Greetings, colleagues!

The ARLIS/NA Diversity & Inclusion Committee and Architecture and Planning SIG are jointly hosting a 90-minute panel discussion and Q&A at the 2022 Chicago Conference, which will explore physical accessibility in library spaces from the perspective of both users AND staff. We invite you to consider joining our panel if this is a topic where you have experience, either from a staff or leadership position. Please consider sharing your expertise and experience, whether you have noticed and tried to amend challenges facing patrons with disabilities or if you or your colleagues have yourself encountered physical accessibility challenges in your day-to-day work. The deadline for joining the panel is Friday, December 10.

Our goals for the session are: ensure attendees can recognize and describe common physical access challenges for patrons and staff in library spaces; demonstrate an understanding of the difference between ADA compliance and true, functional physical accessibility; critically evaluate the spaces in their own institutions in terms of physical accessibility for patrons and staff; and pursue further research and learning to better understand physical accessibility challenges and solutions in order to advocate for holistic accessibility for users and staff.