5. Part 2: Understand the breadth of library services and diversity of customer requirements - Disability resources

Investigate what the disability resources are on the Internet that may be of use to librarians, library staff, and library patrons.

Create on the Professional Development Wiki/Blog an internal web page for the Library (there does not seem to be one) listing the resource, the URL, and a description of what it is.

Present the findings in such a way that challenges the current thinking and perspectives of the Library towards its disabled customers/staff.

Publicize the content within Content Services and the library, showing how it relates to the staff and the jobs they do.

BOK 3 - Assessment of Information Needs & Design of Responsive Services.
BOK 8 - Information Resource & Knowledge Management.

NB: What follows is a more detailed version of the relevant page on the National Library 'What's uPD with you?' wiki. There is a link from the wiki to this page for those who want to know more.

Resources for librarians and library staff

Access to Libraries for Disabled Persons Checklist: a practical tool
This Checklist (developed by the IFLA Standing Committee of Libraries Serving Disadvantaged Persons (LSDP)) is designed as a practical tool for all types of libraries to assess existing levels of accessibility to buildings, services, materials and programs and to enhance accessibility when needed. It covers Physical access, Media formats and Service and communication.
A particular area of interest for cataloguers and indexers is the website, where the library website and webcatalog should be possible to use for all patrons. It suggests the following strategies:

· Make the design logical and easy to navigate

· Provide software to enlarge text, change font and contrast, length of lines, and space between lines

· Give alternative formats to .pdf and .doc - preferably unformatted text (.txt)

· Separate contents from design. Use style sheets to guide presentation and layout

· Include search capability on your website

· Avoid frames and tables

· Avoid moving figures and texts

· Use relative measurements for text

· Accompany audio with text

The question is, how many of these do we use in our catalogues and where do we fall down?             
             · Make the design logical and easy to navigate - yes

· Provide software to enlarge text, change font and contrast, length of lines, and space between lines – not yet

· Give alternative formats to .pdf and .doc - preferably unformatted text (.txt)  - not yet

· Separate contents from design. Use style sheets to guide presentation and layout - yes

· Include search capability on your website - yes

· Avoid frames and tables - no

· Avoid moving figures and texts - yes

· Use relative measurements for text - yes

· Accompany audio with text - no

Assistive technologies

This list of the types of Microsoft assistive technology products gives a fair indication of the kinds of technologies that are available to enable access to libraries and their services for all of the community.

National Library
Which ones do we have?

Resources for library patrons

Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities 

This is the Convention that has been signed and ratified by New Zealand.

The following Articles are relevant to libraries:

Article 9: Accessibility

· of facilities and services open or provided to the public, public signage in Braille and in easy to read and understand forms;  to new information and communications technologies and systems, including the Internet;

Article 19: Living independently and being included in the community

· Community services and facilities for the general population are available on an equal basis to persons with disabilities and are responsive to their needs.

 Article 21: Freedom of expression and opinion, and access to information

· Providing information intended for the general public to persons with disabilities in accessible formats and technologies appropriate to different kinds of disabilities in a timely manner and without additional cost;

· Accepting and facilitating the use of sign languages, Braille, augmentative and alternative communication, and all other accessible means, modes and formats of communication of their choice by persons with disabilities in official interactions;

· Urging private entities that provide services to the general public, including through the Internet, to provide information and services in accessible and usable formats for persons with disabilities;

Article 30: Participation in cultural life, recreation, leisure and sport

• States Parties recognize the right of persons with disabilities to take part on an equal basis with others in cultural life, and shall take all appropriate measures to ensure that persons with disabilities:
• Enjoy access to places for cultural performances or services, such as theatres, museums, cinemas, libraries and tourism services, and, as far as possible, enjoy access to monuments and sites of national cultural importance.

National Library
While we are on the way there are still disabled people in our community who would not be able to utilise the National Library services as effectively as non-disabled people as they are not presented in as wide a range of formats as are technologically available (e.g., braille, sign language and assistive technologies).

Library Services for People with Disabilities Policy

This policy was approved unanimously by the ALA Council, the governing body of the American Library Association, on January 16, 2001. It was written by the Americans with Disabilities Act Assembly, a representational group administered by the Association of Specialized and Cooperative Library Agencies (ASCLA), a division of the American Library Association.

While it covers library services, facilities, collections, assistive technology, employment, library education training and development, conferences, and publications and communications in a fair amount of detail, many of the requirements listed as essential are tempered by the inclusion of 'opt out' terminology. In nearly all of the areas there are the words 'may provide', 'should include',  barriers removed 'as long as such removal is readily achievable', or 'as long as the modified formats and accommodations are “reasonable,” do not “fundamentally alter” the library’s services, and do not place an “undue burden” on the library'.

So on one hand they offer the ideal service for people with disabilities and, straight away on the other, they remind us all that without the budget this ideal service is still only a dream. And we also know that the last thing that libraries are going to get is more money.

Which brings us back to wondering just how enforceable this United Nations Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities actually is...

Disaster plans and the disabled
This newspaper article highlights the ongoing battle in the USA to have the disabled included in disaster plans.
National Library
Does the National Library have such a plan for the disabled people on site in the event of a disaster (be they employees or customers)? I am aware of the Civil Defense wardens being required to assess and assist people with disabilities that might affect their evacuation from the building but where does one search for such information?

National Library of New Zealand and disability

New Zealand Disability Strategy Implementation work plans (July 2006 to June 2007) National Library of New Zealand
The National Library Print Disabilities Strategy focuses on the areas within the library concerning resources for special needs units and teachers, the print disabled (through the Print Disability Service) and the digital delivery of the services available.

This makes sense as the majority of our material is visual in nature and covers a wide range of learning levels.
The strategy also says how it will consider how it can: improve public awareness of disability and rights, and promote leadership of people with disabilities; build the organisation's knowledge to address disabilities issues; and improve people's participation in, and access to, its services.
In terms of the physical structure of the new design of the Library as part of the planning process the Library will be taking account the needs of its clients with disabilities as part of the drive to ensure National Library services are adapted to the changing needs of its users.

How the National Library Supports Print Disabled New Zealanders

This is an article that appeared in the Conference of Directors of National Libraries in Asia and Oceania (CDNLAO) newsletter in 2010. It outlines the service that the National Library provides to its print disabled customers and the work it is doing to maintain that service and keep it current with the user needs.

But where is the online information covering other disabilities?

Access and services for people with disabilities (at the National Library of New Zealand)

This was the website-based outline of the services available for people requiring car parks or wheelchairs, librarians with deaf sign knowledge and, somewhat erroneously, people who require magnifying glasses. It took up to four clicks to find this page (Home > About us > Visiting > us > Accessibility) and wasn't on the Home page. Now, with the new website it seems to have completely disappeared – hopefully to be resurrected sooner than later.

There is however an Accessibility link at the bottom of each web page that takes you to a list of the issues that are being worked on regarding accessibility issues users may face when visiting the website.