Difference between revisions of "Accessibility to Library Databases and Other Online Library Resources for People with Disabilities"

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A lot of attention is paid to <a href="http://www.slingsby.com">health</a> and safety in our modern age, and understandably so.  There are numerous guidelines for employers and seemingly endless regulations - and updates of these regulations - to protect staff in their working environment.  It is also worthwhile to mention that there can also be a negative effect on employers through accidents and near misses in the workplace; when employees accuse the company of negligence and a failure to comply with regulations.  With this in mind it is vital that companies choose task appropriate equipment from the outset.
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This page is for sharing information among library employees about accessibility of library databases and other online resources.  I hope you’ll contribute! Please include the sources or experiential basis of your contributions.
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  Warehouses can be considered one of the more dangerous working environments due to the amount of manual labour, including of course the lifting, transporting and positioning of heavy objects.  This is an area in which pallet trucks prove to be indispensable.  With a number of types and styles available, pallet trucks are able to meet various needs for varying businesses.  The risk of manual handling in work environments is not to be underestimated. Staff suffering from back and other injuries can experience pain, discomfort and reduced mobility.  This can impact on employment status – sometimes resulting in actual job loss or early retirement.  Personal lives can also be damaged by an inability to partake of leisure activities that were once enjoyed.  This in turn can cause depression.  Let’s not forget that these issues can also affect family and friends of sufferers.  The number of staff injuries caused by lifting objects incorrectly, or indeed by lifting inappropriately heavy or cumbersome items, can be reduced substantially just by providing an adequate number of pallet trucks. 
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It is stated in the Provision and Use of work equipment regulations 1998 that employers must ensure that equipment provided for staff is constructed or adapted as to be suitable for the purpose for which it is used and provided. Of course pallet trucks meet these criteria for many tasks involving lifting and moving potentially heavy or bulky items.  Each needs to be used in accordance with manufacturer’s guidelines on maximum capacities to be moved and safe operation in general.  Companies must choose which models are most suited to their individual needs, and whether completely manual or motorised trucks are more appropriate.   Widely used pieces of equipment, which are necessary all over the globe in a large number of industries, need to be reliable and have a long working life. Regular servicing and maintenance can help to keep machines in working order for longer. This is another way in which compliance with regulations can be achieved – by ensuring that tools remain fit for purpose.  This reduces the level of risk to employees and others through malfunction or failure.
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There is also a section to share practical information about strategies librarians have used to evaluate accessibility. In my experience, most libraries do not yet have an in depth expert on these issues, so we are learning as we go. If you are very new to accessibility, you might want to start with [http://www.ala.org/ala/mgrps/divs/ascla/asclaprotools/thinkaccessible/default.cfm ASCLA Think Accessible Before You Buy] , especially the [http://www.ala.org/ala/mgrps/divs/ascla/asclaprotools/thinkaccessible/language.cfm Understanding the Language] section. [http://www.webaim.org/intro/ WebAIM offers another introduction to accessibility] Also, I have found this article useful: [http://www.emeraldinsight.com/Insight/viewContentItem.do?contentType=Review&contentId=1660915 Web accessibility at academic libraries: standards, legislation, and enforcement.] Author(s): Michael Providenti, Robert Zai III Library Hi Tech; Volume: 25 Issue: 4; 2007 Research paper
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It goes without saying, however, that all equipment needs replacing when it can no longer be seen as operating in a safe, efficient manner. Another point worth making is that instructing staff – and indeed anyone who will be using a pallet truck – on proper use and maintenance is essential.   As well as making sure that employee’s general safety knowledge is up to standard.   This will make for a safer working environment, better efficiency and longer lasting pallet trucks.
  
