| October is National Disability Employment Awareness Month! This October, Americans observe National Disability Employment Awareness Month by paying tribute to the accomplishments of those with disabilities whose work helps keep the nation's economy strong and by reaffirming their commitment to ensure equal opportunity for all citizens. The theme for 2023 National Disability Employment Awareness Month is "Advancing Access and Equity." Check out the 31 Days of NDEAM resource list curated by the Office of Disability Employment Policy for ideas on how to highlight this month at your library space! | Welcoming New Leadership Congratulations to new leadership in our Round Tables, Interest Groups, and Committees in ODLOS! If you have not received communication from your new group directly, please reach out to diversity@ala.org to confirm your appointment, and get in contact with your team. | ALA Releases Data on Book Bans across the Nation | | Between January 1 and August 31, 2023, OIF reported 695 attempts to censor library materials and services and documented challenges to 1,915 unique titles - a 20% increase from the same reporting period in 2022, which saw the highest number of book challenges since ALA began compiling the data more than 20 years ago. The vast majority of challenges were to books written by or about a person of color or a member of the LGBTQIA+ community. Read the full announcement | Justice Department Publishes Proposed Title II Rule to Strengthen Web and Mobile App Access On August 3, 2023, the Department of Justice published a Notice of Proposed Rulemaking (NPRM) proposing to update the regulations for Title II of the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) to better ensure web and mobile app accessibility for people with disabilities. For a high-level summary of the NPRM, read the fact sheet. The Department has also published a press release. | U.S Access Board Celebrates 50th Anniversary of its Formation and the Rehab Act September 26th marked the 50th anniversary of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973, a federal law that prohibits discrimination on the basis of disability in programs conducted by federal agencies, programs receiving federal financial assistance, federal employment, and the employment practices of federal contractors. It was a milestone for individuals with disabilities across the nation, and it serves as the foundation for many other disability-related legislation. Check out this series of articles from the U.S. Access Board about the Rehab Act. | Welcome the 2023-2024 Spectrum Scholarship Cohort | | Through the Spectrum Scholarship Program, the American Library Association affirms its commitment to diversity and inclusion by seeking the broadest participation of new generations of racially and ethnically diverse librarians to position ALA to provide leadership in the transformation of libraries and library services. This year's cohort includes 70 scholars who are pursuing their MLIS degree at an ALA-accredited program. Meet the 2023-2024 Scholarship Cohort | ALA Council Approves Revised Standards for Library Services for the Incarcerated and Detained | | The new edition will be forward looking and expand the scope of the standards to be as inclusive as possible. The new Standards will heed the current phenomenon of mass incarceration, the inequitable incarceration rates of BIPOC individuals, and the rising rates of incarceration of women (especially women of color) and pay special attention to the incarceration of LGBTQIA+ individuals, undocumented individuals, and youth in jails, prisons, and other detention facilities, as well as to the information needs of returning individuals. Read more about the Standards | ODLOS and Library of Congress collaborating on Revised Standards for National Library Service Network | | In collaboration with the National Library Service, ODLOS contracted a project director and supported the assembly of a working and advisory team in early 2023 to begin making updates to the Revised Standards and Guidelines of Service for the Library of Congress Network of Libraries for the Blind and Physically Handicapped 2017. The purpose is to develop a framework of service for NLS network service providers through a series of drafts, with a final document to be adopted mid-2024. This project aims to create a revised 2024 Standards and Guidelines with maximum input from patrons, staff, and other community members. Several members of the working team and advisory met in-person at the ALA Annual Conference in June for three dedicated working days, and the project director for this work also hosted a public information-sharing forum. The first draft of the revision, retitled the Revised Standards and Guidelines of Service for the Library of Congress Network of Libraries for the Blind and Print Disabled 2024, was submitted to NLS in September for internal review and comments. There will be a public hearing at LibLearnX open to all attendees to share feedback and comments, as well as other opportunities to be announced at a later date. | Congratulations to Nadia Orozco-Sahi, Winner of CORE/OCLC Inaugural Career LIFT Award | | Grounded in Core's mission of cultivating and amplifying the collective expertise of library workers in core functions and its tagline, Leadership, Infrastructure, Futures, the LIFT awards are designed to support information professionals whose passion, actions, and everyday work warrants recognition and celebration. When notifed they had won, Orozco-Sahi responded, "Core has been an invaluable resource during my time at ALA so far, connecting me with people who have changed the trajectory of my professional career, as well as my personal growth. To be honored with this LIFT Award means being able to continue to engage meaningfully with library professionals, to be a voice in the room working towards the ideals of libraries and librarianship. I am grateful for the support and recognition." Read more about Orozco-Sahi's LIFT Award | | | | | | |