1. 10 Things to Make Your Library More Accessible
Presented by: Darcie Smith
Here today impersonating Sabina Iseli-Otto
NNELS Public Service Librarian

2. What is NNELS, anyway?
“National Network for Equitable Library Service” (See report: “Opening the Book” from Canadian Library Association, 2005) Funded and supported by the governments of AB, BC, MB, NS, NWT, NU, SK, YT
NNELS may be a terrible acronym and an even worse name but it comes from somewhere.
Specifically, it comes from a 2005 report from the CLA calling for the establishment of a National Network for Equitable Library Service because Canadians with print disabilities were being served poorly by a private charity, and this had been recognized as a problem for a long time.
NNELS is 100% funded by provincial and territorial governments.

3. Okay thanks, but that doesn’t tell me so much…
Fine. NNELS is also: A website (nnels.ca) with lots of books. A team of a few people. An accessible format partner & producer. Focused on access through public libraries.
Can ask Kris how many titles there are in the collection.
Team of a few people: three and a half people work directly for NNELS, but the ”network” part of the name is true: people like us in libraries work directly with the public, and every participating provincial government also invests staff time in helping direct the project.
Accessible format partner and producer: NNELS produces books itself, but it also partners with organizations who are producers. For example, NNELS has a long-standing agreement with the Crane Library at UBC. The Crane Library has 8 recording studios in the basement of a building on the UBC campus and when their 100 volunteers aren’t recording books for students with print disabilities, they record books for NNELS. They also give us a copy of every book they record for students, so NNELS has this interesting pocket of academic material.
Lastly: NNELS is about ensuring that the patrons in your community work with you, and not with a third party.

4. NNELS is housed at, and by,
the BC Libraries Co-op.
NNELS lives at the Libraries Co-op: the Co-op builds and maintains the technology that NNELS needs, and looks after the administrative side of the project.

5. 1. Understand a bit of disability theory
Definitions on the following slides are based on:
Llewellyn, A. & Hogan, K. “The Use and Abuse of Models of Disability” Disability & Society, Vol. 15, No. 1, 2000, pp. 157 – 165.
When Sabina was starting out, she contacted Jeff Preston, a disability scholar in Ontario, and asked if he could suggest any readings. He started her with this Llewellyn & Hogan paper and she learned a lot from it. The definitions on the next 4 slides are from that paper, but Sabina’s not a theorist and so her interpretations of the definitions might be kind of messed up.

6. 1. Medical Model
Disability is the result of physiological impairment due to injury or disease. And that’s all.
In a library:
She can’t read that book -- she has a brain injury.
Danger in this model: people cannot define their own disabilities & so are defined by them.
This is the idea that the barrier is the body.

7. 2. Social Model
Individuals who are different by virtue of an impairment find that they are oppressed by societal views of normality.
In a library:
He has Parkinson’s and the library doesn’t have the book he wants in a format he can read.
The idea here is that the barrier here is the society.
This is the model most commonly argued as an alternative to the medical model, and is where a lot of accessibility legislation comes from: the more we build services and buildings for universal design, the more we build them for *everybody* at the outset.
Another example: someone’s just had knee surgery and can’t get up stairs. With the social model, the barrier to accessing the library isn’t about the knee surgery: it’s about the library not having a ramp or elevator.
Does this make sense?

8. 3. Systems Model
Individuals are part of an ecosystem, and other players in that ecosystem can drive or accelerate the course of development.
In a library:
An individual library staff member can drive or accelerate an individual’s interest in reading.
This model kind of builds on the social model by adding context. Rather than having “society” and an “individual”, society becomes an ecosystem and is made up of a bunch of smaller parts, which include people like us. No matter what our role, we are all part of a library’s ecosystem.

9. 4. Transactional Model
Individuals are active synthesisers of information from the environment.
In a library:
A reader who had a bad childhood experience with a library might think all libraries (and library staff members!) are alike.
Also, people may become activated.
This model adds another dimension: time. We learn from our experiences and create an understanding of the world based on our own lives. And we are not just passive players upon whom barriers are imposed.

