Scope
Option 1
- Should be completed by a small team of library staff which includes service managers and senior assistants in consultation with a range of users with disabilities. NB grouping together people who share a disability will give more focused results. Therefore it would be good to run the consultation activity several times with different groups of people
Option 2
- Should be completed by a single member of staff or two members of staff working together consulting with a single user. This option will produce very individualised results, but could be run several times with different individuals to identify some common trends which might feed into wider consultations
- Remember age, gender and ethnicity will be as important to people with disabilities as they would be to any other group of people
- Plan to consult with users and non users of your service
Learning Objective
To design, implement and evaluate at least one consultation activity with disabled people.
Knowledge and understanding
Increase in knowledge and awareness of the needs of a range of disabled users.
Skills
- Improved communication skills in consulting with a range of disabled users seeking information and advice to ensure your policies and services meet their needs
- Improved networking skills in building and maintaining useful work relationships with a range of disabled users and the organisations that support them
Attitudes and values
- Demonstrating a willingness to develop and take responsibility for own learning in order to support disabled users
- Demonstrating interest in and empathy with disabled people and in meeting their needs as individuals
- Demonstrating creativity, enjoyment, inspiration and innovation in responding to the needs of disabled people
Learning Activity
Option 1 Consulting a group
This learning activity requires you to set up and run a focus group with some people who are disabled, to consult on some aspect your service. After the consultation, recommended actions should be written up and feedback provided to the focus group and to your senior management team.
Task 1
Task 2
Task 3
Task 4
Task 5
Timings needed for activity
- Task 1: 1½ hours for reading
- Task 2: 3 hours for research
- Task 3: 3-5 hrs for contacting participants 5 hrs for the preparation of invitations and consultation materials
- Task 4: 1½ hours for the focus group activity
- Task 5: 3 hrs to transcribe any notes from the meeting and draw out the main findings from the consultation. Prepare a brief report or PowerPoint presentation for senior management and feedback letters to participants
Option 2 Consulting an individual
This learning activity requires you to consult with a person who is disabled on some aspect of your service. It will pay to consult a number of individuals separately for this activity which will give you a spread of opinions. After the consultation, prepare a short report or PowerPoint presentation outlining your findings, with recommended actions and show it to your colleagues and senior managers. Provide feedback and thanks to the person(s) you have consulted with, in an appropriate format.
Task 1
Task 2
Task 3
Task 4
Task 5
Timings needed for activity
- Task 1: 1½ hours for reading
- Task 2: 3-4 hrs to prepare the consultation tool
- Task 3: 3-5 hrs for researching and contacting participant(s) 3-4 hrs to select and prepare the most appropriate consultation tool for the individual(s)
- Task 4: 20 minutes per consultation
- Task 5: 2-3 hrs to collate findings and prepare a PowerPoint presentation
Links to some further sources of information and support
CILIP
Library and information services for disabled people (including deaf and hearing-impaired people and visually-impaired people), services for older people, the employment of disabled people, organising meetings, courses and conferences, and sexual orientation in libraries.
CLAUD
Aims to improve library access for disabled users by disseminating information on disability, and to establish good practice. List of links to external websites and to e-mailing lists and newsgroups which may be relevant to people with an interest in accessibility issues.
DEMOS
Online Materials for Staff Disability Awareness.
Disability Language and Access Guide
Barking Council guide making clear the accepted language and etiquette that has been defined by disabled people.
Disability Rights Commission Service Provision Information Pages
Step by step guide to what you should do, why and how.
Employers' forum on disability
The authoritative voice on disability as it affects employers and service providers.
Know your Community
The Institute of Public Finance have produced a best practice guide to help public libraries improve their knowledge and understanding of varying community needs. The guide is available below and includes information and guidance on choosing the best means of consultation, conducting surveys, running focus groups, developing community profiles and acting on research findings. There are also case studies of good practice from seven library authorities.
National Institute of Adult and Continuing Education
Publications and resource materials on outreach work with disabled people.