Assessing Accessibility
For class I was tasked with reading and responding to the article “School Library Accessibility: The Role of Assistive Technology” by Janet Hopkins. Even though this was written in 2004, the issues and advice remain incredibly relevant. For this blog post I am using her 10 suggestions to structure a reflection on my own practice and the accessibility needs of the library I work at.
1. Consult with special educators at your school to learn about your students with disabilities and their challenges. Do these students use the library? Why or why not?
Of Hopkins’ 10 suggestions, this is the one that hit me the hardest. I feel like we do a lot to try and make the library welcoming for all, and address the needs of students, but I don’t always do that in a systematic manner. I love the idea of consulting with special educators to intentionally learn about their students.
In trying to meet student needs, I try to talk with students. But, of course, the students that I see the most are students who are already using the library. I’m excited about the possibility of trying to understand which students do not use the library, and why.
2. Seek out colleagues or members of the school community with assistive technology expertise. Find out which resources and services already exist in your school or district.
We’ve done a bit of this, but I think we can go further. We have a new tech integration specialist hired for next year, and I know the librarian and her have already talked about how to collaborate. We do promote the services that we know exist, but I think a longer conversation with a specialist would be productive. In trying to track down who is in charge of assistive technology, I discovered that our district has someone they contract with part time to address particular IEP needs. I was not able to get a hold of her, but I think it’s an effort worth pursuing when the school year is back in swing.
3. Tour your own library to identify barriers to learning and assess the variety of technology and resource formats available for students with diverse needs.
I try to do this on an ongoing basis, and I think we’ve done a pretty good job of trying to identify and address barriers. That being said, I think this practice would be much more effective after consulting with special educators and possibly guidance counselors. This will give us a more specific understanding of the needs of our actual students, rather than the slippery idea of trying to accommodate “diverse student needs.” I know I am probably unaware of some important barriers, but there’s only so much I can figure out in my imagination.
4. Allocate professional development time for learning about library accessibility and assistive technology. Visit other libraries, schools and suppliers, meet with district specialists or attend conferences where you can learn more.
I love this idea! I am not currently in a position where I have official professional development time, and what free time I have has been devoted to classwork. This coming year I hope to have more time for this sort of exploration, and maybe even branch out to attend different kinds of conferences (I have attended the MSLA conference to great success, but I am also wondering if something like MassCue might help round out my professional knowledge).
5. Consider forming a focus group including colleagues who share an interest in library accessibility issues.
Honestly, I’m pretty sure no teachers want to attend any more meetings at this point. That being said, I think the librarian can join already existing groups to bring the library perspective to those spaces and contribute to the overall goals of the district. For example, the librarian where I work is part of the committee that is creating an AI policy and looking at AI use in our district.
This isn’t a focus group with colleagues, but next year we are hoping to create a Student Library Advisory, which I think is going to go a long way to building engagement and showing us how to strengthen the library in ways that are currently invisible.
6. Become familiar with the built-in accessibility features already available on your computer operating systems.
This is something I think we are pretty good at! We provide access to databases that have robust accessibility features, and I know the librarian points out these features whenever she goes into a classroom to demonstrate how to use a database.
7. Assess your need for funding and identify budget and grant options.
This is another thing I think the librarian I work with is excellent at. Last summer, she spoke with the director of student services and was able to apply for a grant to get the library updated furniture specifically to benefit our neurodivergent students. As of a few weeks ago, we now have six “wobble stools”, and some soft rockers that are already seeing a ton of use. Our hope is that by offering options other than hard wood chairs, every student can find or create the study environment perfect for them.
8. Talk to administrators about the library accessibility issues that you consider most urgent.
This may be hubris, but I don’t know if we have any accessibility issues that are particularly urgent. Or, at least, not any that we aren’t already trying to address. We know that the custodians are doing their best with the elevator that constantly breaks, and that is old enough to not have readily available parts. We lost access to SORA and other MLS resources when the district decided to combine the Middle School and High School librarian positions (leaving each school with only a half time librarian); this is something we have been vocal about, to no real effect. Yet. We will keep advocating, keep researching, and keep trying to address the needs of every student.
9. Ask vendors to provide trial products before purchasing products. Most assistive technology software companies provide time-limited downloads through their web sites. Use the trial to consider hardware and software compatibility issues.
This is a great tip. We often try out services before committing. Again this is something that I think would be great in collaboration with the special education department or with specific teachers interested in expanded services. A trial run only works if we have users willing to give us feedback!
10. Publicize your accessibility initiatives and new technology acquisitions. Inform the school community of your progress in newsletters, staff meetings and other announcements. Share your experiences with your colleagues.
Absolutely. We try to do this with all of our services, and I think it’s a crucial part of the practice.
Hopkins, Janet. “School Library Accessibility: The Role of Assistive Technology.” Teacher Librarian, 31:3, February, 2004.
