Library Access Policies for Disabled Clients |
Access Needs of the Disabled Population
Disabled Individuals' Access Needs Compared With Those of Other Populations
Federal (and Other) Standards Guiding Policy
Library Access Issues for Disabled Patrons
Internet Access Issues
Implications for Information Professionals
Summary
Endnotes
Bibliography
While some authors make a distinction between "handicapped" and "disabled" individuals, claiming a handicapping condition to be permanent and a disability to be curable (if not temporary), many use the terms interchangeably. In this paper the two terms are thought of and used synonymously. A more recent convention is to acknowledge the humanity of people with handicapping conditions by favoring expressions like "an autistic individual" over "an autist" or "an autistic," for example. This convention is honored.
The obvious library access needs that disabled individuals have are the ones that come to mind first; that is, physical adaptations to the building for those in wheelchairs and braille or auditory resources for the blind, for examples./1 These items are the ones usually addressed in a library's access policies, as they are for the Luzerne County (Pennsylvania) Community College's Resource Center. However, the real access issue for disabled patrons is the same as it is for the library's user population at large, use of the library to satisfy interests and foster mental development. This is done through dedicated librarians offering innovative library programs./2 As with any programmatic or policy implementation, the library must first know the community being served before planning the services. The staff has to know the statistics for the handicapped individuals in their potential user population, the conditions to adjust for. This is easier to compute in large populations, since the number of people who have cerebral palsy, or autism, or other conditions per thousand in the population is usually known. Wright points out that not only the statistics are easier for large populations, but also justifying the added expense is eased./3 Fortunately for libraries serving small communities, asking for more funds is not the place to start. Improving service to disabled patrons starts with minor modifications to the resources at hand. Parks offers ideas for adapting current resources with the local handicapped community in mind./4 She suggests a multimedia approach to involve as many senses as possible and provide flexibility for intellectual as well as physical needs. For the developmentally disabled, she suggests that librarians offer clear, specific materials and provide information in uncomplicated steps./5 Velleman emphasizes that at this basic level, disabled individuals need to be made aware of the technology available for accessing information, either computer technology or the various alternative-to-print formats./6 Wright and Davie remind us that although not created for this purpose, online, computer-readable text can often be manipulated, not only to focus in on the specifics, but to change the size of the text./7
However, they also bring up the unpleasant issues of planning where to place any computer equipment or special peripherals, realizing that the library has to make them accessible to the handicapped user population, but not "create noise problems" for nearby patrons./8 Pearlman suggests that working through this problem is worthwhile, comparing use of the public library to riding a bus or using the post office./9
Kovacs, Schloman, and McDaniel highlight another issue to overcome; they point out that like many users, disabled individuals are often intimidated by online usage at first./10 Their suggested strategy is to remind the user that many Net resources are similar to traditional resources and help them, especially in the early stages, organize and filter the information for personal use. The Kovacs et al. article delineates a hierarchy of information skills/11 that is helpful for librarians to bear in mind when assisting library users:
Hierarchy of Information Skills | ||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Contribution to Knowledge | ||||||||||||
| Management of Information | ||||||||||||
| Evaluation of Information | ||||||||||||
| Retrieval of Information | ||||||||||||
| Analysis of Information Problems/Needs | ||||||||||||
| Understanding the Structure of Information | ||||||||||||
| Awareness of Information Services and Resources | ||||||||||||
According to Murphy and Johns, the general user population can be thought of in two ways: nonspecialists (who they also generously refer to as "prespecialists") and specialists. The latter group are more likely to be found at academic and special libraries while the former group is the domain of public libraries./13 Select groups of prespecialists, like the young or the disabled, have been the target of community outreach programs. The authors add that this aspect of public library use emphasizes the library's role in the manifestation of "the American urge to better one's lot."/14 The library can have an impact in the job skill development hinted at, since the majority of American jobs are information based./15 Important to keep in mind regarding the skills development of handicapped clientele is that, although they are a "special" group, their range of abilities matches that of the general population and their information needs are not significantly different from those of the general population./16 Only the access means differ.
