Chrismilne

Library Accessibility: the U.A.D Experience

Christopher Milne

Outline

Library design features to help students and staff with disabilities

Highlight how Library Services have been adapted to help disabled users access our services as easily as possible

Outline how Library staff are made aware of service developments, and how information is communicated to staff on disability awareness

Outline the planning process for developing these services

Background Statistics: HESA 2001

30,970 students with a disability in Higher Education 4% of the student population

NB: These figures do not represent other disabled users who although are not students at a HEI may be entitled to access a Library and its services

Disabled Students HESA Statistics: Selective Breakdown

1,020 Registered blind / visual impairment 2,060 Registered deaf / hearing impairment 1,550 Wheel chair users / mobility difficulties 1,290 Mental health difficulties 10,430 Registered with Dyslexia

Source: Higher Education Statistics Agency, 2002

Library Design

Specific features introduced to the building to aid disabled users Semi automatic entrance, on ground floor

Push pads to open door, placed at wheel chair height

Lift provides access to all floors Braille buttons Voice assistance informing users when doors open /

close, direction lift is about to travel and floor information

Access to lift restricted to maximise its availability to disabled users and library staff

Speed of lift set to lowest setting to discourage use

Library Design

Specific features introduced to the building to aid disabled users Disabled toilets on each floor, within the

public areas Automatic lights, door activated These are equipped with pull cord alarms

Linked to audible alarm, and emergency light Induction loops

Issue desk Information Services Desk (level 2)

Main subject / IT enquiry point

Library Design

Design Brief Open, user friendly, accessible building

Translates well An open spacious design complementary to

the needs of some disabled students & staff e.g. few doors, wheel chair friendly

Commonality in the layout / positioning of services

e.g. toilets in the same place on each floor

Library Design

What other facilities could we introduce to provide more assistance? Disabled parking facility?

Issue of location No Braille signage in the Library, apart

from the lift Most signs produced on white

backgrounds Consensus that cream / buff coloured

background more useful

Does the Library Building Meet the Needs of Disabled Users?

SHEFC Disability Needs Analysis (Estates) December 2000 Library Building received a disability

audit Positive feedback

SHEFC made a small number of recommendations (9 in total) including:

Disabled parking, handrails to be coated with non slip agent, improvements in signage

Library Services

Adaptation of Library services to support disabled users, going to look at the following areas: Access to Library stock Renewal policies Printing and photocopying Inter Library Loans PC access Specialist equipment

Specialist Expertise / Advice

Information Services staff heavily reliant on the expertise and support of colleagues within student services

James Nicholson, Head of Student Services

John Petrie, Student Advisor, Student Services

Specialist Expertise / Advice

Essential to have access to specialist expertise, advice and support At U.A.D we rely on this knowledge &

skills set to: Help plan and develop Library and IT services

that are sensitive and responsive to the needs of students and staff with disabilities

Receive briefings on important developments

Communication: Student Services / Information

Services Good communication and co-

operation between Student and Information Services

Details of disabled students passed to Information Services staff One principle point of contact Triggers a range of “house keeping”

tasks

House Keeping Tasks: Information Services

Library Records altered for Students with any visual impairment or

who experience any reading difficulties Flags to Library staff that students entitled to

extended loan periods for short loan materials

Students do not have to ask for this facility Epixtech asked to make a small change to

Dynix

Library Record Alterations

House Keeping Tasks: Information Services

Where applicable print credit pricing system altered for students with visual impairments / reading difficulties Helpful to students

Seamless process, they do not have to ask for their entitlement

Programmed 50% reduction in print credit purchases

Access to Library Stock

Students / staff notify the issue desk before 12:00 of items they require

Materials available for collection after 17:00

Weekend service on demand Students required to check Library

catalogue Available from any PC in the world with an

Internet connection

Access to Library Stock

Short loan issue periods extended for disabled students & members of staff 6 hours compared with 3 No difference in overnight short loans All students can book short loan items via

the catalogue, subject to availability Disabled students & staff do not have

access to priority bookings for any Library materials

Renewal Policies

Library catalogue “Webpac” has the facility for off-campus renewals Disabled students & staff entitled to

remotely renew item(s) up to four times E-mail and phone renewals service also

available Other students and staff can only

remotely renew an item once, before presenting the item to staff at the issue desk

