People with Disabilities: A Study of the User’s Perspective. This article was written to assist library staff in the training people with disabilities in the use of assistive items. It is written from the user’s perspective. This article would be good as mandatory reading for new reference librarians and good for this research because is details on the training of staff to teach patrons to use the assistive tools.

October 12, 2013 The article Information Power to All Patrons was a very good article for my research. It is about many people with disabilities being on the wrong side of the digital divide because of lack of money to purchase equipment and Internet services, or, in some cases, they simply do not realize the importance of computer technology and how libraries can fill this gap. This item is perfect for my research and would give a great deal of information about why people with disabilities may not use or know about assistive tools.

October 12, 2013 The article Innovative Literacy Programs which is about the literacy programs of the District of Columbia Public Library. There are discussions about many different programs offered and it would be a good reference for my research because it discusses programs to help different groups of people.

http: //dlis. dos. state. fl. us/bld/gra nts/DLIS-LRP 2013 -2017. pdf This is a document is from Florida Department of State, Division of Library and Information Services and only briefly mentions disabilities. It would not be useful for this research because there is very little information about disabilites.

Research Journal October 12, 2013 The next article that found was A Simple Solution Creating and implementing a library policy for patrons with disabilities. This article is about access to academic law libraries for students with disabilities. The author states that less than 18 percent of academic law libraries surveyed had separate written policies for disabled patrons. This is a good article but not for my research because it is specific for law libraries.

Research Journal October 12, 2013 The next article was On the outside looking in: public libraries serving young people with disabilities. This article is about how public libraries offer equity of access through disability access and inclusion plans but does this ensure social inclusion. The author believes that libraries can create a more welcoming and inclusive library service for people with disabilities. This may not be a good article for my research because it does not discuss the tools but instead the social aspect but that is not my topic of concern.

Research Journal October 12, 2013 The next article School Librarians as Ambassadors of Inclusive Information Access for Students with Disabilities was a very useful article. The study finds that with good training and support that school librarians can have a significant role in empowering students with specific disabilities. It is a good article but I am not sure if it is a good fit for my research so I would probably not use it because there are many other better fitting sources.

October 12, 2013 The article I found on Protecting the Rights of the Most Vulnerable by Creating a Culture of Inclusion is about persons with developmental disabilities and does not meet my needs because it is limited to developmental disabilites.

Research Journal October 13, 2013 The next article was Perceptions of Public Library Accessibility for People with Disabilities. This study was aimed at the opinions concerning barriers to public library use and opinions about efforts by public libraries to be useful to people with disabilities. I think I would use this reference because it discusses improvements made that people with disabilities have noticed and used.

October 13, 2013 The next article is Differently Able: A Review of Academic Library Websites for People With Disabilities. The study explores academic websites to see what is offered and how easily it is accessed. I would use this article for my research because it discusses several different institutions and what they offer and how the students use the tools. It discusses very specific guidelines that are a very good reference for an academic librarian to follow.

October 13, 2013 The article Diversity and Special Services. This article discusses diversity in many aspects of abilities. It discusses the needs and whether a small branch library can meet all of the needs of the population. I would use this resource because it gives a different perspective on why the needs may not be met everywhere.

October 13, 2013 The article Special Issue on Services to Patrons with Print Disabilities. This article concentrates mostly on the copyright laws that would prevent academic libraries from having the best solutions for print disabled students. I would probably not use this article because it deals with Canada and the copyright laws are not the direction that I would like to research.

October 13, 2013 The article Academic Library Services for Users with Developmental Disabilities. This article discussed students with development disabilities now being included in many colleges and discusses how libraries could possibly fill the gap and provide extra services for these particular students. I would not use this article because this is not my target population. It is an interesting article but does not really fit my needs.

Research Journal October 13, 2013 The next article is Physical reading disabilities: What librarians need to know. This article investigates how libraries could provide help to children with reading disabilities. It talks about ways libraries could help parents and teachers of reading disabled children with reading disabilities using available tools. I would not use this article because it was written in 1980 and the information is extremely outdated.

October 13, 2013 The next item is a book that I downloaded from Orange County library. It is called College Success for Students With Physical Disabilities. The book discusses student’s rights under the laws governing education and disability, choosing a college, and the increased responsibilities in college. I would not use this book as a reference because it does not discuss any accommodations that could be utilized or desired in the academic library.