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Thank you to Will Reed and everyone who had the idea for this page. I am an academic reference librarian. I do not have enough experience using adaptive technology to test pages independently, so the information I have to share will be from that point of view. I hope this page can be useful for librarians from public and other types of libraries as well.
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To explore our range of <a href="http://www.slingsby.com">pallet trucks</a> in general, further, please visit our website at http://www.slingsby.com
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Contributions from librarians who use assistive technology are especially appreciated. Suggestions about this page are welcome as well. 
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-Adina Mulliken amullike@syr.edu
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==Accessibility of specific vendors==
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===DATABASE VENDORS===
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* '''CSA/Proquest'''
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During 2008 Midwinter ALA ACRL-ANSS meeting, representatives said their interface complies with the UKs SENDA accessibility guidelines but they did not know about Section 508. Adina did not find an accessibility statement on their website as of 8/2008.
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* '''Ebsco''' (links checked 12/2008)
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http://www.ebscohost.com/thisTopic.php?marketID=1&topicID=844
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http://support.ebsco.com/knowledge_base/detail.php?id=1031&page=&page_function=search&keyword=%5C%22section+508%5C%22
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http://support.epnet.com/support_news/detail.php?id=356&t=r&return=true
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Ebsco has done usability testing with users who have disabilities.  They also state they are compliant with Section 508.
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* '''Gale''' (link checked 8/2008)
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http://www.gale.cengage.com/servlet/PressArchiveDetailServlet?articleID=200110_ADApolicy Says “Gale is working hard to get completely compliant. Since Gale publishes content from such a wide variety of reference sources and periodicals, it is difficult to address the tagging and mark-up of every document. We are working toward a standard, accessible interface design, with a goal of making our content meet all the accessibility standards.”
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* '''OvidSP''' 
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“OvidSP will not be compliant, but we're a lot closer than we are with current Ovid Gateway. We've eliminated most graphic buttons in favor of text links (which screen readers can read). We've implemented much of the new functionality, and a bit of the old, such that it degrades gracefully when javascript is not available. Our new color scheme is much easier to read for people with poor eyesight or color blindness. For Firefox users, nearly all of the text in the interface can be scaled larger (using Ctrl-+, Ctrl--, and Ctrl-0) to make it even easier to read.” - email Adina received on 10/26/2007
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Adina did not find an accessibility statement on their website as of 8/2008.
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* '''OCLC''' (12/2008)
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http://www5.oclc.org/downloads/accessibility/508template-fs.html
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* '''Proquest''' (links checked 12/2008)
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http://support.proquest.com/al/12/1/article.asp?aid=2789&bt=4n  Says “Compliant with Section 508 of the Americans with Disabilities Act.” Section 508 is actually part of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973, not the Americans with Disabilities Act, so this statement is somewhat unclear. Also says “There are…limitations on usability that are imposed by the format of the primary source materials contained in our products - whether they be a periodical, dissertation or other type of content. The format of the materials we receive may prevent some impaired users from being able to use certain of the works where the format is incompatible with the person’s disability and/or the ability of third party applications such as screen readers to render a useable version of the work.  For example, while a PDF rendered from a work submitted in text format may allow the Adobe Reader screen reader functionality, a PDF rendered from a work submitted in hard copy form is rendered as an image of the hard copy work (also known as a Scanned Image PDF) and therefore is not compatible with the screen reader functionality. Again, this is a consequence of the format of the works provided to UMI for inclusion within our products.”
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http://www.proquest.com/en-US/site/accessibility.shtml
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* '''WilsonWeb''' (link checked 12/2008)
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http://www.hwwilson.com/documentation/WilsonWeb/rehabilitation_act_compliance.htm
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During the 2008 Midwinter ALA ACRL-ANSS meeting, representatives said they communicated with at least one adaptive technology vendor. They did not say if they had done user testing with people who use any adaptive technologies.
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===FEDERATED SEARCH ENGINES===
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* '''Metalib'''  (links checked 12/2008)
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http://www.exlibrisgroup.com/default.asp?catid={475327AD-F744-44BC-8901-CFA3765488ED}&details_type=1&itemid={C41A7BEC-B647-41E5-BA68-6320032AA482}
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“This new version of MetaLib features a fully accessible user interface that complies with the W3C Web Content Accessibility Guidelines 1.0, level A, and Section 508 of the United States Rehabilitation Act (29 U.S.C. 794d).”
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http://metalib.sibul.ul.pt/V/MEVK15M6X5HH5RI9J61CH7NXHLXDFP2GB3M3DA5UP9G53Y3H7U-01892?func=file&file_name=accessibility
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“Accessibility Statement
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Ex Libris™ is committed to making its Web-based applications accessible to as many users as possible regardless of the challenges that they face. As new technologies emerge, Ex Libris makes every effort to improve the accessibility of its products.
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The MetaLib® user interface was developed to comply with leading international accessibility and industry standards:
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The W3C Web Content Accessibility Guidelines 1.0, level A
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Section 508 of the Rehabilitation Act (29 U.S.C. 794d)
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Disclaimer
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Institutions can customize the interface of MetaLib. Ex Libris cannot guarantee that the resulting user interface will be compliant with accessibility standards after a third party has altered the interface.
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MetaLib connects to other Web sites maintained by third parties over which Ex Libris has no control. Ex Libris makes no representations as to Web accessibility compliance standards maintained by other Web sites.”
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* '''Central Search'''
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During a Summer 2007 presentation to Syracuse University Library staff, a customer representative said Central Search was not yet compliant.  Adina did not find an accessibility statement on their website as of 8/2008.
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===MULTIPLE ONLINE RESOURCES===
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* Suzanne L. Byerley, Mary Beth Chambers and Mariyam Thohira. (2007). '''“Accessibility of web-based library databases: the vendors’ perspectives in 2007,”''' (25)4, Library Hi tech, 2007, 509-527. Contains very useful, in depth information about accessibility from numerous vendors. Information about Ebsco (and probably other vendors) is no longer up to date; however, for vendors that do not post much or any accessibility information on their website, this may be the most current information available.
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http://www.emeraldinsight.com/Insight/ViewContentServlet;jsessionid=C55C43123047035ED59F58B072176F3F?Filename=Published/EmeraldFullTextArticle/Articles/2380250406.html
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* '''Axel Schmetzky’s Web Accessibility Survey Site'''
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http://library.uwsp.edu/aschmetz/Accessible/websurveys.htm  especially this section http://library.uwsp.edu/aschmetz/Accessible/websurveys.htm#onlineresources  and the accessible policy statements for collection development here http://library.uwsp.edu/aschmetz/Accessible/pub_resources_p.htm#Policy
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===OTHER===
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*'''Libguides''' (information as of 12/2008)
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Libguides has filled out a "Voluntary Product Evaluation Template (VPAT)" which details accessibility of the product.  You can request it from Libguides.  They do not claim to be Section 508 compliant. 
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==Strategies/experiences evaluating resources ==
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(12/2008 Adina Mulliken) I attempted to use the [http://www.ala.org/ala/mgrps/divs/ascla/asclaprotools/thinkaccessible/webeval.cfm ASCLA Think Accessible guidelines] once by emailing them to a vendor when my library was considering buying a product. When I spoke with the customer service person later, they made it clear they did not understand the guidelines, but would talk with their IT staff. The representative then emailed to say the product was not “compliant” yet. I did not get answers to the specific questions in the guidelines.
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I sent the following questions to the organizers of the 2008 Midwinter ALA-ACRL-ANSS meeting. The organizers sent the questions to the vendors before the vendors' presentation at the meeting.
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* Is the product compliant with accessibility guidelines for people with disabilities such as Section 508 or Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG) from WC3? If not, which guidelines does it follow or not follow?  For WCAG, what level?
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* If the database includes full text, are the documents in pdf, html, or other formats? Especially if some of the full text is only in pdf, is it tagged to be accessible for text to speech synthesis software? (such as screen readers like Jaws and Window Eyes for vision impaired users and Kurzweil 3000 for people with learning disabilities)
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* If you do usability testing with users who have disabilities, could you tell us about it (which assistive technology or disabilities were included)?
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* Do the products have any other features that you think could be especially useful for some people with disabilities (such as spell checking)?
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In my experience, customer service representatives usually need to check with their IT staff to find out about accessibility. I understand that compliance with accessibility guidelines is not necessarily enough to make a product reasonably functional for people with disabilities, and so user testing with people who have disabilities is important.  I believe institutions need to find ways to do this (for our own websites as well as for resources from vendors). In the meantime, I've found that using the questions above has been a practical approach to start with.
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Revision as of 08:42, 21 January 2009

A lot of attention is paid to <a href="http://www.slingsby.com">health</a> and safety in our modern age, and understandably so. There are numerous guidelines for employers and seemingly endless regulations - and updates of these regulations - to protect staff in their working environment. It is also worthwhile to mention that there can also be a negative effect on employers through accidents and near misses in the workplace; when employees accuse the company of negligence and a failure to comply with regulations. With this in mind it is vital that companies choose task appropriate equipment from the outset. 

Warehouses can be considered one of the more dangerous working environments due to the amount of manual labour, including of course the lifting, transporting and positioning of heavy objects.  This is an area in which pallet trucks prove to be indispensable.  With a number of types and styles available, pallet trucks are able to meet various needs for varying businesses.  The risk of manual handling in work environments is not to be underestimated.  Staff suffering from back and other injuries can experience pain, discomfort and reduced mobility.  This can impact on employment status – sometimes resulting in actual job loss or early retirement.  Personal lives can also be damaged by an inability to partake of leisure activities that were once enjoyed.  This in turn can cause depression.  Let’s not forget that these issues can also affect family and friends of sufferers.  The number of staff injuries caused by lifting objects incorrectly, or indeed by lifting inappropriately heavy or cumbersome items, can be reduced substantially just by providing an adequate number of pallet trucks.  
It is stated in the Provision and Use of work equipment regulations 1998 that employers must ensure that equipment provided for staff is constructed or adapted as to be suitable for the purpose for which it is used and provided.  Of course pallet trucks meet these criteria for many tasks involving lifting and moving potentially heavy or bulky items.  Each needs to be used in accordance with manufacturer’s guidelines on maximum capacities to be moved and safe operation in general.  Companies must choose which models are most suited to their individual needs, and whether completely manual or motorised trucks are more appropriate.    Widely used pieces of equipment, which are necessary all over the globe in a large number of industries, need to be reliable and have a long working life.  Regular servicing and maintenance can help to keep machines in working order for longer.  This is another way in which compliance with regulations can be achieved – by ensuring that tools remain fit for purpose.  This reduces the level of risk to employees and others through malfunction or failure.
It goes without saying, however, that all equipment needs replacing when it can no longer be seen as operating in a safe, efficient manner.  Another point worth making is that instructing staff – and indeed anyone who will be using a pallet truck – on proper use and maintenance is essential.   As well as making sure that employee’s general safety knowledge is up to standard.   This will make for a safer working environment, better efficiency and longer lasting pallet trucks.

To explore our range of <a href="http://www.slingsby.com">pallet trucks</a> in general, further, please visit our website at http://www.slingsby.com

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