Universal Accessibility Interest Group

Thank you to all who participated in the September content poll! We had a tie between "Physical & digital accessibility discussion - Conversation prompts about physical improvements, digital compliance challenges, and technical accessibility solutions" and "Member stories & practical resources - Sharing success stories, training approaches, and resource allocation strategies from group members' own experiences" - the following discussion prompt combines the two themes.

We know that in libraries and archives, we all want to better serve our communities. We want to improve our spaces and services to better meet the needs of patrons with disabilities while ensuring that the voices of those we wish to serve are centered and heard. However, due to funding, staffing, time, and ethical constraints, actively seeking feedback from patrons with disabilities does not always happen in the ways or with the frequency we hope for. 

This month's discussion prompt asks you to share your own experiences - personal and professional - with seeking feedback from and centering the voices of patrons with disabilities. How do you follow-up with your patrons after implementing new accessibility protocol? How do you assess the effectiveness of your efforts? How do you ensure you are taking a human-centered approach rather than checking off a list? Feel free to consider these questions as starting points or take the conversation where you feel inspired to!