In this light, disabled information consumers closely match those in rural areas. Rural libraries have always been able to provide their users only limited access by contrast with metropolitan libraries./17 And like the commonality among the disabled population (despite the variety of handicapping conditions and situations), there is great diversity among various rural areas, but all seem to have in common greater percentages of poor people, higher joblessness rates, and declining populations./18 Add to this the problems rural libraries and schools have in acquiring innovations and the uneven access that results is clear./19
Rural troubles with innovating are not due to financial issues alone, but pragmatic ones as well. Although public libraries and schools seem the obvious electronic access points for many rural areas, Internet access via telephone lines is the only viable means and telecommunications technology in "the country" often cannot handle the line loads./20 Not only does Net access often require long distance calls, but many country telephone lines are ones installed years ago for pulse verbal communication, not touch-tone computer data flow. While it is easy to blame these shortcomings on the policies of rural telecommunications companies, they are not motivated by access considerations, but profit margins. Even advocates who stress the importance of equal access, especially to democratic governments, admit the obstacles to be overcome in supplying "equal" electronic access to rural areas cannot be underestimated./21
The importance of information dissemination to democracies calls to mind another group whose uneven access issues will be a concern even after the United States works out its problems of rural access: the world community. Wedgeworth acknowledges that while Net usage is growing fastest in countries like Argentina, Iran, Egypt, and Russia, its use in developing countries still lags far behind./22 He also cites a statistic that implies government (or perhaps religious) interference or disinterest: "Muslim countries are not well connected in proportion to their national wealth: Of the 15,000 networks on the global Internet in early 1994, only 42 were in Muslim countries."/23
It could be that what is behind this under representation of the Internet in third world and non-democratic countries is the attitude that information is something to control, not share. Connell and Franklin point out the backwardness of this view,/24 and remind us that privatization of information leads to control and manipulation of society./25 To ensure the free flow of information, then, some degree of government intervention is necessary; the amount and kind of government intervention becomes the issue to resolve. Getting back to the world view, Wedgeworth highlights the need for programs and policies that benefit libraries world wide, so they in turn might benefit their clients./26
A step in this direction was made in 1972, with the United Nations' Public Library Manifesto. One of the provisions in the general declaration of rights part of this Manifesto was that the library should be freely accessible to all members of the community./27 Even earlier, the United States Congress passed the Library Services and Construction Act (LSCA) of 1966, which authorized federal funds for the planning and development of services for handicapped public library users./28 Parks provides the downside to this; although LSCA prompted development in the early 1970s, "all progress ended or w[as] seriously curtailed when the funds ended" by the mid 1970s./29
The community's goal of meeting the needs of all of its members was not dead, though. One of the outcomes of President Carter's 1977 White Conference on Handicapped Individuals was the proclamation that communication is basic; "to deny communication is to deny basic human rights."/30 The conference proceedings go on to state one aspect of fulfillment of this basic right is "library systems becoming more attentive to the needs of the handicapped."/31
United States legislation over the past twenty years has helped this goal along, albeit in a piecemeal rather than progressive manner. Public Law 94-103, the Developmental Disabilities Assistance and Bill of Rights Act of 1975, expanded assistance to include all severe neurological disabilities acquired in childhood, and revised earlier references about "mental retardation" to the broader term "developmental disabilities."/32 (That is, not all developmentally disabled people are mentally retarded.) Federal "Standards for Services for Developmentally Disabled Individuals" further clarified what would be offered, and Public Law 94-142 spelled out public education rights. This law was amended in 1995 to become the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act. [The United States Department of Education offers a summary of IDEA amendments.] The Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) of 1990 extended similar rights in employment. [The University of North Carolina offers a concise overview of ADA. For current ADA highlights, Counterpoint's Americans With Disabilities monthly newsletters are a good choice.] The High Performance Computer Technology Act of 1991, while not specifically a law aimed at developmental disabilities, authorized funding for development of the "National Research and Education Network (NREN) which will include connections to libraries."/33 Library organizations lobbied Capitol Hill for this legislation, acknowledging the growing importance of electronic access.