Research Journal October 26, 2013 The item titled Libraries Confront the Challenges of Accommodating Disabled Users. This article discussed the obligations of libraries, especially law libraries; have to the patrons with disabilities that they serve. It also discusses the challenge of these libraries to be accessible to all students. This article would be a good resource for my research because it has information about the challenges the libraries face.

Research Journal October 26, 2013 The next article is titled Assistive Technology: What You Need to Know Library Accessibility Tip Sheet 11. This is a guide is from a division of the ALA and ha important information for librarian in assisting patrons with disabilities. It lists several assistive technologies for different impairments and also a list of useful resources. The author acknowledges that mot libraries have limited resources so it recommends purchasing the tools that will help the most people. This would be a very good resource for my research because of all of the resources and technologies.

Research Journal October 26, 2013 The next item is a portion of the website for Sonoma State University. This website does an excellent job of displaying the different resources, equipment and services that the library supplies to disabled students. This website could easily be a model for other college libraries. It would make choosing a college for a student with special needs easier and also help them find the best fit. I would use this website as part of my research because it is an excellent model of what a college website should include.

Research Journal October 26, 2013 This item is a document from the University of Washington that details the requirements to make sure that all patrons have equal access to the library materials. This document focuses on how libraries can make sure that everyone has access to their electronic resources. It discusses the legal, and policy issues and presents recommendations for success, so this is a good resource for my research.

Research Journal October 26, 2013 The article titled Tending a Wild Garden: Library Web Design for Persons with Disabilities discusses how librarians in charge of technology can help disabled patrons by continuously updating and adapting services as assistive technologies get better. It also discusses the best methods of creating intranet and web pages to best work for everyone. Therefore it would be a great source for my research.

Research Journal October 26, 2013 This item is from the U. S. Department of Labor and has a list of links related to Disability-Related Laws and Regulations. This article would not be of any use in my research even though it was found using the same search criteria as many of the good articles that I have located.

Research Journal for Assistive Technology October 19, 2013 This is Dragon Naturally Speaking speech recognition software designed to accommodate learning, physical, and visual disabilities. This is an excellent tool and I would use this resource in my research because it is a proven tool to assist with several types of disabilities.

Research Journal for Assistive Technology October 19, 2013 Next is Kurzweil 3000 scanning and reading software package is available for students with learning disabilities or reading difficulties. Printed text is scanned into the program using a scanner. The electronic text is then read by a synthetic voice. I would use this resource in my research because it is a proven tool to assist with several types of disabilities.

Research Journal for Assistive Technology October 19, 2013 Zoom Text Magnifier which is magnifier/screen reader software that provides a full range of magnification. Synthetic voice reads documents to accommodate low vision users, and other physical impairments. I would use this resource in my research because it is a proven tool to assist with several types of disabilities.

Research Journal for Assistive Technology October 19, 2013 The Expert Mouse which is a trackball designed for use by individuals with grasping disabilities or limited dexterity. I would use this resource in my research because it is a proven tool to assist with several types of disabilities.

Research Journal for Assistive Technology October 19, 2013 The Electric Height Adjustable Activity Table is a powered height adjustable work table designed for use by individuals who use wheelchairs. Height adjustment is achieved with push-button controls. I would use this resource in my research because it is a proven tool to assist with several types of disabilities.

Research Journal for Assistive Technology October 20, 2013 Optical Character Recognition Scanner - Optical character recognition (OCR) is the process of converting an image of text. You can then export the converted text. OCR enables refreshable Braille displays to read the text contained in images. I would use this resource in my research because it is a proven tool to assist with several types of disabilities.

Research Journal for Assistive Technology October 20, 2013 The Sorenson Video Relay Services - A Sorenson video phone allows users who are deaf or hearingimpaired to communicate via sign language. I would not use this resource in my research. This is a very expensive and specific device for hearing impaired and would be great for home use.

Research Journal for Assistive Technology October 20, 2013 Next is a typing aid that helps people with limited functional hand skills to accurately press keys. This tool can be used on keyboard, typewriters, adding machines, calculators and telephones. I would not use this resource in my research. It would be great for a physically disabled person to have for their own use but this would not be an item good for a library to maintain.

Research Journal for Assistive Technology October 20, 2013 The BIG Step-by-Step Communicator which is a simple recordable communication device. This device allows persons with disabilities the chance to engage with others and connect with their world. I would not use this resource in my research. It is a great tool for communication purposes but not for a library to purchase or maintain.