Beyond Ramps

1. Library Accessibility in the Real World Beyond Ramps Instructor: Marti Goddard mgoddard@sfpl.org An Infopeople Workshop Summer / Fall 2006

2. This Workshop Is Brought to You By the Infopeople Project Infopeople is a federally-funded grant project supported by the California State Library. It provides a variety of training to California libraries. Infopeople workshops are offered around the state and are open registration on a first-come, first-served basis. For a complete list of workshops, and for other information about the project, go to the Infopeople website at infopeople.org.

3. Introductions • Your name • Your library • Your position • Why are you taking this class? • Who is the first person with a disability you ever knew or saw?

4. Feeling comfortable talking with all of our users is essential to providing excellent public service. Using “people first” language shows respect to people with disabilities. People First Language

5. Who are we talking about? In a Census Bureau Survey of Income and Participation(conducted June – September, 2002) 51.2 million people in the non-institutionalized population had some level of disability • 18.1% of the population • 8.4% of people under age 15 • 19.4% of people aged 45 – 54 • 38.4% of people aged 65 – 69 • 71.7% of people aged 80+ People of all ages, in all racial and ethnic groups and all socioeconomic groups have disabilities.

6. Exercise #1 Accessibility Basics

7. Defining “disability” Moral model: disability is the result of sin Medical model: disability is a defect or sickness that must be cured Rehabilitation model: disability is a deficiency that must be fixed by a rehabilitation professional or other helping professional

8. Disability Model • Disability is a normal aspect of life, not a deviance. • People with disabilities are not defective. • Social discrimination and the built environment cause the most significant problems experienced by individuals with disabilities.

9. According to the World Health Organization, a handicap “is a function of the relationship between disabled persons and their environment. It occurs when they encounter cultural, physical, or social barriers which prevent their access to the various systems of society that are available to other citizens. Thus, handicap is the loss or limitation of opportunities to take part in the life of the community on an equal level with others.” - from the United Nations, World Programme of Action Concerning Disabled Persons

10. Exercise #2 No Pets Allowed. Service Animals in the Library

11. This is not my pet…

12. It’s the law! • Civil Rights Act (1964) • Rehabilitation Act (1973) • Section 504 (1978) • Section 508 (1998) • Americans with Disabilities Act (1990) • California Fair Employment and Housing Act (amended 2001)

13. Essential Legal Definitions • Disability • Major Life Activity • Qualified Individual • Reasonable Accommodation

14. Policies, Practices and Procedures: Public entities are required to make reasonable modifications to policies, practices, and procedures where necessary to avoid discrimination, unless they can demonstrate that doing so would fundamentally alter the nature of the service, program or activity being provided.

15. It’s the right thing to do! ALA Code of Ethics, 1995 • We provide the highest level of service to all library users through appropriate and usefully organized resources; equitable access; and accurate, unbiased, and courteous responses to all requests.

16. Accessible Libraries It’s the law! And… it’s the right thing to do! Well-trained staff, flexibility and good tools transform accessible buildings into accessible libraries.

17. High Tech SolutionsAssistive Technology To create a successful AT program • Work as a team – AT users, ADA Coordinator, public service staff, IT staff • Decide what to install and why you have it • Agree on who can use it • Figure out how to give users with disabilities priority use • Train staff – and figure out about user training • Market the service

18. The Most Important Solution • Welcoming and sensitive staff • Ready access to written policy and guidelines that supports front-line staff “Attitudes are the real disability.”

19. Automatic Doors

20. Clear Signs

21. Oakland Public LibraryPictographs

22. Disability Community Bulletin Boards

23. Universal Design • Elegant, broad-spectrum solutions that make products, services and environments as usable as possible by as many people as possible regardless of ability • Previously labeled "barrier-free" or "handicapped accessible“ • Supports inclusion rather than segregated services

24. Exercise #3 Helping Users who are Blind or have Vision Disabilities

25. Downloadable Audio • Also available from NLS Regional and Subregional libraries – “Unabridged Digital Audio Books” NetLibrary & Recorded Books, Inc.

26. CCTV – Closed Circuit Television

27. Enlarged Text

28. Braille Devices

29. Low Tech Solutions • Hand-held magnifiers • Black “Bold Write” pens • Signature guides • Large type rulers • Stick-on large-type black-on-white key caps

30. Standards Revised Standards of Service for the Library of Congress Network of Libraries for the Blind and Physically Handicapped, 2005 Published by the Association of Specialized and Cooperative Library Agencies, a division of the American Library Association. http://www.ala.org/ala/ascla/asclaprotools/asclastandards/standardsguidelines.htm

31. Exercise #4 Helping Users who have Learning Disabilities

32. Talking Dictionaries and Talking Calculators

33. Exercise #5 Helping Users who are Deaf or Hard of Hearing

34. Assistive Listening Devices

35. Real-Time Captioning

36. Closed Captioned Videos and DVDs

37. TTYs / Text Telephones

38. Videophones and Video Relay Services

39. Captioned Media Program • Open-captioned films and videos that can be borrowed by individuals or for showing to audiences with deaf members • More than 100 streaming videos available through the Internet • Administered by the National Association of the Deaf http://www.cfv.org

40. Guidelines Library and Information Services for the American Deaf Community, 1995 (under revision) Published by the Association of Specialized and Cooperative Library Agencies, a division of the American Library Association. http://www.ala.org/ala/ascla/asclaprotools/asclastandards/standardsguidelines.htm

41. Exercise #6 Helping Users who have Speech Disabilities

42. Exercise #7 Helping Users who have Developmental Disabilities

43. Guidelines Library Services for People with Mental Retardation, 1999 Published by the Association of Specialized and Cooperative Library Agencies, a division of the American Library Association. http://www.ala.org/ala/ascla/asclaprotools/asclastandards/standardsguidelines.htm

44. Exercise #8 Helping Users who have Psychiatric Disabilities

45. Guidelines Guidelines for Library Services for People with Mental Illnesses, 2006 (pending) Published by the Association of Specialized and Cooperative Library Agencies, a division of the American Library Association. http://www.ala.org/ala/ascla/asclaprotools/asclastandards/standardsguidelines.htm

46. Exercise #9 Helping Users who have Mobility or Dexterity Disabilities

47. Reachers / Grabbers

48. Wheeled Walkers with Seats - Rollators

49. Easy-to-Adjust Workstationsand Alternative Input Devices

50. Exercise #10 Make an Accessibility Policy for Your Library