Beyond Wheelchair Ramps: Disabilities Services and ADA Compliance in Selected Libraries on the San Francisco Peninsula
Aug. 6, 2002
Introduction
Under the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA), an individual with a disability is a person who:
- has a physical or mental impairment that substantially limits one or more major life activities;
- has a record of such an impairment; or
- is regarded as having such an impairment.
(adapted from the ADA Technical Assistance Program's What is ADA)
Over fifty public libraries (including branch libraries) and more than twenty-five college or university libraries and special libraries open to the public are located on the San Francisco Peninsula between Sunnyvale and San Francisco. They, like libraries around the nation, have had to address the issue of accessibility through changes to facilities, equipment and collections. What steps have they taken to meet the challenge of ADA and how well have they accomplished their goals? This paper examines the services offered by seven public libraries and one university library and their efforts to comply with ADA.
Libraries have not always been friendly to people with disabilities, but as a group, librarians have been more progressive than some other sectors. The keynote speaker at the 1993 LAMA conference, Barbara Pierce, related her childhood experience of having a stereotypically shushing librarian question her right - as a sight-impaired patron - to use the library on her own. She noted that many people with obvious disabilities such as wheelchair users and the blind do not necessarily want patronizing aid given them by well-meaning members of the public or library staff - they should be treated as capable adults "unless by their behavior, a more custodial treatment is appropriate" (Cirillo & Danford, 1997. p. 4).
Many barriers have kept disabled patrons from making use of libraries in the past. In many cases, physical barriers such as stairs; narrow doorways, aisles and bathroom stalls; and distance from public transit have all kept wheelchair users and others out of the library. Hearing- and sight-impaired users have often had only a small portion of the library's resources available in a usable form.
On campuses, accommodating disabled individuals in college libraries was sometimes not an issue. Angel (1969; quoted in McNulty, 1999, p. 7) notes that "the number of disabled individuals using libraries on college campuses around the country has risen dramatically from the early 1960s, when a 'survey of 92 mid-western colleges and campuses [reported] that 62 institutions would not accept wheel-chair bound students.'"
Physical barriers are simultaneously the most expensive and easiest to remedy. Developments in assistive technology such as screen readers and other software, magnifying closed-circuit television systems, and voice synthesizers are steadily improving access to materials for all. Attitudes are by far the bigger barrier to full participation in community life (McNulty, 1999. p. 3).
Both Rehabilitation Act of 1973 and ADA have helped bring about both physical and attitudinal changes. As library buildings are remodeled and replaced, they must be made ADA-compliant with architectural features such as wheelchair-accessible entrances, stacks, restrooms and workstations as well as better signage. To meet the spirit of ADA, most libraries have promoted awareness of disabilities issues among staff to bring the highest levels of services available to all.
Methods
Six Peninsula public libraries were surveyed for this study: San Mateo, Redwood City, Menlo Park, Palo Alto, Mountain View, and Sunnyvale. In addition, one academic library, Stanford University Libraries, was surveyed. With the exception of Palo Alto, only the main libraries in each city were examined; Palo Alto's disabilities services are concentrated in its Mitchell Park branch, although the main library and other branches offer limited services. Disabilities services coordinators and reference librarians in each library were asked a series of questions (see Appendix C: Disabilities Services Query). No library has kept statistics on use of disabled services other than for homebound services; numbers of patrons served in the libraries themselves were rough estimates only and no disabled patrons were surveyed directly. Although both the Rehabilitation Act of 1973 and ADA require removal of barriers for employees as well as patrons, this study focuses on increasing accessibility for patrons and does not attempt to address library employees, nor does it address emotional or developmental disabilities.
Disabled Americans: Definitions and Numbers
According to a 1997 U.S. Census Bureau survey, nearly 20% of Americans have some kind of disability (U.S. Census Bureau, 2001). Most (91.8%) of the disabilities noted in the 1997 survey are physical impairments, although a portion of the population has both physical and emotional or developmental disabilities. With our aging population and the decreasing stigma of being identified as disabled, those numbers will surely grow. Demographic projections show the percentage of older Americans increasing dramatically as the baby boomer generation ages (U.S. Census Bureau, 2000); while this group may be generally healthier than preceding cohorts, they will not be immune from age-related disabilities. The baby boomers will also be more likely to demand better library services and technology. Unlike some of the other "special" categories of patrons, disabilities needs cross all racial, ethnic, and gender lines, even while many of those in other groups may be burdened with additional barriers.
