Resources

The links on this page will lead you to excerpts from selected ASCLA publications or to Web sites that may be of interest according to the headings below.

Blind and Physically Handicapped | Certification | Cooperative Library Organizations | Deaf/Hard of Hearing | Equity of Access | Impaired Elderly Library Patrons | Independent Librarians | Learning Disabilities | Prison Libraries | State Libraries | Students with Disabilities | Underserved | Website Accessibility

Stories About the Community Benefits of the Library Services and Technology Act

Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA)

• The ADA Library Kit: Sample ADA-Related Documents to Help You Implement the Law
• APA Style: Removing Bias in Language (Re: People with Disabilities)
• Australian Library and Information Association: Statement on Library and Information Services for People with a Disability
• Library Services for People with Disabilities Policy
• Section 508 Home Page
• U.S. Department of Justice ADA Home Page
• U.S. Department of Labor's Office of Disability Employment Policy

Blind and Physically Handicapped

• 2001 ASCLA Conference Program: "Reading and Exploring Together: Empowering Children with Disabilities and Their Parents as Library Users"--see related files below.
• Foreward and introduction to the Revised Standards and Guidelines of Service for the Library of Congress Network of Libraries for the Blind and Physically Handicapped (2011) (Adobe® Acrobat ® document)
• Aids and Appliances Resource List, National Federation for the Blind: http://www.nfb.org/resource-list-aids-and-appliances
• Technology Resource List, National Federation for the Blind: http://www.nfb.org/technology-resource-list. Information about Braille and speech technology products.
• The Access Technology Blog, National Federation for the Blind: http://www.nfb.org/access-technology-blog
• Access Technology Tips, National Federation for the Blind: http://www.nfb.org/access-technology-tips

Certification

Certified Public Library Administrator Program -- The CPLA program is a post-MLS certification program for public librarians with three years or more of supervisory experience.

Cooperative Library Organizations

• Library Consortia Documents Online
• Are Multitype Consortia Successful?

Deaf/Hard of Hearing

• FOLDA Directory: Organizations Serving the Deaf (OSD)

Equity of Access

• Papers of Cynthia Waddell
• Web Accessibility Initiative (WAI) of the World Wide Web Consortium
• Technology Access and Assistive Technology: Four Principles and Some Web Sites
• AbilityHub, a firm starting point for finding information concerning Assistive Technology
• Universal Design
• The Access Board: A Federal Agency Committed to Accessible Design

Impaired Elderly Library Patrons

• Excerpt from  101 Ideas for Serving the Impaired Elderly

Independent Librarians

• Surviving and Thriving on Your Own: A Tool Kit for the Independent Librarian
  An ASCLA ILEX Web Publication

Learning Disabilities

• LD/ADD Pride Online at http://www.ldpride.net is an interactive community and information resource for adults with learning disabilities and Attention Deficit Disorder.
• " Learning Disabilities Worldwide (LDW) envisions a world where learning disabilities (LD) are universally understood, accepted, and effectively addressed. We work to create a world where all persons with LD are supported in their endeavors and feel empowered to achieve their maximum potential in their academic careers, workplace, and personal development." (from LDW vision statement)

Prison Libraries

• Resolution on Prisoners'Right to Read: Excerpt from Library Standards for Adult Correctional Institutions (1992), page 28
• National Institute for Correctional Education (NICE) was recently established with joint funding from the Departments of Justice and Education. Housed at Indiana University of Pennsylvania, its mission is to assist educators in enhancing the services they provide and to foster effective learning environments in prisons and jails.
• Library Standards for Adult Correctional Institutions
• The Directory of State Prison Librarians can be found at the Maryland State Department of Education, Correctional Education web site at: http://www.dllr.state.md.us/ce/lib/celibdirlinks.shtml.

Students with Disabilities: Pre-K-12

• Project ENABLE (Expanding Nondiscriminatory Access By Librarians Everywhere): This comprehensive site provides information and training for developing effective library and information services for pre-K-12 students with disabilities. The site contains five self-paced learning modules, jam-packed with useful information in a variety of formats (text, still and moving images, graphics, audio over PowerPoint, and more). You will find information to read, videos to view, games to play, learning exercises to challenge you, and quizzes to assess your learning.
     

State Libraries

• The Functions and Roles of State Library Agencies.
• Chief Officers of State Library Agencies

Underserved Populations

• Homeless: Extending our reach: reducing homelessness through library engagement: This toolkit is designed to help librarians and library staff create meaningful library services for people who are experiencing homelessness: http://0-www.ala.org.sapl.sat.lib.tx.us/offices/extending-our-reach-reducing-homelessness-through-library-engagement.

Website Accessibility

• A-Prompt--software tool designed to improve the usability of HTML documents by evaluating Web pages for accessibility barriers.
• Cynthia Says: Tool for Checking Web Page Accessibility
• Raising the Floor (RtF) is an international coalition of individuals and organizations working to ensure that the Internet, and everything available through it, is accessible to people experiencing accessibility barriers due to disability, literacy, or age.
• TIDY--Software for cleaning up sloppy HTML code.
• WAVE--Helps you check if your page is accessible to people with disabilities.