Any library open to the public has a legal and ethical obligation to make their services accessible. This book is intended to be a single-source guide relevant to all library functions that librarians can easily refer to when planning, remediating, or evaluating for accessibility. It has a unique holistic perspective, as well as an emphasis on perceiving people with disabilities as providing resources to meet a common goal rather than as a population to be “served.” Accessibility is becoming an issue that libraries can no longer ignore. Making the Library Accessible for All provides a holistic guide to accessibility that addresses common issues and gives strategies for responding to unique situations. Topics addressed include: Increasing effectiveness of interactions with patrons who have disabilities Interpreting the real intent behind architectural and website accessibility guidelines Making events and trainings inclusive for everyone

Librarians are continually faced with challenges of how to best meet the needs of patrons with disabilities, whether those patrons have physical or intellectual disabilities, differing learning styles, or even temporary problems which impact their access and may change over time. And because planning considerations range from policies and organizational culture to facilities, technologies, and beyond, librarians need a guide that covers everything: areas that can be addressed quickly and easily as well as those that require long-term strategies. That guide is here. Packed with research-based best practices and handy checklists applicable to all types of libraries, this comprehensive resource defines what makes environments barrier-free, whether physical or virtual, and talks about how libraries can develop a user-centered culture; includes techniques for writing policies and procedures that are clear, realistic, and flexible; provides strategies for setting up facilities, training staff, and maintaining daily operations; discusses collaboration and outreach through community partnerships, including ways to connect patrons with nonprofits and disability organizations; offers programming and workshop ideas such as open houses, tutorials, and tours of the library; delves into assistive technology, website design, making vendor-purchased products accessible, and other information technology issues; and shares ideas for library assessment, realigning strategies, and staying current. This planning guide will enable libraries to create and maintain a truly inclusive environment for all patrons.

Universal Design in Higher Education looks at the design of physical and technological environments at institutions of higher education; at issues pertaining to curriculum and instruction; and at the full array of student services. Universal Design in Higher Education is a comprehensive guide for researchers and practitioners on creating fully accessible college and university programs. It is founded upon, and contributes to, theories of universal design in education that have been gaining increasingly wide attention in recent years. As greater numbers of students with disabilities attend postsecondary educational institutions, administrators have expressed increased interest in making their programs accessible to all students. This book provides both theoretical and practical guidance for schools as they work to turn this admirable goal into a reality. It addresses a comprehensive range of topics on universal design for higher education institutions, thus making a crucial contribution to the growing body of literature on special education and universal design. This book will be of unique value to university and college administrators, and to special education researchers, practitioners, and activists.

In this issue of Library Technology Reports, editor Booth makes the case that that attention to the core principles of consistency, flexibility, and simplicity go hand in hand with libraries’ commitments to open information and accessibility.

A memoir-in-essays from disability advocate and creator of the Instagram account @sitting_pretty Rebekah Taussig, processing a lifetime of memories to paint a beautiful, nuanced portrait of a body that looks and moves differently than most. Growing up as a paralyzed girl during the 90s and early 2000s, Rebekah Taussig only saw disability depicted as something monstrous (The Hunchback of Notre Dame), inspirational (Helen Keller), or angelic (Forrest Gump). None of this felt right; and as she got older, she longed for more stories that allowed disability to be complex and ordinary, uncomfortable and fine, painful and fulfilling. Writing about the rhythms and textures of what it means to live in a body that doesn’t fit, Rebekah reflects on everything from the complications of kindness and charity, living both independently and dependently, experiencing intimacy, and how the pervasiveness of ableism in our everyday media directly translates to everyday life. Disability affects all of us, directly or indirectly, at one point or another. By exploring this truth in poignant and lyrical essays, Taussig illustrates the need for more stories and more voices to understand the diversity of humanity. Sitting Pretty challenges us as a society to be patient and vigilant, practical and imaginative, kind and relentless, as we set to work to write an entirely different story.

Libraries have an ethical, and usually a legal, obligation to make their services accessible to disabled patrons and employees. Making the Library Accessible for All is a single-source guide that librarians can refer to when planning, remediating, or evaluating accessibility. With a unique holistic approach, it emphasizes the perception of people with disabilities as partners in meeting a common goal rather than as a population to be “served.” Topics addressed and updated in this second edition include: Multiple interviews with librarians and other experts in the field about proven accessibility strategies for libraries, personal experiences, and cutting-edge innovations; Innovations in providing assistive digital technology, many of which are free or built into common programs; An overview of changes coming to accessibility guidelines for digital content; Up-to-date information on legislation that may affect some or all libraries; An evaluation of how the COVID pandemic has changed both library services and patron needs