Universal access

Universal access means making resources, services and facilities accessible to the widest possible population. It means evaluating what is already in place for potential challenges and opportunities for better access, and being open and inviting of input from members of the community.

Barriers to access can take many forms: a lack of accessible formats for people with vision or hearing disabilities, a computer workstation that cannot be used comfortably by people with mobile disabilities, or a physical location which cannot be accessed by people who have difficulty leaving their homes are just a few examples.

One important barrier which must be disassembled in order for real improvements to be made is lack of awareness. It is all too common for the needs of people with disabilities to be completely overlooked, merely because it never occurred to the designer that there might be a problem. Resources and services which are designed with only the average user in mind are very likely, through no intention of their designers, to exclude potential users (Burgstahler, 2009). The way to combat this in libraries is to educate ourselves and our colleagues about the diverse needs of the population, to turn a critical eye toward potential barriers in our offerings, and perhaps most importantly, to welcome and consider seriously the suggestions and concerns of our users.

A willingness to listen, to consider, and to help can also go a long way in combating the psychological barriers for users encountering a hostile and unusable environment. Knowing that library staff are open and willing to help will help users become more comfortable raising their concerns and requesting assistance.

References

Burgstahler, S. (2009, February 26). Universal design: Process, principles, and applications. University of Washington. Retrieved from http://www.washington.edu/doit/Brochures/PDF/ud.pdf