The definition of disability has changed over time. The earliest definition was strictly medical, but during the early twentieth century, this shifted to the idea that disability is an economic condition: "a health-related inability or limitation on the amount or kind of work that can be performed" (Hahn, 1985, p. 90; quoted in McNulty, 1999, p. 5). This definition served as the basis for many of the federal laws in the first half of the twentieth century, but has now been replaced by a sociopolitical definition that stresses the structure of the social environment as a barrier rather than the inability of a disabled person to adapt to society (Hahn, p. 93).
The Census Bureau defines a person with a disability as "someone who has difficulty in performing functional tasks or daily living activities or meets other criteria, such as a learning or developmental disability. People are considered to have a severe disability if they are completely unable to perform one or more of these tasks or activities, need personal assistance or have one of [several] severe conditions" (U.S. Census Bureau, 2001).
McNulty (1999) points out that the courts have generally taken a restrictive view of what constitutes disability. Nonetheless, many institutions have in the past three decades, moved to accommodate a wider range of users, spurred in part by ADA's predecessor, the Rehabilitation Act of 1973 (particularly Section 504, which deals with higher education). ADA extends the Rehabilitation Act's efforts to mainstream people with disabilities to include the civil rights component of banning discrimination - similar to those acts dealing with gender, racial and ethnic identity (ibid, p. 11). How individual institutions institute ADA varies, but they are now required by law to provide access to their programs and services to individuals with disabilities (ibid, p. 15).
The Census Bureau survey (2001) revealed that among people with disabilities, over half (12.3% of the total U.S. population) have a severe disability such as deafness, blindness or inability to walk. Not surprisingly, it also demonstrated the percentages of any disability correlate strongly with age, ranging from 10.7% disabled (5.3% severely disabled) for 15-24 year-olds to 73.6% (57.6% severely disabled) for over 80 year-olds, the majority of whom have acquired, rather than congenital disabilities. Figures from the 2000 U.S. census show that while overall percentages of disabled people in Santa Clara and San Mateo counties are slightly lower than the national (and even state) averages, a significant proportion of the population has one or more disabilities.
Table 1. Comparative percentages of disabled populations
(source: U.S. Census 2000)
|
Area |
% disabled (total) |
% disabled (5-20 years) |
% disabled (21-64 years) |
% disabled (65+ years) |
|
US |
23% |
8.1% |
19.2% |
41.9% |
|
CA |
22.7% |
7.5% |
20.0% |
39.3% |
|
San Mateo Co. |
19.3% |
6.4% |
15.8% |
35.9% |
|
Santa Clara Co. |
21.7% |
6.5% |
16.4% |
42.2% |
Implications for Library Services
Creating ADA-Compliant Facilities: Physical Design and Modifications
Accessibility requirements for libraries have spurred many debates over costs and difficulties of compliance. As Cirillo and Danford, in their Library Buildings, Equipment & the ADA: Compliance Issues and Solutions (1996, p. vii) note, "some of the most expensive and intransigent problems involved in providing library access to all citizens [are] the difficulties posed by bricks and mortar and architectural concepts which, in their era(s) of construction, did not take into consideration the needs of people with various physical impairments."
Many people expressed (and perhaps continue to express) doubts about the practicality (i.e. cost-effectiveness) of bringing universal access to their facilities. Nonetheless, through Section 501 of both ADA and its predecessor, the Rehabilitation Act of 1973, we are all required to address accessibility issues whenever buildings operated by a government entity or that fall into the category of "public accommodation" (which includes many libraries and museums) are built, renovated or modified. ALA adopted an ADA policy statement only recently (Library Services, 2001), but many libraries have worked to provide better access as awareness of disabilities has grown throughout the past century.
Kolflat and Klug (in Cirillo & Danford, 1996. p. 15) note that the cost of making new buildings accessible is negligible, but retrofitting existing buildings can be very expensive. Michael Howard (ibid, p. 19-20) points out that where historic properties are concerned, alterations may destroy the very elements that make the building historic. Yet at all levels of compliance, the means to provide accessibility may exist and still keep costs down or preserve historic character. Design issues to consider include parking, entrances, detectable warnings, ramps and stairs, restrooms, and service desks, as well as wheelchair-accessible furniture and aisle widths. In some cases, better signage alone will make a facility much more accessible.
