2024-01-08 SPLAT Curiosity Report: Volume 15, Issue 8

Featured Story

We hope you’ll enjoy this guest contribution from a fellow Idaho library worker.

Accessibility Beyond ADA Requirements

Accessibility in libraries is a topic that I’m greatly passionate about both as a person with cerebral palsy and as someone who has worked in libraries for just over 10 years. The following are highlights from a literature review focused on what it means to create equitable, welcoming, and inclusive libraries for those with disabilities in our communities:

Disclaimer: This article barely scratches the surface of a very large topic and is meant as an introduction that ideally sparks further exploration.

Thinking beyond ADA requirements

Focusing solely on ADA (Americans with Disabilities Act) standards has the potential of creating “a space or experience [that is] technically accessible according to a standard and unusable, difficult to use, or not perceived to be inclusive of those with disabilities” (Hill, 2020, p. 1). An example of technical accessibility would be having a ramped entrance, but one that is at the back of the building next to the dumpsters (Pionke, 2020); creating a space that is technically accessible but not welcoming, inclusive, or equitable. In addition to the risk of technical accessibility, ADA reliance can establish a narrow understanding of accessibility. In their 2016 piece, Kumbier & Starkey assert “when we… limit our thinking to ADA compliance, we miss opportunities to understand disability in more nuanced ways and think more broadly about what creating accessible, inclusive libraries could mean” (p. 473). Defining accessibility as ADA compliance establishes a rigid framework for what accessibility is and what it has the potential to be.

How to expand the definition of accessibility

The concept of universal design- making something useable for as many people as possible- is one way to start thinking differently about what accessibility in libraries can look like. Through Pionke’s (2020) ramp example we can see that simply moving the ramp to the front entrance not only creates equity, but also “makes the building more easily accessible for everyone, including people using strollers, temporarily using crutches, or who have other mobility concerns but don’t require the use of mobility devices” (p. 136). This example illustrates the clear benefits of incorporating universal design for all members of the community- making the building more useable for a wider spectrum of people.

Universal design is also a great tool when it comes to library programming. Grassi’s 2017 article about ways to increase library services for people with disabilities describes universal design as, “tak[ing] into account a broad range of abilities and characteristics, such as age, learning style, language, and culture” (p. 22). Pionke (2022) explains the essence of universal design as providing multiple ways to access information or an experience: “more often than not, patrons with disabilities will tell you that having a greater number of available options will suffice in making the facility/service/program more accessible to them” (p.59). Accessibility can be greatly increased by embracing universal design and doing things like adding adaptive tools or providing alternate ways to participate in a program.
 

What expansive accessibility looks like

If you are a person with a disability, accessibility looks like coming into a building through the front entrance, being greeted by library staff who are friendly and knowledgeable about how to meet your information needs and communicate with you in the way you are most comfortable with. It looks like having accessible technology, materials in multiple formats, and enriching programs available with various ways to participate. Equitable service for people with disabilities goes far beyond meeting ADA standards. Equitable service is attainable when disability is not seen as an individual problem to be addressed, but something that is created by spaces, attitudes, and norms. When accessibility is not looked at as something to achieve, but rather an environment to foster.

References

By Emily Johnson

 

 

SPLAT explores the ever-evolving library world and supports library folks as they adapt to meet the needs of their communities. Library folk throughout the state of Idaho volunteer to serve on the Special Projects Library Action Team (SPLAT). Learn more about SPLAT at https://libraries.idaho.gov/splat/ 

SPLAT is brought to you by the Idaho Commission for Libraries and was made possible, in part, by the Institute of Museum and Library Services (LS-253624-OLS-23). The views, findings, conclusions, or recommendations expressed in this publication do not necessarily represent those of the Institute of Museum and Library Services.