Designing for diversity and designing for disability: New opportunities for libraries to expand their support and advocacy for people with disabilities

Abstract

Libraries have a long history of support for and commitment to disabled people, far longer than most other public institutions in society. In some communities in North America, dedicated library services for disabled people have been provided without interruption for over a hundred years. As the social and political climate becomes, once again, increasingly difficult for and hostile to disabled people, libraries have the opportunity to bring more focus to disability in the design of their own programs and to expand their roles as advocates andallies of disabled people beyond the walls of the library. This article is written in the contextof the U.S. and focuses primarily on the current U.S. situation, though a few international examples are also used to illustrate key points. While the U.S. is the primary focus, the implications and relevance of many discussed issues will resonate with the global community and echo the concerns of disabled individuals and library and information science professionals in other countries.