Accessibility and Inclusion Programs at 2016 ALA Annual Conference

If you are headed to Orlando this month and are interested in learning about accessibility, inclusion, and serving people with disabilities, check out the list of ALA Conference programs below!

ASCLA 101
Saturday, June 25 at 10:30 am
Rosen Centre, Room Salon 01/02
ASCLA is a small but mighty division! With more than 800 members national and worldwide, ASCLA is home to library consultants, and those that work in state, public, government, prison, and special libraries and cooperatives. Come meet some of our members and hear what they have to say about ASCLA and our diverse Interest Groups and volunteer opportunities.

Universal Accessibility Interest Group Meeting
Saturday, June 25 at 1 pm
Orange County Convention Center, Room W309
Joint ACRL / ASCLA / LITA working group where members work together on projects related to making all kinds of libraries and library services accessible for users with disabilities.

We Need Diverse Books and More: Multiple Diversities Capturing the Experience Intersectional Identities
Saturday, June 25 at 1 pm
Orange County Convention Center, Room W101A
Join award winning author Padma Venkatraman and others to discuss portraying people who are twice diverse. What is they experience of an Indian dancer who is an amputee? How does one write about a gay Latina? How are these experiences similar to others? How are they unique? Join us as we expand the diversity umbrella.

Public Librarians Serving Those on the Autism Spectrum: Practical Solutions Resulting from Online Training
Sunday, June 26 at 10:30 am
Orange County Convention Center, Room S330 C-D
Project PALS, an IMLS funded collaboration between autism experts and librarians, created four online training modules to teach librarians about how to best provide services for patrons with autism spectrum disorder (ASD). These trainings are now available on Webjunction, and initial data reveals how librarians who have taken the modules plan to implement recommendations into their libraries to best serve members of this population. Presenters will discuss practical solutions for public libraries to implement in their own locations, as well as the most popular suggestions for implementation as chosen by librarians and library staff who have taken the full trainings.

Bridging Deaf Cultures & Guidelines for Library and Information Services for Deaf Americans
Sunday, June 26 at 1 pm
Orange County Convention Center, Room W202B
Complete the Guidelines and discuss a proposed Resolution on the Creation of a Deaf Culture Digital Library under the auspices of the Library of Congress.

Reaching Out to Adults with Special Needs Through Art, Science, and Literacy
Sunday, June 26 at 3 pm
Orange County Convention Center, Room S320 E-F
This program will focus on techniques used to engage groups of special needs adults. It will cover outreach efforts and steps to take when collaborating with day schools that assist this user group. The program will cover how the relationship between numerous local day training schools and the New Port Richey Public Library has developed and how library use for this user group has evolved during the course of the past 2 years.

Don't Get Sued: What Librarians Are Doing to Address the Physical, Programmatic and Web-based Accessibility Barriers for People with Disabilities
Sunday, June 26 at 4:30 pm
Orange County Convention Center, Room W105B
This program will be a panel of librarians who implement their library’s accessibility policies. The panel will offer insights into what librarians are doing to address the everyday needs of employees and patrons with disabilities in the library as well as the accessibility of the library’s online presence.

Signage in Your Library - Tips for Success
Monday, June 27 at 8:30 am
Orange County Convention Center, Room W209 B
No amount of signage can adequately compensate for a poorly designed series of library spaces but well-designed and effective signage can absolutely strengthen library user satisfaction and function. Join us to look at highly successful solutions and learn tips for implementing signage packages of all sizes that really work and see new ready-made systems that make solutions easier than ever before.