Weber makes an interesting historical point regarding access. Many current and long-standing library services were pioneered as ways to service the handicapped population./34 Library outreach and bookmobiles began this way. Books-by-mail started in 1904, after Congress enacted free mailing privileges for braille books. Even library networking roots can be traced to 1931, when the National Library Service (NLS) established a national library network that is still serving blind and physically handicapped people./35
In this light, Parks' contention that libraries have always known they "lagged behind" in access issues seems unfair./36 While Velleman acknowledges that "access" to education, to employment, housing, recreation, etc. has become something of a buzzword, she points out that enhanced quality of life is the underlying goal./37 Wright emphasizes this point, embodied in the goal of making information services "available to the handicapped individual in a manner which does not stress the individual's handicapping condition or ignore the consequences of that handicap for information access."/38 Small items—like having the wheelchair ramp right at the front entrance, or hidden off to the side or behind the building—matter in this context. Stanford University's Archimedes Project provides a broader treatment of equal access for individuals with disabilities via use of information technology.
While Murphy and Johns espouse the broader view that "all library collections should be available to all who have the need and the ability to use them,"/39 they also acknowledge that the realities of costs and demands continue to curb such a liberal "philosophical standpoint." They submit that the only practical access then, is to match availability to usage patterns./40 Wedgeworth points out that the struggle to revitalize libraries is the same worldwide, but claims it is not so much a matter of techniques and money; it is values./41 His suggested method is to convince law makers (for public libraries) and business backers (for academic and special libraries) of the value of libraries as learning institutions by touting the improved decision making and quality of life they offer./42 Pearlman applies this to handicapped users with her argument that although they require access, as they would to public transportation or a post office, the library plays a more vital role in offering a mentally stimulating environment./43
The main goal of NREN was to develop the national information infrastructure by increasing access to electronic networks through academic and public institutions./44 However, users are often intimidated by online resources and more comfortable with older ways of accessing information. The NLS experienced this even before computers, when they introduced cassette technology in the 1960s and braille writers before that./45
At least two points can be inferred from this: the first is that the Internet should not be viewed as replacing the old technology and the second is that Internet use requires critical filtering and evaluation. While it is true that the Internet owes its success to its disorganized development and the beauty of the Internet is that its users are its controllers,/46 Connell and Franklin point out that this freewheeling view of the Internet is changing, especially in the classroom, library, and workplace./47 They note that while the print model of the Internet is the most touted (since freedom of the press and free speech are popular), an argument could be made for Internet access being akin to broadcasts, which would allow for more government regulation (like radio and television are subject to)./48 Granted, the Net's international use makes it more like satellite TV and short-wave radio, but the model is there.
The access problem is there, too. The World Wide Web Consortium (W3C) acknowledges the challenges to disabled users' Net access, and clarify update and design steps they are taking to meet these challenges. Despite W3C's efforts, Senkevitch and Wolfram posit that the Internet is not solving problems of uneven access, only making them more obvious./49 In their article on rural librarians, they note that libraries in areas of low population density are not only less likely to be connected to the Internet, but also less likely to be aware of what is available on the Net./50 This disparity of access and knowledge of the Internet is an area of major concern for Net proponents [and critics as well]./51
Of course, access issues are only one of the many Internet challenges facing information providers. Educators and librarians have to be vigilant in ensuring that the evolving national information infrastructure reflects their needs and addresses their concerns./52 They also need to enlist the help (and gain the cooperation) of the public and private sectors. Considering that using the Internet to improve education will require adopting new techniques, cooperation with local agencies concerned might expedite the process. In the special education area, this might mean requesting that the Association for Retarded Citizens (or a similar group) help fund the purchase of special materials for the public library./53 More often, what it will mean is requesting their time, not their money. Librarians are charting new territory in bringing the Internet to disabled people, so they will need to get input from these people and the organizations that represent them. More than trying a variety of approaches to arrive at what works for the patrons, libraries will need to be involved in the life of the community and network with the local organizations, so each can serve the others' needs./54
ALA's 1981 publication Standards for Libraries at Institutions for the Mentally Retarded was the first attempt to "quantify personnel, resources, and facilities considered essential for a successful library program" in this area./55 However, even ALA admitted that quantity does not necessarily equal quality. This aspect must manifest through dedicated librarians offering innovative programs, as mentioned early in this document. Senkevitch and Wolfram's advice to librarians in rural communities can be easily adapted to fit disabled clientele. Librarians need specialized training in electronic networks, with consideration toward information professionals being "change agents." That is, theirs should be train-the-trainer Internet education, with topics including not only use of the Internet, but also benefits, various access angles, and the skills involved for each./56 Recalling Kovacs, Schloman, and McDaniel's "Hierarchy of Information Skills," a librarian must not only know enough about the structure of the discipline being searched,/57 but also know enough about the user's background to successfully help the individual find the information. This holds true regarding all library patrons, whether they have disabilities or not.
Library access needs for disabled clients are likely to be more unique in their hardware requirements than in their content. However, rather than panic at the expense, libraries should survey their disabled populations and implement improvements beginning with simple modifications to the units and furniture already in place.
Parallels with the special needs of rural and developing areas highlight the obstacles to overcome in furthering electronic access to disabled patrons. Often the infrastructure is not (yet) supportive of the need. In the United States, a series of laws over the last thirty years—beginning with the equal access in education laws of the 1960s and 1970s and continuing up to IDEA, ADA, and NREN in this decade—has shown progress, though. What this means for information providers is a new set of users to be trained in information retrieval methods. Though the equipment may sometimes need to be specialized, the range of their needs and the methods available to support disabled information customers are along the same broad band that has always kept information work interesting.
/1 Linda Lucas, "Who is Developmentally Disabled?" in Library Services to Developmentally Disabled Children and Adults (Chicago, IL: American Library Association, 1982), 4. Back ^
/3 Kieth C. Wright, Library and Information Services for Handicapped Individuals, (Littleton, CO: Libraries Unlimited, Inc., 1979), 132. Back ^
/4 Lethene Parks, "Services to Developmentally Disabled Children and Adults in the Community," in Library Services to Developmentally Disabled Children and Adults, 8. Back ^
/6 Ruth A. Velleman, "Services to Nonretarded Developmentally Disabled People," in Library Services to Developmentally Disabled Children and Adults, 38-39. Back ^
/7 Kieth C. Wright and Judith F. Davie, Library Manager's Guide to Hiring and Serving Disabled Persons, (Jefferson, NC: McFarland and Company, Inc., 1990), 47. Back ^
/9 Della Pearlman, No Choice: Library Services for the Mentally Handicapped, (London, UK: The Library Association, 1982), 17. Back ^
/10 Diane K. Kovacs, Barbara F. Schloman, and Julie A. McDaniel, "A Model for Planning and Providing Reference Services Using Internet Resources," Library Trends (Champaign, IL: University of Illinois Press, Spring 1994), 639. Back ^
/13 Marcy Murphy and Claude J. Johns, Jr., Handbook of Library Regulations, (New York, NY: Marcel Dekker, Inc., 1977), 60. Back ^
/15 Tschera Harkness Connell and Carl Franklin, "The Internet: Educational Issues," Library Trends (Champaign, IL: University of Illinois Press, Spring 1994), 616. Back ^
/16 Lucas, "Who is Developmentally Disabled?" 2. Back ^
/17 Judith J. Senkevitch and Dietmar Wolfram, "Equalizing Access to Electronic Networked Resources: A Model for Rural Libraries in the United States," Library Trends (Champaign, IL: University of Illinois Press, Spring 1994), 661. Back ^
/19 Senkevitch and Wolfram, "Equalizing Access to Electronic Networked Resources," 663. Back ^
/21 Connell and Franklin, "The Internet: Educational Issues," 615. Back ^
/22 Robert Wedgeworth, "Toward a Global Community," American Libraries (Chicago, IL: American Library Association, November 1995), 1012. Back ^
/24 Connell and Franklin, "The Internet: Educational Issues," 613. Back ^
/26 Wedgeworth, "Toward a Global Community," 1012. Back ^
/27 Pearlman, Library Services for the Mentally Handicapped, 18. Back ^
/28 Eunice Lovejoy, "Foreword" to Library Services for the Handicapped Adult (Phoenix, AZ: Oryx Press, 1982), vii. Back ^
/29 Parks, "Services to Developmentally Disabled Children and Adults," 7. Back ^
/30 Donald John Weber, "Historical Overview" to Library Services for the Handicapped Adult, 3. Back ^
/32 Lucas, "Who is Developmentally Disabled?" 1. Back ^
/33 Constance Wittig and Dietmar Wolfram, "A Survey of Networking Education in North American Library Schools," Library Trends (Champaign, IL: University of Illinois Press, Spring 1994), 627. Back ^
