Library services for people with disabilities: Results of a survey

The Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA), enacted in 1990, has had a significant impact on the way many institutions, including libraries, do business. The Association of Research Libraries surveyed its members in 1991 to determine the effect of this legislation, and the author conducted a similar survey in 1995 to learn what progress academic health sciences libraries have made in serving the needs of people with disabilities. A questionnaire was mailed to 131 members of the Association of Academic Health Sciences Library Directors. Nearly three-quarters of respondents reported elimination of physical barriers. The most common services provided are retrieval of materials from the stacks and photocopy assistance. Much less attention has been paid to the use of adaptive technology that allows disabled users to search a library's online catalog and databases; special technology is often provided by another unit on campus but there seems to be little coordination with library services. Few libraries have assigned responsibility for disability services to a specific staff member and even fewer have done a formal assessment of the need for special services. The issues identified by the survey should challenge academic health sciences libraries to examine their status regarding compliance with ADA legislation.