10. 2. Be Careful with Words 1. Print disabled “community” does not exist.
2. Some people prefer people-first language. Some don’t. Listen carefully.
People with dyslexia
vs.
Dyslexic person

11. 3. Make Sure Library Publications are Accessible
When you save a document as a PDF:
Don’t “print” to PDF.
Don’t scan the document after it’s printed.
Do save as PDF.

12. Spot the difference:

13. WebAIM (webaim.org)

14. Clear print guidelines
Consider:
Contrast
Colour
Size
Font
Letter spacing
Margins
Paper finish

15. 4. Accessibility features on library websites

16. Also, small things:
Make library contact information easy to find on a website.
Don’t turn your signature into a pretty JPEG image.
Put only completely non-essential information into images.

17. AppleVis: applevis.com
5. Grow Your Toolkit
AppleVis: applevis.com

18. Growing a Toolkit

19. Growing a Toolkit
Learning some accessibility features of different devices and operating systems:
Search for operating system (e.g. Windows 10) + “accessibility features”
VoiceOver on iOS devices
General > Accessibility > Voiceover
Search Youtube for: “Shane Aguilera iPad”

20. Refreshable Braille Display
Current Refreshable Braille Displays are very expensive.
Coming soon to CNIB: Orbit Reader (shown here) for about $500 (way cheaper).

21. Growing a Toolkit
Writing a note in Braille can be as simple as having:
A slate and stylus;
A Braille guide;
Remembering to braille backwards & in reverse.
$6.95.

22. 6. Create a Library Accessibility Contact
PATAQ: “Person into Answering Technology & Accessibility Questions”
Takes training. Make sure accessibility is part of library training manual.
Follows conversations. Asks questions. Keeps social model lenses on.
Not automatically a staff member who has a disability: requires consent.
Doesn’t excuse everyone else: “oh, go ask her,” is not cool.

23. Everyone Ought to Know the Basics and Ask the Questions
how to create access to the content,
that tools and formats exist,
where to go with your questions.

24. Be on the lookout for people who know more than you do.
Ask:
before speaking or acting on behalf of others.
when in doubt: technology, approach, history…
resource organizations abound: share the information.
Okay to say:
I’m not sure. I’ll find out. What’s the best way to reach you?
I remember a thing from a presentation maybe related to this… help?

25. 7.1. Guide Dog Etiquette Harness means dog is working.
Never offer food to a working dog.
If you want to pet the dog, ask the owner first.
Don’t be offended if they say no.
Don’t try to excite a guide dog.
Wondering if someone needs help? Always okay to ask. Good working principle for life, actually.
If you’re walking your dog, avoid walking near guide dogs.

26. 7.2. Blind Person Etiquette
It’s okay to say “see you later.”
Audiobooks count as reading.
Blind doesn’t mean deaf: maintain normal volume and speed.
“Over there” is a lousy direction. The more specific the better.
“Passing on your left,” is a nice thing to say when passing someone on a sidewalk.
Identify yourself before speaking, when coming into a room.
Tell people if you’re leaving.
If leading, let person hold your arm, above the elbow.

27. 8. Build Community; Follow Conversations
Curiosity > Knowledge
Organize a technology meet-up, with coffee & tea afterward. Example: Getting Together with Technology (GTT) program, Canadian Council of the Blind.
Watch for “#a11y” — a c c e s s i b i l i t y
a y

28. 9. Understand the Copyright Act (or part of it, anyway)

29. Definition of a “perceptual disability”:
severe or total impairment of sight or hearing or the inability to focus or move one’s eyes,
the inability to hold or manipulate a book, or
an impairment relating to comprehension.

30. Rule of Thumb
If we change the format – not content – can your patron read the book?
If “yes”: eligible for access to restricted collections such as NNELS.