Printing and Photocopying

Disabled students encouraged by Student Services to apply for “Disability Grant” Part of the grant allocation includes an

allowance for photocopying costs Therefore we cannot offer a reduction in

photocopying costs for disabled students Disabled students do receive printing

credits at reduced cost Automatically set up in the print credit software

Printing and Photocopying

Laser printer accessibility Print station / Printer in level 2, has

been placed on furniture at wheel chair height

Assistance on request for colour printing

Printing and Photocopying

Photocopying Difficult to find a photocopier that is

designed to meet the needs of people with mobility difficulties

Assistance with photocopying in line with access to library stock

Advanced notice is required i.e. before 12:00 Photocopies available for collection at 17:00 Students must clearly state what they require,

and supply Library staff with a photocopy card

Inter Library Loans

Accessing Inter Library Loans Prepaid voucher system Posted to the Library, accompanied with ILL

form (including copyright declaration) 50 pence charge per item, applies to all

students Future developments

Providing disabled students with access to the electronic Inter Library Loan request service

http://illos.tay.ac.uk

PC Access

Disabled students have priority access to PCs in the Library, level 1

Future development Roll-out screen savers onto these PCs

reminding other students that they should be prepared to find another PC if requested to do so

PC Access

Wordsmith (Read & Write) Software package designed to help people

using Microsoft Word, with reading and writing difficulties

Speech facility (speak as you type) / Also works with IE

Text reader (enlarged text displays, can work with other documents and Web pages)

Homonyms facility (their / there) Package to be installed on all core lab PCs

throughout the U.A.D campus Target date September 2002

Additional Services

Aladdin text reader available on level 2 of the Library

Coloured overlays available for loan Blue, green, yellow, pink

Member of staff working towards British Sign Language signer

Promotion of Facilities

Important that students are made aware of the services and facilities to which they are entitled

Students have one-to-one meeting with John Petrie Briefed on the range of services / support

available to them Includes Library and C&IT services Liaison with Information Services staff before this

process starts each session

Promotion of Facilities

Fact sheet on Library facilities produced and reviewed each year In the process of being published on the

Internet Induction Pack

Provides an overview of Library & IT services to all new students

Large print version available Colleagues sought advice from the RNIB on

typography

Promotion of Facilities

Named contacts within Information Services Sheila Whyte & Jackie Morton Contact details given to all disabled

students at U.A.D Students encouraged to talk with

Sheila / Jackie about any aspects of the Library and its services

Student & Staff Feedback

Students encouraged to give feedback on all of our services Informal feedback from students and

staff very useful Information Services also receives

informal feedback on the provision of its services to disabled users via Student Services

Student & Staff Feedback

Limited formal feedback mechanisms Useful to develop these further Discussions on-going on the best data

collection method e.g. questionnaires may not be very helpful for students with any visual impairment, or who experience any difficulty in reading

Recorded interview / questionnaire mix?

Internal Communications

Information from Student services, staff development

activities, external courses, publications…

Sheila Whyte (Senior Information Officer) Briefs staff responsible for front line library

services: Information Officers, Library Assistants, Evening & weekend staff

Information Manager Library Facilities Management Team, also briefed

Internal Communications

Room for improvement? Academic Librarians do not always

receive timely briefings in the disability arena

IT Help desk Copyshop

Useful to close this loop

The Planning Process

Largely based upon input from Advice from Student Services

Especially legislative requirements Informal feedback from students Staff experience

Working with students / staff External courses / staff development activities

Look to improve existing services New service developments

Where identified, built into the appropriate team plan

Next Steps

Adaptation of electronic services Much work done on “traditional” Library

services Collection development policy shift to

electronic resources Must make these services accessible New Library system / catalogue E-mail request / delivery service for full text

journals? Revise the Virtual Library

Next Steps

Electronic services Accessibility of materials published on

the U.A.D Internet and Intranet David Hume, E-learning Support Officer

Service development / planning Looking to be more proactive

“Anticipatory response towards disabled students at large”

Questions