Dorothy Macnaughton Accessibility and Diversity Training

 People with disabilities, particularly people with print disabilities, have sometimes felt reluctant to use their libraries.  In Ontario, we are fortunate to now have the Accessibility for Ontarians with Disabilities Act which will enable people with disabilities to have greater access to information and resources than they have ever had.

 Status of the Accessible Information and Communications Standard ◦The Final Draft of the Proposed Accessible Information and Communications Standard, as well as the final recommendations of the Accessible Information and Communications Standard Development Committee, are currently with the Minister of Community and Social Services ◦This Standard is expected to be passed into law sometime in 2010

 Being Prepared for the Standard  The proposed standard seeks to make systemic change through requirements such as:  policies;  procedures;  training;  procurement;  web sites and web content;  alternate formats and communication supports and services; and  areas of priority for persons with disabilities – emergency and evacuation planning.

 Training for Staff  6. (2) The training must include a review of the purposes of the Act and the requirements of this Regulation and instruction about the following matters:  3. How to use equipment or devices available on the provider’s premises or otherwise provided by the provider that may help with the provision of goods or services to a person with a disability. ◦Accessibility Standards for Customer Service, ONTARIO REGULATION 429/07

 Your Information Policy can include what assistive devices you have available n your library

3.1 Policies  Organizations shall include in their written policies:  how they will deal with requests for information and communications in alternate formats;  how they will deal with requests for communication supports and services;

 Organizations shall include in their written policies:  how their procurement policies will address accessibility; and  the criteria that will be used to determine what information and communications will be made available in plain language. ◦Final Draft of Proposed Accessible Information and Communications Standard

 Procedures will be the tools which assist your staff to interact with people with disabilities to best meet their information needs  Procedures will delineate how information should be provided in alternate formats; ensure brochures and notices are prepared so they can easily be produced in alternate formats such as braille

 6. (2) The training must include a review of the purposes of the Act and the requirements of this Regulation and instruction about the following matters:  1. How to interact and communicate with persons with various types of disability.  4. What to do if a person with a particular type of disability is having difficulty accessing the provider’s goods or services. ◦Accessibility Standards for Customer Service, ONTARIO REGULATION 429/07

 Interacting with someone with a print disability who requires information in alternate formats ◦The training shall encompass: ◦information and communication barriers and the needs of persons with disabilities  Final Draft of Proposed Accessible Information and Communications Standard

 How to ensure your services are accessible to people with a print disability  Find different ways to provide access

Training staff about the resources and tools your library has which enable you to provide accessible information ◦The training shall encompass: ◦the organization’s resources and tools for providing accessible information (and communication supports and services)  Final Draft of Proposed Accessible Information and Communications Standard

 The training shall encompass: ◦the organization’s policies, procedures and practices for providing accessible information and communications to and from persons with disabilities  Final Draft of Proposed Accessible Information and Communications Standard

 Policies, procedures and training on how to communicate and provide information to people with disabilities in emergency and crisis situations will be critical  The training shall encompass: ◦information on how to communicate with persons with disabilities in emergency and crisis situations

 Third Party Training ◦Accessibility Standards for Customer Service, ONTARIO REGULATION 429/07  6. (1) Every provider of goods or services shall ensure that the following persons receive training about the provision of its goods or services to persons with disabilities:  1. Every person who deals with members of the public or other third parties on behalf of the provider, whether the person does so as an employee, agent, volunteer or otherwise.

 Look to the future and how you can ensure the goods and services you procure will be accessible to people with disabilities  Ask the businesses and organizations you do business with what they have in place to ensure their goods and services are accessible to people with disabilities  Government of Canada, Accessible Procurement Toolkit ◦

 The American Library Association has produced a helpful document titled, “Think Accessible Before You Buy. Questions to Ask to Ensure That the Electronic Resources Your Library Plans to Purchase are Accessible. An ASCLA (Association of Specialized and Cooperative Library Agencies) Toolkit.” claprotools/thinkaccessible/default.cfm claprotools/thinkaccessible/default.cfm

