Moderators for the Disability and (in)Accessibility in the Library Workplace e-forum included Kiyomi Deards, professor in Collection Strategies and Open Scholarship, University of Nebraska-Lincoln, Margaret Dawson, co-head of Public Services and Outreach, Texas A&M University, and Mary Schiavone, Student Success and Engagement Librarian and Federal Depository Coordinator, Beloit College co-moderated the forum.
Attendees explored accessibility in the library workplace for individuals with short-term, intermittent, or long-term disabilities that are visible or invisible. Participants identified as disabled or individuals with disabilities and allies. The importance of allowing individuals to decide whether to use person-first or identity-first language was emphasized. Definitions of “ableism” and “inaccessibility” from scholarly to personal were shared. Examples of ableism included discouraging individuals from using closed captions/recorders or asking people if they really needed accommodation.
Conversations included: technology and AI, low-tech and no-tech strategies, accommodation processes, the effect of the COVID pandemic on disability and accessibility in the workplace, strategies to create more inclusive job descriptions and hiring practices, retaining employees with disabilities, how different needs make working in-person or virtually the best option for the individual, the impact of governmental and institutional changes on accessibility, and takeaways from the e-forum.
Creating accessible library workplaces can include:
- Disability navigators (Job: connect employees to the disability community).
- Disability Culture Center.
- Removing ableist requirements and language from job duties and creating flexible and accessible interviews.
- Supervisors’ support during and after the difficult and long accommodation process.
- Allies (community groups, staff, faculty, professional organizations, and unions) advocate for contract or policy changes.
- Hosting an accessible petting zoo of low and high-tech accommodations.
- Engaging local communities around gateway disability issues such as adaptive sports.
For the individual:
- Self-care is helpful but does not fix the systemic ableism of an inaccessible workplace. Sometimes changing jobs is the best option.
- Experimentation may be needed to discover what works best to manage limitations imposed by your health or that of your immediate family (see JAN (Job Accommodation Network) A-Z List By Limitation).
- Find community (workplace disability groups, social media, webinars, local activism groups, present at symposia, #CripLib).
Resources shared included:
- Amy Wolfe’s slides and pdf of the ExLibris Northeast User Group 2024 conference presentation “Accessibility, Universal Design and Libraries: Let’s broaden the discussion.”
- Habin Girma
- Jay Dolmage
- JJ Pionke
- AI can be used to create mnemonics and alt text for images, break down tasks into to-do lists, generate infographics or images with symbols to increase retention of key components, take notes and more. (AltText.ai, ChatGPT, Dream by WOMBO, Goblin Tools, Perplexity.ai, PopAi, Suno, UMGPT)
- Covid Is Not Over Newsletter
- Disability Scoop
- “Discrimination as Dysfunction: Why do libraries have a problem with diversity, equity, and inclusion?” in Libraries as Dysfunctional Organizations and Workplaces.
- “Magic ToDo: Breaking things down so you don’t have to”
- Harvard Law School Project on Disability
- Hidden Barriers: The Experience of Academic Librarians and Archivists with Invisible Illnesses and/or Disabilities
- How to Talk About Invisible Disabilities at Work: Our Favorite Reads
- Should I Tell My Employer About My New Medical Diagnosis
- Systemic Workplace Barriers for Academic Librarians with Disabilities
- The Anti-Ableist Manifesto
- The Employer Assistance and Resource Network on Disability Inclusion website
- What Are The Best Questions For Disability Workplace Surveys?
- 20 Questions for Disability-Inclusive Employers
Universal design, or designing to include those at the margins, is needed in workspaces and cultures. Individuals need different accommodations to do their best work and ensure their continued health and safety. If libraries truly want to be accessible their policies, supervisors, spaces, events, and materials must support employees with disabilities and those who care for family members with disabilities.
Kiyomi Deards, Margaret Dawson, and Mary Schiavone
