#108: Don't take two weeks to arrange accomodations

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I have worked at more than one library that has included text like this on their advertisements for upcoming programs: “If you require a disability accommodation to attend this program, contact us at least two weeks before the event.” While it’s great that these libraries wanted to indicate that they were willing to make arrangements, two weeks is a long time. Presumably these libraries wanted to avoid a situation where a patron asked for acomodations at short notice, the library failed to accommodate them, and the patron got mad, but it’s a problematic message. Not only does it set up the expectation that the library will be able to provide accommodation with two weeks’ notice, which may just not be the case, it also suggests to patrons that if the program they would like to attend is less than two weeks away, they are simply out of luck. The reality is that many patrons decide only days before a program that they want to attend, not weeks.

If you have an up-to-date plan and contact list for arranging possible accommodations, it’s likely that you’ll often be able to provide whatever resource is needed with less than two weeks’ of notice, especially if you are mindful when designing programs to be as accessible as possible in the first place. If your library puts a notice like this on your program advertising, consider removing the time frame to show patrons that you’ll work with them whenever they contact you.

#107: Make it easy to dispose of sharps

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Someone who is diabetic may find themselves in the unenviable position of having to give themselves an insulin injection in your public restroom. You can make it slightly less inconvenient for them by providing a sharps container for them to dispose of their used syringes. Not only is this better for people who are diabetic, it’s better for your staff as well--it protects the person emptying the trash from accidental needle sticks and decreases the likelihood that someone will cause problems to your plumbing by attempting to flush a used syringe instead.

#106: Make accessbility someone's job

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It’s easy to let barriers slip into your services when there isn’t anyone who is explicitly responsible for stopping that from happening. You may not have the power to convince your library to hire a diversity and inclusion librarian, but there is probably something you can do to codify accessibility in your library. For example, are you involved in creating a form that will be used by library staff to plan programs? Add a question where the staff person should list potential barriers to participation in the program and how they plan to address those barriers. Are you involved in collection development? Advocate for accessible formats to be addressed in your library’s collection development policy, or suggest setting aside a certain amount of the collection budget for materials in accessible formats.

#104: Pick the right light switch

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If you’re looking at adding or replacing a light switch in a room, get one that’s easy to manipulate. You may think of a ‘standard’ light switch as being a toggle switch like this one:

‘Toggle’ style light switch, photo by Freekhou5 from WikiMedia Commons.

‘Toggle’ style light switch, photo by Freekhou5 from WikiMedia Commons.

However, you can also get a ‘rocker’ light switch that requires less pressure to operate. These are the ones with a wider, larger switch that lies flatter against the switch plate. They look like this:

‘Rocker’ style light switch, photo by DemonDays64 from WikiMedia Commons.

‘Rocker’ style light switch, photo by DemonDays64 from WikiMedia Commons.

Not only are the rocker switches easier to operate, they’re also a lot easier to clean.

#103: Be aware of mask challenges for D/deaf people

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Many people who are hard or hearing or fully D/deaf rely on lip reading as part of communicating with hearing people, along with facial expressions. Lip reading is impossible when everyone is wearing a mask, and reading facial expressions is much more challenging. The National Association of the Deaf has put out a useful article on options for communication in pandemic times : https://www.nad.org/best-practices-for-wearing-masks-when-communicating-with-dhh/

#102 Consider keeping curbside

As most libraries allow patrons back into the library building, many are dropping curbside request pickup programs that began during the pandemic. Continuing to staff another service point is a big ask, but don’t write off keeping the service before you’ve really evaluated how many patrons it is helping. Have you seen an increase in people who are elderly or who have physical disabilities borrowing materials? What about people picking up materials on behalf of others? If you can’t get out to the library on your own but you want materials, it’s a smaller ask to have a neighbor or friend swing through a drive-thru or curbside pickup service than go inside a building to a service desk

#100: Find (or make) a name pronunciation guide

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If you have a large patron population with a cultural or linguistic background not shared by your staff, take some time to learn how to pronounce common names among those patrons. You don’t need a highly scholarly, educational source for this—you can often find a YouTube video of a native speaker pronouncing individual names from their language. It’s less about making sure your pronunciation is perfect than showing you made an effort—saying ‘ber-mun’ instead of ‘ber-man’ for the common North Indian name Burman isn’t how Mr. or Ms. Burman would likely pronounce it themselves, but it shows you care about trying to get it right and makes people feel welcome.

#99: Ask for vendor training while there's an incentive

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Often, the first time anyone at a library tries to figure out how to change the color contrast on a third-party app, get a screenreader to work with a vendor’s database, etc. is after the service has been purchased and the first frustrated patron has gotten in touch with the library with a complaint. At this point, the vendor may be slow to respond to requests for help or never respond at all. If you are in the process of purchasing a new service, ask then for the vendor to provide training materials on how to use any accessibility features of their product and where to go for more help. At this point your money is on the line for the vendor, and getting these tools means you might be able to provide a frustrated patron with help immediately.

#98: Check your PAC's settings for captioning

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Try to make it easy for someone who needs captioned video to find what they are looking for in your online catalog. Most bibliographic records for audiovisual materials purchased from major vendors include information about the existence and extent of captioning, but often those lines in the MARC records aren’t even displayed in the public catalog except under the MARC or ‘librarian’s’ view, and if they are, they are still not searchable even in the advanced search functions. Look at your ILS’s settings and talk to your tech services people (if you aren’t one) to see if it’s possible to make it easier for people who only want captioned video to limit their searches in your catalog.

#97: Create an accessibility advisory board

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Many public library staff will be familiar with teen advisory boards and the formal library boards that provide oversight of library activities, but some libraries have created teams of patrons specifically focused on accessibility (see for example the Forbes Library in Northampton, MA: https://forbeslibrary.org/accessibility/disability-advisory-board/). This board might not need to be a permanent feature of your library, but it’s an excellent way to hear from patrons themselves about the barriers they are running into and the accessibility improvements they most want to see. The middle of a pandemic may feel like a strange time for this, but such a board could meet virtually and many people are looking for ways to connect with others (not to mention volunteer hours) right now.

#96: Caption and describe your virtual programs

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Lots of libraries have begun or ramped up prerecorded online programming due to COVID-19. If your library is posting videos, provide captions or transcripts for people with hearing difficulties and consider providing an audio description track for people with visual impairments. Captioning and transcribing are great work-at-home projects for front-line staff because they require little technology or specialized skills, and are an opportunity to educate those staff members about the needs of patrons with disabilities.

#95: When you can't help, document it

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A common reason that requests for resources or policy changes to make the library more accessible are denied is a belief that ‘no one will use it’ or that ‘we don’t get any complaints, so it must not be a problem.’ Obviously in a perfect world we wouldn’t have to make a case that barriers should be removed before they stop people, but given that we don’t live in that world, gather your ammunition for this argument. If you have to tell a patron no, if you see a patron give up, if you hear a patron complain to another patron about a barrier even though they don’t tell their complaint to you, write it down, save it somewhere, and tell someone with authority when you have a good opportunity.

#94: Plan for exceptions to COVID guidelines

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As libraries start letting patrons back in the building with new safety precautions, reasonable service modifications sometimes raise extra access barriers. Make sure you’re thought about how you’ll minimize those. For example, if you’ve removed all your tables and chairs to discourage people from lingering, keep one chair at the front desk to take out for people with physical limitations who might legitimately need to sit for the few minutes it takes them to look something up on a catalog. If you’ve decided not to provide in-person help at public computers and have patrons call the service desk from their cell phones for over-the-phone help, think about what you’ll do for patrons who don’t own a cell phone. If you are closing periodically for extra cleaning and you’ve added a prerecorded announcement over your PA system warning patrons, make sure you’ve recorded it in all the necessary languages, and that visual reminders alert people who are hard of hearing or Deaf.

#93: Most American Spanish-speakers don't care about the flag of Spain

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If you have third-party services (a self-check machine, a computer reservation system, etc.) that offer languages other than English, check and see if there’s an icon representing each language option. If there is, and there’s one for Spanish, check with the vendor to see if you have the option to customize what the icon looks like. It’s very common for vendors to use the flag of Spain for Spanish, which isn’t intuitive for most American Spanish-speakers (imagine having to select a picture of the flag of Great Britain to get an English option). If possible, find out where the plurality of Spanish-speakers in your area have roots, and swap the Spanish flag out for Mexico, Puerto Rico, or whatever is most likely to suggest ‘that’s intended for me’ to more of your particular patrons.

#92: This is a good time to ask for physical accessibility upgrades

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In a time when it’s safest for people to touch things in public spaces as little as possible and there are new pools of grant money available for COVID-19 response, you might have an opportunity to improve your physical space. Touchless automatic entry doors, barrier-free entrances to restrooms, automatic paper towel and soap dispensers, and even just rearranging furniture and shelving to allow people to maintain 6 feet of distance as they pass through the building are all public health benefits that will also make your building more convenient for people with physical disabilities if/when things get back to ‘normal.’

#91: Your computer and internet access might be 'essential'

During the coronavirus public health crisis, libraries are finding substitutes for traditional services, such as increasing ebook access, finding alternate ways to get materials into patrons’ hands, expanding telephone and email reference services, and replacing in-person programs with online alternatives. As part of this work, don’t forget the importance of the internet and computer access that your library provides. This service is of course especially hard to substitute for if it’s not safe to have patrons physically visiting your building, but at a time when record numbers of people are unemployed, access to the technology vital to applying for government services and jobs is more important than ever. Consider seeing if you can boost your wifi signal so that people can sit in their cars in the parking lot with their own devices, or allowing people to email you documents to be printed and delivered along with their material requests. If you’re higher up on the administrative ladder, you could even seek out a partnership to lend equipment or staff expertise to an organization that is still providing in-person services—for example, if you keep a set of laptops for in-house use, perhaps they could go to a local homeless shelter for the duration of the library closure for shelter staff to make available to residents.

#90: Curbside service raises new barriers

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Your library may be one of many that is temporarily changing its service model to keep staff and patrons safe during the coronavirus public health crisis. If you are currently keeping patrons out of the library building and instead offering a drive-through holds pickup service, find a few minutes to make sure this new service is as accessible as possible. Things to consider:

  • Do you have a plan for serving patrons without cars who will need to bike up or walk up to the pickup point?

  • Have signs/instructions/marketing materials for this new service been created in all the languages used by your patrons?

  • If your plan involves patrons calling the library, do you have a system for people who are Deaf or who otherwise can’t communicate in a standard telephone call?

  • If you’re not providing this service during all of the library’s usual operating hours, do the hours of service include a variety of times so that those who work have more options for accessing it?