 If your library is considering redesigning their web site and/or web content, it makes sense to hire a company or find an individual within your organization with the necessary expertise to make the site and the information it contains accessible to everyone, including people with disabilities (e.g. those people using screen reading or screen magnification software)

 “What is Web Accessibility  Web accessibility means that people with disabilities can use the Web. More specifically, Web accessibility means that people with disabilities can perceive, understand, navigate, and interact with the Web, and that they can contribute to the Web.” ◦Introduction to Web Accessibility ◦WC3 Web Accessibility Initiative

 W3C WCAG - Web Content Accessibility Guidelines 2.0 (WCAG 2.0) covers a wide range of recommendations for making Web content more accessible. Following these guidelines will make content accessible to people living with a wider range of disabilities, including blindness and low vision, deafness and hearing loss, learning disabilities, cognitive limitations, limited movement, speech difficulties, photosensitivity and combinations of these. Following these guidelines will also often make Web content more usable to users in general.

 Appendix B  B.1.0 Accessible web pages / websites (user interfaces, navigation)  Web sites and web content should be compliant with W3C Web Content Accessibility Guidelines 2.0 (WCAG 2.0), level A.  New web authoring tools procured by an organization should support the authoring of accessible web sites and enable authoring by people with disabilities by following the current version of ATAG or equivalent guidelines.

 “The Web is increasingly an essential resource for many aspects of life: education, employment, government, commerce, health care, recreation, social interaction, and more. The Web is used not only for receiving information, but also for providing information and interacting with society.

 Therefore, it is essential that the Web be accessible in order to provide equal access and equal opportunity to people with disabilities. Indeed, the UN Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities (2006) recognizes Web accessibility as a basic human right.”UN Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities ◦Developing a Web Accessibility Business Case for Your Organization: Overview ◦WC3 Web Accessibility Initiative

 Format of documents  9. (1) If a provider of goods or services is required by this Regulation to give a copy of a document to a person with a disability, the provider shall give the person the document, or the information contained in the document, in a format that takes into account the person’s disability.  (2) The provider of goods or services and the person with a disability may agree upon the format to be used for the document or information. ◦Accessibility Standards for Customer Service, ONTARIO REGULATION 429/07

 When designing library brochures, posters or any other signage (including temporary disruptions and notice of availability of documents, as required under the Accessibility Standard for Customer Service), provide these in large print and in plain language  Ensure that the format of the original documents can also be easily produced in braille, in an accessible electronic file or put onto a disc

 Plain language – a way of writing, talking and presenting information and complex messages so that it is readable, understandable and useful. Some characteristics of plain language may include writing to a simpler reading level, eliminating jargon and unnecessary words, using familiar words in a conversational style and the use of uncomplicated sentence structure and grammar. ◦Final Draft of Proposed Accessible Information and Communications Standard

Plain English means creating a document that is...  visually inviting,  logically organized, and  understandable on the first reading. How do you create a plain English document?  Know your audience  Know what you need to say  Organize your material logically  Avoid repetition

 Use these tools to write clearly:  Active voice with strong verbs  Short sentences  Personal pronouns  Concrete, familiar words  No surplus words  No legal jargon  Tabular presentation of complex information, and  Use a design and layout that increase comprehension. ◦Plain Language.gov ◦ e/glance.cfm

7. (1) Every provider of goods or services shall establish a process for receiving and responding to feedback about the manner in which it provides goods or services to persons with disabilities and shall make information about the process readily available to the public.  (2) The feedback process must permit persons to provide their feedback in person, by telephone, in writing, or by delivering an electronic text by or on diskette or otherwise. ◦Accessibility Standards for Customer Service, ONTARIO REGULATION 429/07

 3) The feedback process must specify the actions that the provider of goods or services is required to take if a complaint is received.  (4) Every designated public sector organization and every other provider of goods or services that has at least 20 employees in Ontario shall prepare a document describing its feedback process and, upon request, shall give a copy of the document to any person.  Accessibility Standards for Customer Service, ONTARIO REGULATION 429/07

3.2.1 Feedback Processes  Organizations shall make all feedback and complaints processes accessible to persons with disabilities. The processes shall permit persons with disabilities to identify their communication needs and to communicate using alternate formats, communication supports and services. ◦Final Draft of Proposed Accessible Information and Communications Standard

 Library users are often asked to fill out surveys or to provide feedback which evaluates library facilities, technology, resources and services and to provide suggestions for improvement  People with disabilities can be at a disadvantage when they are not able to access the library or when they can’t fill out the survey.

