What Bird Are You?

I asked my library colleagues to take the "What bird are you most like?" Facebook test from Cornell Lab. I then had them fill out a brief survey stating which bird they were, on which side of the the classic division of public or technical services personnel, and whether they were faculty or paraprofessional staff.

The results were all I could hope for.  Of the 35 people working at the library 27 responded to the survey 19 staff and 8 faculty, 16 in public services and 10 technical services with one abstention on the division question.

5 ravens, 4 kestrels, 3 mallards, 2 crows, and 2 magpies.   So what happens when we add the two divisions of Public/Technical services and Faculty/Staff?

Overlap only occurred with three birds

• Three staff Ravens in Public Services
• Three staff Mallards in Public Services 
• Two faculty Crows in Public Services

So why did I do this?  Diversity.  Diversity is more than what you can see when you look at someone. We are all different even when we seem mostly the same.  I'm hoping this opening gambit can lead to a larger and more far-reaching conversation of differences, respect, encouragement, inclusion and yes, diversity.

-- Jenny

Disability Awareness Training

Another great session, this one focused on updating our understanding of interactions, communications, services and resources for people with disabilities.

According to the 2006 Canadian Census every seventh person has a disability.  One of the new terms/concepts for me was the idea of aging into disability.

From a survey:
What is helpful

• Accessing catalogue from home
• Home delivery
• Plain language
• Staff accessing shelves on my behalf
• Being given extra time
• Staff open to various communication modes

What are barriers

• Physical environment
• Time on computer
• Standing in line or carrying items
• Crowded public seating
• Cognitive demands
• Asking for help and feeling like I take too much time
• Confusing signage
• Patronizing, impatient or insensitive staff

Universal Design
Fix the environment, the issue or barrier in the environment (not the individual)

Principles of Universal Design

• Equitable Use
• Flexibility in Use
• Simple and Intuitive
• Perceptible Information
• Tolerance for Error
• Low Physical Effort
• Size and Space for Approach and Use

Diversity is normal

Take time to do more research on these topics:

• Person First Language
• Cognitive Disabilities