31. What about ESL students? people learning to read?
Access to NNELS only if individuals also have print disabilities.
But many accessibility tools are very useful for people learning to read.
For example: most apps or programs that convert text to speech can highlight the text as they read.

32. Section 32
It is not an infringement of copyright for a person with a perceptual disability, for a person acting at the request of such a person or for a non-profit organization acting for the benefit of such a person to
(a) make a copy or sound recording of a literary, musical, artistic or dramatic work, other than a cinematographic work, in a format specially designed for persons with a perceptual disability;

33. Section 32
Limitation
(2) Subsection (1) does not apply if the work or other subject-matter is commercially available, within the meaning of paragraph (a) of the definition commercially available in section 2, in a format specially designed to meet the needs of the person with a perceptual disability referred to in that subsection.

34. Requesting Books
We produce books upon request from libraries and readers.
To record a book, all you need are a computer, microphone, headphones, and some free & open software. (But please check with us before you start.)

35. NNELS team cares that:
copyright-protected books are only for eligible readers: Gatekeeper Role 1 (checking eligibility)
eligible readers have access to protected books: Gatekeeper Role 2 (holding the doors wide open)

36. 10. Make sure everyone on staff knows how to set up a NNELS account.
Routes to NNELS include:
Direct: individual has an account.
Friend, family member, or helper: download on behalf of reader.
Library staff: download on behalf of reader.

37. Connector Benefits:
We don’t collect any personal information: no names, addresses, phone numbers, fines...
Real-time authentication: NNELS checks every login.
People with blocks on cards (e.g. expired card or maximum fines) told to contact the library.
Patron belongs to the library, not to NNELS.

38. Four Steps: Library confirms patron eligibility.
Library sets correct patron type in the ILS.
Patron visits nnels.ca and clicks on “Sign Up”, searches for their home library, and enters barcode & PIN.
Patron accepts NNELS Terms of Use and now has full access to the catalogue.

39. Reality Check #1
Ensure patron leaves with their barcode number (without spaces) and PIN.

40. Connector Tips:
In case of login problems, check for blocks (e.g. max fines).
NNELS staff can’t see or reset PIN numbers.
Test with your own card!

41. 11. BONUS! Little Known Facts.
1. Burning a disc (NNELS website > Tutorials) is really easy.
No limit to the number of CDs you can burn.
2. Transferring books via USB is even easier.
3. NNELS audiobooks will work with the smallest, cheapest MP3 players. Don’t need an expensive player for all readers.

42. Free Computer Programs
Windows: AMIS (from daisy.org)
Mac: Emerson & Olearia
Linux: DAISY Player

43. Important Note on OverDrive
An burn disc if patron can’t:
use a computer.
use the app (e.g. it’s not accessible with VoiceOver).
Then destroy the disc.
Not for multiple use.

44. 12. ANOTHER BONUS! There is always more content.
Gutenberg.org public domain e-text Librivox.org public domain audiobooks

45. Podcasts, endless podcasts…
Estimate a podcasts is about 1 hour long, and 50 MB in size. 100 podcasts = 100 hours = 5 GB MP3 format: can burn to CD, transfer with USB, play on MP3 player, play with winamp/iTunes, etc.

57. Voice Dream An app for iOS & Android devices.
Not for desktop computers.
Works with just about every format.
$20.99 (at this time), but one-time fee.

71. Another use for Voice Dream: easy clipping from websites & databases.

75. And most importantly: you matter.
12. FINAL BONUS!
And most importantly: you matter.
“Relax! We know about blindness; you know about libraries. Let's both enjoy learning something new.”
- Mary Ellen Gabias, President
Canadian Federation of the Blind
(more at

76. That’s it! That’s all!
For now!
If these slides are useful, we’d be happy to put them up on Library Toolshed and you can use them as you wish.
Questions? Comments?
Sabina Iseli-Otto:
Thank you, Darcie….