 You should involve people with disabilities when your library is:  Writing your strategic plan  Identifying barriers to people with disabilities  Planning for barrier removal  Planning to build a new facility  Considering new programs or services  Planning specific programs to meet the needs of people with disabilities  Considering the purchase of assistive technology, equipment or devices for the use of people with disabilities  Engaging library users in a survey

 When people with disabilities are asked to be involved in strategic planning or to provide their input and a meeting is planned, you will need to provide enough advance notice to enable the person to plan transportation or to arrange for a support person. You will also need to allow for time to produce alternate format materials, if requested. If your library or meeting room is not accessible to people with mobility or physical disabilities, you will need to arrange to meet in an accessible location.

 Guide to Planning Inclusive Meetings and Conferences, Treasury Board of Canada Secretariat  ues/doc/gpim/page00.shtml ues/doc/gpim/page00.shtml  Checklist for Planning Accessible Meetings and Events, U.S. Department of Transportation, Disability Resource Center  environment.html

 Planning Accessible Meetings  BSAccessibleMeetings.pdf BSAccessibleMeetings.pdf  Plan an Accessible Meeting Ministry of Community and Social Services, ON  how/howto_meeting.htm how/howto_meeting.htm

Useful Tips for Your Library’s Emergency and Evacuation Plan Your library should have: Information about facility alarms, required by provincial or territorial law Fire alarms that are audible and visual (e.g. strobe alarms) for people who are deaf, deafened or hard of hearing  An employee or volunteer assigned to assist people who are deaf, deafened or hard of hearing during an emergency if there are no visual alarms

 Evacuation chairs, in multi-level buildings, for people with physical disabilities; the location of evacuation chairs should be indicated in the plan; ensure there are enough volunteers trained to safely transfer a person who uses a wheelchair into an evacuation chair (example of an evacuation chair – Garaventa Evacu-Trac:  Appropriate equipment and supplies on site, with the location noted in the plan

 Staff who are trained to know how to communicate with people with disabilities during an emergency situation (e.g. staff should understand how to guide someone who has vision loss)  Workplace health and safety procedures and systems  Plans for addressing incidents that threaten life, property, operations or the environment and related procedures

 Be specific about what to do from the time the alarm sounds until it is safe to re-enter the facility. Ensure floor wardens have a list of tasks and are well trained, particularly to know what to do if there are people with disabilities in their areas.  Floor wardens should be aware of employees or volunteers with disabilities (who have given permission for this to be disclosed) in their assigned area. Their training will involve understanding how to communicate appropriately with people with disabilities. In situations where the person will be left in an area of safe refuge, the person should be told what will be happening. 

 All employees and volunteers must be familiar with the Emergency and Evacuation Plan and must have regular training and drills. They must know where to locate a copy of the plan, including copies in alternate formats.  Create a document in plain language detailing what to do in case of an emergency. Post this where staff and the public can see it. Have a copy readily available so that it can be used to assist when communicating with someone who is deaf, deafened or hard of hearing.

 Practice Evacuation Drills  Hold practice evacuation drills regularly. You can arrange with your local Fire Department to plan a mock fire drill, during which people with disabilities will be in the library (pre- arranged). This will help identify gaps in your plan and will give you time to make the necessary changes.  Keep track of any concerns identified by individuals at any time and make the necessary changes to the Plan.

 By undertaking strategic planning in a way that will allow access to information for everyone, you will be creating an accessible environment where everyone will not only feel welcome, but they will want to come back to your library.  People with disabilities can be more independent and productive if they have greater access to what they need to succeed, to learn and to enjoy reading, some for the first time in their lives.

Dorothy Macnaughton Accessibility and Diversity Training Tel: Cell: