“We have to work together on this.” Wise words from Kate Deibel, Inclusion and Accessibility Librarian at Syracuse University Libraries. Her presentation on disability access in libraries really has me thinking of all the ways we can make our library more accessible and how that applies to library services for children.
Kate’s suggestion to involve patrons and staff in the planning process when preparing for increased accessibility certainly resonates. We can ask children and caregivers what they would like to see. If you’re doing a survey though, you must remember to make it accessible. It defeats the point of the survey if the patrons you’re trying to reach can’t complete that survey.
Kate also discussed web accessibility in detail and how many vendors websites are not accessible. She recommends that if we stand together in demanding more accessibility for our patrons and staff, we will succeed. It may take some time, but together we can get it done!
It’s been a long day of conferencing, so I’m relaxing for a bit then heading to see “The Public!”