Best Practices for Equal Access to Library Online Events
Lighning Talk
2:15 PM - 2:35 PMThu
Cramer
Customer Service
Presenters
Keith Manuel
Public Services Associate
University of Florida Libraries
Kestrel Ward
Interim Education Librarian
University of Florida Smathers Libraries
As of January 1, 2009, the Americans with Disabilities Act Amendments Act (ADAAA) has required state and local governments and employers of 15 or more to provide equal opportunities for individuals with disabilities._Early in the COVID epidemic, our library system received a request for live captioning accommodation for a community outreach program. Upon successful fulfillment of that request, volunteers from the university's Accessibility Advisory Committee met regularly to create a guideline document to facilitate future requests for accommodation in as many possible situations and target audiences as possible including for students, faculty, medical residents, post-doctoral fellows, interns, library personnel and the public. The group interviewed experts on campus, including from the Disability Resource Center--about workflow, offices and individuals responsible for various aspects of handling the requests and funding. Notes from these interviews were formatted into a guideline document containing a table that standardized the information for the various scenarios. After approval by multiple levels of library administration, the guidelines were posted on library webpages. Library staff training on the guidelines are being planned.