Saturday, November 7, 2015

Accessibility Training for Staff: The Basics and Beyond

Step towards offering accessible and inclusive services -- make sure forward facing staff are comfortable connecting with these patrons

Matthew Nye, Accessibility Services Librarian, SD Central Library
Marti Goddard, Access Services Manager, SFPL

Always use People first language --

  • People experiencing Homelessness
  • Person who is deaf
  • Child who has autism
*It's reasonable to relax policy to accommodate reasonable Access*


San Diego Central Library:  Oliver McMillan I Can! Center-- accessibility room


  • http://www.sandiego.gov/public-library/services/adulteducation/disabilityservices.shtml 
  • Dedicated staff
  • 2 private study rooms
  • Video Relay Services
  • Large Print
  • Allows groups of students that need these services to stay in one place (although it does lend itself slightly to segregation)
  • Dedicated, sensory friendly space for kids on the autism spectrum or who experience sensory overload
  • Programs offered: 
    • At My Library -- sensory friendly storytime, film time, etc.
    • ASL Class
    • iPad accessibility class
    • Employment Workshop Series (partner w/Dept. of Rehab & SD Metro Career Center)
  • Staff training w/The Center for the Blind
San Francisco Public Library

Deaf Services

Blind & Print Disabled

  • Vision:  Library system where any patron will find buildings, staff attitudes, and services that are accessible to them
  • Deaf Services Center
    • http://sfpl.org/index.php?pg=0200002001
    • Deaf or Hard of hearing, family, friends, and allies
    • Built with grant money
    • Designed w/input from the deaf community 
    • Low shelving, round tables to help with people who need to use ASL
    • Low ceilings, low lighting
    • Feature a lot of books, movies, etc w/deaf characters
    • Exhibitions by deaf artists
  • Library for the Blind & Print Disabled
    • Digital Talking Books
    • Print Braille collection for adults and children 
      • children's titles often checked out by blind parents to share with their children
    • Friends for Life/Books by Mail
      • Like Housecalls but without the volunteers
      • Allow people to designate a second user of their library card so that caretaker can check out materials for them as well
    • Weekly Adapted Yoga Class
  • Learning Differences Resource Collection
    • Partnered w/Charles Schwab to start the collection(Charles Schwab has reading learning disability -- who knew!)
  • Adaptive Technology distributed throughout the library
  • Accessibility Tookits for branches -- magnifiers, pencil grips, book holders, etc.
"Nothing About Us Without Us" by James Charlton

Types of Training
  • Access @ our library: the basics -- http://brucknerconsultants.com
    • William & Victoria Thronton Bruckner
  • We are all responsible for making sure our programs are accessible
  • SDPL partners w/Mental Health Systems -- Office for Homeless & Mental Health Outreach within the library
  • Strategies
    • empathy
    • reflective listening
    • boundaries
  • Serving People Who Have Mental Health Challenges through the Mental Health Association of San Francisco
    • Classes for staff and public to demystify mental health issues
  • For Security Staff:  Police Crisis Intervention
  • SDPL - Autism Awareness Training (partner w/"Get Safe")
  • Getsafeusa.com
  • Serving adults and children w/ASD
    • AASCEND - Autism Aspergers Spectrum Coalition for Education Networking and Development
  • Reaching Out and Serving People with Developmental Disabilities
    • Wait, slow down, give people time to speak rather than jumping in
  • Inclusive Programming for All Ages w/Developmental Disabilities (including SRP -- kicked off at the special needs group)
  • Service Animals in the Library
    • Is this animal required because of a disability?
    • If so, what work or task has the animal been trained to do?
    • ***DO NOT ask what the disability is
Partners
  • Deaf Community Services
  • Center for the Blind
  • Braille Institute
  • City of SD
  • HR Department
  • City's Office of ADA Compliance and Accessibility

No comments:

Post a Comment