The level of physical accommodations varies widely from library to library. Some of the libraries surveyed are fully compliant, having been constructed after 1990, including the Redwood City and Mountain View public libraries. Other area libraries are in the process of upgrading their facilities or exploring ways to fund such improvements. In Palo Alto, disabilities services are focused in the Mitchell Park branch due to its relative accessibility and proximity to bus lines, but the library is quite small, with disabled resources only one of several competing space needs.
Around the country, the old Carnegie libraries have historic significance and are usually difficult to bring into compliance without compromising their historic character. Similarly, one Palo Alto branch library located in a historic building, the College Terrace branch, has a wheelchair ramp and accessible restroom, but the cramped building forces a choice between heavily cutting its already small collection to make accessible aisles or retaining the current non-compliant arrangement.
A new San Mateo Public Library is currently being designed, in large part because the current facility is not compliant. Under the heading, "Why Do We Need a New Main Library," the following illustration neatly sums up the problem facing many libraries:
Fig. 1. San Mateo Public Library Accessibility Problems
(source: San Mateo County Library, 2001)
Assistive Technology
After wheelchair ramps, many people equate accessibility with various devices such as magnifiers and alternative formats for text, including Braille, large print and audio recordings. The more traditional alternative formats are still important. On a national level, the National Library Service for the Blind and Physically Handicapped (NLS) of the Library of Congress has established a long-term planning group that will help coordinate efforts of the NLS network of libraries to better service disabled patrons with new digitization technologies - beyond the talking book ("Digital Future," 2001, p. 61). The current technology of specially formatted audiotapes will be phased out and replaced with a digital system over the next ten years (Cookson & Rasmussen, 2001). Current national readership is over 764,000.
Local libraries supplement their own offerings of the alternative text formats through the California State Library's Braille and Talking Book Library, and the National Library Service for the Blind and Physically Handicapped (NLS), as well as private agencies such as Peninsula Center for the Blind and Visually Impaired in Palo Alto.
Computers have been a boon to disabled library users in part because they allow many other tools to work. Although none of the area libraries make use of adaptive switches, touch screens and voice recognition programs that can increase access, most have one or more computers equipped with software to enlarge screen displays, screen readers and other speech synthesis/OCR tools. Sight-impaired patrons can use these terminals to access databases, the Web and the library's catalog. Both the Mitchell Park branch of the Palo Alto Public Library and the Redwood City Public Library have Kurzweill speech synthesizers available.
In addition to display enlargement, all the area libraries surveyed have one or more text enhancers such as the Optilex and Aladdin magnifiers, which use closed circuit TV to enlarge text and illustrations up to twenty five times.
All the surveyed libraries have their assistive computers and text enhancers on wheelchair-accessible tables or desks. San Mateo Public Library has a number of their computers on tables that feature both adjustable keyboard and monitor sections. The SMPL plans to make many more workstations adjustable in their new library building.
Enhanced video formats make films and other video recordings accessible. For hearing-impaired patrons, commercially produced close-captioned videos are usually available, a service that has become easier to expand with the advent of DVDs, which often include captioning. Most area libraries have added Descriptive Video Service® (DVS) videotapes for sight-impaired patrons. These videos provide "descriptive narration of the key visual elements of television programs, feature films, home videos, DVDs and other visual media to make them accessible to viewers with visual disabilities. The result is a finished soundtrack that engages these viewers with the story by enabling them to 'see' audibly" (WGBH Educational Foundation, 2002).
To complement assistive computer software, some libraries may have alternatives to standard keyboards and mice. Rachael (Shelley) Haven, the Academic Technology Specialist for the Stanford University's Disability Resource Center (DRC), maintains an assistive technology lab for students, faculty and staff with disabilities to test various alternative input devices, including head-mounted cursor controllers (using infrared sensors), vertical split keyboards and breath-activated mice.
Other aids may include amplification, electronic speech aids and Braille printers/embossers. Finally, ADA regulations require at least one Telecommunication Device for the Deaf (TDD) be available in public libraries. Although the libraries surveyed may have TDD available (they were not polled on this question), only the San Mateo Public Library advertises a TDD number.
Services for People with Disabilities in Area Libraries
Many libraries offer outreach services to homebound patrons. The Redwood City Public Library has a "Library Shut-In Service" serving individuals in their homes, in nursing and convalescent homes, and residential care facilities. Palo Alto's Operation Homebound and the Santa Clara County libraries' S.O.S. (Special Outreach Services) programs similarly serve patrons disabled and ill residents who are likewise unable to come to the library. Menlo Park, in addition to delivering materials to homebound patrons, also provides a free van to and from the library (serving both seniors and people with disabilities) on the first Saturday of each month. For these libraries, homebound outreach services are often coordinated by paraprofessionals and operate with the help of volunteers.
Some area libraries are more active in disability services than others. Menlo Park's program includes occasional programs in their Saturday Series of presentations, with topics such as "Assistive technology for easier living, and "Don't let low vision stop you from reading." The talks are coordinated with the library's free van service. (See Appendix A.: Disabled Services at a Sample Public Library).
Services offered in a university setting are usually similar to those in the public library sector. Stanford's main library was reconstructed in 1997, with greatly improved accessibility to make it fully ADA compliant. Stanford's libraries do not offer services directly; instead, they are handled through the Disabilities Resources Center (DRC), which serves students university-wide (the DRC also serves some needs for faculty and staff, with the remainder taken by the University's Diversity & Access office). Shelley Haven reported that approximately 800 students (5% of the total student population) are eligible for assistance through the DRC. Of those, half need assistance for psychological or emotional disabilities, and of the remaining half, approximately 150 might make use of assistive technologies. Some assistance may be as low-tech as clear document holders mounted overhead to allow a student to read comfortably from a prone position; others involve cutting edge computer equipment or software.
Haven pointed out that many assistive technologies of the past from typewriters to TDD (incorporated into the Web as email, chat and instant messaging) have come to be used by far more people without out disabilities than those with. She commented that as assistive technologies move into mainstream use, we edge closer to the ideal of universal design - technologies, facilities and even education that serves the greatest number of people rather than special accommodations for a specific group. Assistive technology may be necessary for a person with a disability, but it can be beneficial to everyone (Haven, 2001). In this way, the environment adapts to the person rather than forcing the person to adapt to the environment.
Section 508 and Web Accessibility
Section 508 is the portion of ADA that deals with information technology. This section is very clear, but also sweeping - it requires all IT products to be usable and accessible to people with disabilities. Section 508, like the other parts of ADA, apply to copiers, fax machines, websites, and other IT used by the federal government, all contractors, and entities which receive federal funding. Although the compliance deadline was June 2001, many of the products and websites covered are not yet compliant and some confusion exists over exactly what IT is included (Taschek, p. 49-50).
Since all states and territories are recipients of federal funds, all public libraries must comply with Section 508 for both patrons and employees (Boyer, 2000). For public libraries, websites are one of the most visible IT components. A test of the six Peninsula public libraries' websites using CAST's Bobby Worldwide software revealed that not one met Section 508 guidelines. The most common problems are graphics without alternative texts. Other problems include image maps without alternative navigation; color used to convey information without alternative representations; and unlabeled structural tables (see Appendix B: Bobby Worldwide Report for the Menlo Park Public Library Website, July 30, 2002) . Graphic design elements often conflict with accessibility, particularly when Flash animation or other techniques are a major component of the design. The farther website designers move away from a straight presentation of text, the more likely they will introduce accessibility problems.
Several of the libraries' sites were created from their city's templates, which were also not created to Section 508 specifications. As is the case for some others, a volunteer created Redwood City's pages a few years ago. The library plans to upgrade the template soon, but the outreach services coordinator did not know whether the new design would be compliant. Most of the problems noted by Bobby are not serious and could be easily addressed, but none of the libraries specifically planned to upgrade their websites for compliance.
Although Stanford does not receive federal grants and is therefore exempt from Section 508 requirements, nor does it have a Section 508 compliance policy, the University is striving to make the Stanford University Libraries (and all other University) web pages compliant. The existing site fails for similar reasons as the public library sites, but a text-only alternative is available for the home page. A new website design that will comply with Section 508 is currently under development.
Where are the Patrons?
Does the existence of disabilities services attract disabled patrons? Despite a wide range of services available at the libraries surveyed, an analysis of U.S. Census (2002) and California State Library (2000) suggests that only a small percentage of disabled residents make use of their local libraries.
Table 2. Disabled Population and Library Use for Selected Peninsula Public Libraries
City |
Palo Alto |
San Mateo |
Redwood City |
Mountain View |
Menlo Park |
Sunnyvale |
|
Population 1 |
61,200 |
98,000 |
76,600 |
75,700 |
28,900 |
122,180 |
|
Disabled |
3,820 |
19,400 |
13,780 |
9,527 |
2,994 |
17,360 |
|
% Disabled |
16% |
19.8% |
18.8% |
19% |
13.8% |
18.5% |
|
Physically disabled (est.) 2 |
3,500 |
17,770 |
12,622 |
87,270 |
2,740 |
15,900 |
|
% Physically disabled |
14.7% |
18% |
17% |
17.4% |
12.6% |
16.9% |
|
Severe disabled (est.) 3 |
4,150 |
1,200 |
8,540 |
5,900 |
1,860 |
10,760 |
|
% Severe disabled |
10% |
12.3% |
11.7% |
11.8% |
8.6% |
11.5% |
|
Library use 4 |
53,576 |
35,484 |
31,072 |
83,699 |
18,968 |
92,889 |
|
% of total pop |
87% |
36% |
41% |
111% 7 |
65.6% |
76% |
|
Theoretical disabled use 5 |
3,320 |
6,980 |
5,650 |
10,570 |
2,610 |
7,900 |
|
Est. disabled use 6 |
<300 |
low |
<200 |
<300 |
low |
low |
|
% disabled use |
1% |
--- |
0.03% |
0.03% |
--- |
--- |
Notes
Population taken from U.S. Census 2000; figures differ from those found in California Library Statistics 2000, which are generally higher.
Physically disabled percentages based on the ratio of incidence of physical disabilities to overall disabilities (91.6%) within the U.S. population (source: U.S. Census Bureau, 2001)
Severely disabled percentages based on the ratio of incidence of severe disabilities to overall disabilities (62.5%) within the U.S. population (source: U.S. Census Bureau, 2001)
Library use based on number of patrons holding library cards as reported in California Library Statistics 2000. Number for report year 2000 slightly higher (issue unavailable at time of writing). Actual number of library visits per patron also unavailable, but likely lower.
As a theoretical percentage of library use.
Estimated use based from disabilities specialist or reference staff; no statistics are kept on overall disabled use. Actual figures available for homebound services in some libraries only. Except for Mountain View and Sunnyvale, additional patrons with disabilities may also make use of branch libraries.
The high use reported in Mountain View is apparently due to a high percentage of non-residents who work in Mountain View or live in nearby areas.
As a measure of one aspect of disabled services, the coordinator for Palo Alto's Operation Homebound, Deborah Angel, provided program statistics for 2001:
Number of patrons 68
Percentage adult patrons 100%
Number of visits made 367
Number of volunteers 28
Number of volunteer hours 694.5
Angel noted that her own time was not accounted here, but absorbed into the budget. She estimated probably spend close to 500 hours on Operation Homebound and volunteer related issues, such as recognition events, newsletters etc. She thought that the number of patrons requesting services had dropped over the past several years, though she did not have figures to verify her observations.
The disabilities outreach specialist at the Redwood City Library, Jim Boyson, noted similar numbers for their outreach program, with roughly twenty-two patrons receiving service each month.
Demand for Services
The possibilities (and needs) for connecting with disabled patrons have grown tremendously with ADA, the advent of computers, other assistive technologies, and particularly the Web. Despite the wide range of services available, the rough estimates of disabled patrons actually making use of those services appears, however, to be very low. In a few libraries, some assistive technology receives almost no use. Both Redwood City and Palo Alto's Kurzweill speech synthesizers are used so infrequently that staff must review procedures or be retrained when patrons request to use them. San Mateo's screen reader has never been used. At the Mitchell Park branch, demand for the single workstation with text enlarging software was almost non-existent; the workstation has since been converted to a general use Internet terminal. Although wheelchair users visit the Mountain View library fairly regularly, the special services coordinator, Betsy Carlson, noted that non-disabled patrons usually made the most use of the terminals at wheelchair-accessible (low tables and no chairs) workstations.
Difficulties with or fear of technology may also play a part and some of the technology may be of limited use to some patrons. Jim Boyson (RWCPL) noted that without extra large screens, enlargers (both CCTV and computer display) can make text so large that it becomes difficult to navigate if it is large enough for patrons to read.
Deborah Angel (Mitchell Park) speculated that demand for services at her branch had dropped because the high cost of housing in Palo Alto had forced some people with disabilities to move elsewhere. Boyson thought that transportation was an issue for many potential users. Although all libraries surveyed are on transit lines, patrons might not be; paratransit service is available for all potential patrons, but service is not always dependable or timely. As mentioned above, the degree of physical accessibility varies from library to library so that the neighborhood branch may not be as accessible for some patrons as the main library across town.
Boyson noted that a number of patrons had their own assistive devices and received materials directly from the State Library. As an example, he mentioned one patron from another city who had been a regular until he got his own computer with a screen reader. Boyson also speculated that many elderly would like better access to library service, but they are not in the habit of asking - a factor that may also affect other potential patrons with disabilities. Current library use among elderly is lower than among other age groups (heavily weighted toward children and middle-aged (typically parents of young children), but as the boomers age, their library habits should translate into continued use and an increased demand for services.
Breaking Down Barriers Through Training
Attitudes are by far the bigger barrier to full participation in community life (McNulty, 1999, p. 3). Courtney Deines-Jones, in her "Training Professional and Support Staff Members" (in McNulty, p. 148), specifically addresses the people aspect of providing universal service. She stresses the importance of meeting the spirit of ADA and not just the letter of the law. She notes that each academic library will have unique needs and resources. Librarians can develop appropriate strategies by:
- Assessing the training needs as driven by patrons
- Considering the unique needs of different training groups
- Exploring each type of training
- Evaluating the resources at hand
- Planning an ongoing training strategy
- Providing appropriate policy supports
To address the most serious barrier to full services for disabled patrons, attitudinal training is crucial; if staff make disabled patrons uncomfortable, those patrons may not return. Facilities, service and legal training are also important. For all types, an ongoing training program will help ensure that disabled patrons and the entire user community can enjoy "continuously improving service" (ibid, p.160).
Of the libraries surveyed, only San Mateo included disabilities awareness as part of new staff orientation. Boyson recalled a training workshop (one of an occasional series) that dealt with disabilities issues; other libraries had disabilities awareness included as one aspect of general diversity awareness. To what extent attitudes present a barrier among local libraries is unknown without further study.
A Need for Increased Marketing?
Angel said she had held occasional information sessions for homecare providers to promote Operation Homebound and other services, but had seen very little return. Menlo Park promotes its services through a Saturday lecture program (with occasional programs on resources for people with disabilities) and offered free van transport to and from the library. Other libraries connected with social service agencies.
These promotional efforts and the services offered may not be enough to draw residents with disabilities in the same percentages as those without - if the numbers are as low as staff estimate. With such uncertainty, this study produced more questions that it answered.
- Why does such a large disparity exist between the number of potential disabled patrons and reported numbers? What is actual use among disabled patrons in the various libraries? Without statistics, low use can't be verified, although such statistics might still need to be inferred from numbers of requests or observed use of assistive devices and circulation statistics for large-print and other alternative materials.
-
A survey of disabled patrons and potential patrons is needed - no disabled persons were interviewed for this study.
- Are they aware of their local library's services?
- Are they satisfied with the level of library service available?
- Are additional services needed?
- What barriers have they encountered - physical, programmatic and attitudinal?
- What is age breakdown among disabled patrons? Do additional needs exist among elderly disabled patrons that are not currently met?
- What is ethnic/racial breakdown among disabled patrons? Outreach specialists at several libraries thought that disabled patrons were overwhelmingly white; does this reflect overall trends or does it reflect double barriers?
- This survey focused on physical disabilities; how well do libraries serve people with emotional or developmental disabilities?
- Do libraries elsewhere have a larger base of patrons with disabilities and if so, what types of promotion and outreach have contributed? Or are other factors at play?
- Although this study focused on patrons with disabilities, it would be useful to also look at whether any of the libraries have employees with disabilities. If so, what steps have they made to accommodate them?
As Henry Betts (1977, quoted in Warren, 1979, p. 8) stated, to some extent everyone in this country is going to become physically handicapped and others have noted that as America ages, many more of us will be older longer than our parents. The ADA and its predecessors have already made an enormous difference in providing universal access to services that the able-bodied take for granted. Danford and Cirillo note that ADA is a "living document which will be modified by legislation, litigation and experience" (1997, p. viii). They express the faith that people can meet the spirit of the law, which "so neatly coincides with the mandates of the library profession" (ibid). If libraries can take further steps and successfully increase use by people with disabilities, presumably through a combination of better promotion and improvements to facilities, they will improve access for everyone - both people with disabilities and the temporarily abled.
References
Note: Some material in this paper adapted from critical notes on McNulty (1999) and Cirillo & Danford (1997) submitted earlier for LIBR 275.
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