/34 Weber, "Historical Overview," 9. Back ^
/36 Parks, "Services to Developmentally Disabled Children and Adults," 7. Back ^
/37 Velleman, "Services to Nonretarded Developmentally Disabled People," 35. Back ^
/38 Wright, Library and Information Services for Handicapped Individuals, 129. Back ^
/39 Murphy and Johns, Handbook of Library Regulations, 84. Back ^
/41 Wedgeworth, "Toward a Global Community," 1014. Back ^
/43 Pearlman, Library Services for the Mentally Handicapped, 17. Back ^
/44 Kovacs, Schloman, and McDaniel, "Planning and Providing Reference Services Using Internet Resources," 638. Back ^
/45 Richard H. Evensen and Mary Berghaus Levering, "Blind and Physically Handicapped: Services are 500 Percent Better," in Library Services for the Handicapped Adult, 38. Back ^
/46 Thomas D. Walker, "Introduction" to "Libraries and the Internet: Education, Practice, and Policy," Library Trends (Champaign, IL: University of Illinois Press, Spring 1994), 585. Back ^
/47 Connell and Franklin, "The Internet: Educational Issues," 608. Back ^
/49 Senkevitch and Wolfram, "Equalizing Access to Electronic Networked Resources," 661. Back ^
/51 Walker, "Introduction," 588. Back ^
/52 Connell and Franklin, "The Internet: Educational Issues," 608. Back ^
/53 Parks, "Services to Developmentally Disabled Children and Adults," 8. Back ^
/55 Karen Jackson, "A Look at Standards for Programs and Services for Developmentally Disabled Individuals," in Library Services to Developmentally Disabled Children and Adults, 46. Back ^
/56 Senkevitch and Wolfram, "Equalizing Access to Electronic Networked Resources," 671-672. Back ^
/57 Kovacs, Schloman, and McDaniel, "Planning and Providing Reference Services Using Internet Resources," 642. Back ^
Cole, Kevin. Electronic Resources Regarding Persons With Disabilities. Center for Assessment and Demographic Studies. Washington, DC: Gallaudet University, 1996.
Connell, Tschera Harkness and Carl Franklin. "The Internet: Educational Issues." Library Trends (Spring 1994): 608-625.
Galaxy is a searchable collection of education and commercial disabilities home pages.
Kovacs, Diane K., Barbara F. Schloman, and Julie A. McDaniel. "A Model for Planning and Providing Reference Services Using Internet Resources." Library Trends (Spring 1994): 638-647.
Lucas, Linda, editor. Library Services to Developmentally Disabled Children and Adults. Chicago, IL: Association of Specialized and Cooperative Library Agencies, A division of the American Library Association, 1982.
Murphy, Marcy and Claude J. Johns, Jr. Handbook of Library Regulations. New York, NY: Marcel Dekker, Inc., 1977.
Pearlman, Della. No Choice: Library Services for the Mentally Handicapped. London, UK: The Library Association, 1982.
Senkevitch, Judith J. and Dietmar Wolfram."Equalizing Access to Electronic Networked Resources: A Model for Rural Libraries in the United States." Library Trends (Spring 1994): 661-675.
Thomas, James L. and Carol H. Thomas, editors. Library Services for the Handicapped Adult. Phoenix, AZ: Oryx Press, 1982.
Turner, Anne M. It Comes With the Territory: Handling Problem Situations in Libraries. Jefferson, NC: McFarland & Company, Inc., Publishers, 1993.
Walker, Thomas D. "Libraries and the Internet: Education, Practice, and Policy: Introduction." Library Trends (Spring 1994): 585-590.
Wedgeworth, Robert. "Toward a Global Library Community." American Libraries (November 1995): 1012, 1014.
Wittig, Constance and Dietmar Wolfram. "A Survey of Networking Education in North American Library Schools." Library Trends (Spring 1994): 626-637.
Wright, Kieth C. Library and Information Services for Handicapped Individuals. Littleton, CO: Libraries Unlimited, Inc., 1979.
____________ and Judith F. Davie. Library Manager's Guide to Hiring and Serving Disabled Persons. Jefferson, NC: McFarland & Company, Inc., Publishers, 1990.