Dear Accessibility Advocates:
1. Item: The Library of Congress Cataloging Policy and Support Office [CPSO]
has decided to change THIS SUMMER the LC Subject Heading "Handicapped" (bad) to
"Disabled persons" (much worse) - unless we successfully advocate NOW for
people-first language. What was LC CPSO's authority? LC CPSO based its
decision on the reading of an American Heritage Dictionary (Houghton Mifflin,
2000) usage note - rather than the reading of the people-first language that
the U.S. Congress, the agency that LC serves, has enacted into U.S. law-The
ADA, etc.) or checking with members of the community in question.
Write NOW to advocate for people-first language ("People with disabilities or
Individuals with disabilities" - the standard descriptors in the A.D.A. and
other U.S. post-A.D.A. legislation/amendments) to:
Mr. Paul Weiss
Cataloging Policy and Support Office
Library of Congress
101 Independence Avenue S.E.
Washington, D.C. 20540
2. Item: The wrap-up edition of ALA Cognotes for the ALA Annual Conference in
San Francisco featured many photographs. The only photograph that did not
feature people was the one and only photo of the ALA ASCLA Accessibility
Pavilion [page 9]. The photo featured, to quote the caption: "one of the
devices at the Accessibility Pavilion." The device, an ALVA-brand refreshable
Braille display, was unidentified as were the people whose hands were situated
on the display. [including NLS Librarian Judy Dixon].
P.S. For some appropriately labeled and captioned photos of the ALA ASCLA
Accessibility Pavilion, please see my website:
http://twu.edu/~s_perlow/accessibilitypavilion.html
3. Item: Re the WSJ article on "E-BRANCH LIBRARY MACHINES HELP TO BRIDGE
DIGITAL DIVIDE": The situation is systemic: we who do things differently are
an afterthought. After all we are "the disabled." "Disabled" means by
dictionary definition "nonfunctioning, incapable, can't do." The term
"disabled" is appropriately used for inanimate objects that do not work
("disabled smoke detectors, disabled vehicles, disabled Java Script," etc.)
Just as consumers we do not buy "damaged goods," why fund or devise anything or
waste anyone's money for the "disabled=damaged goods" of society?
Instead of furthering the digital divide by segregating those of us who do
something differently (everyone, sooner or later) - exactly what the term "disabled" does, our researchers
should be focusing positively on what Accessibility advocates already are doing:
Universal Design
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Why I advocate so strongly for a change in language to positive language
terminology that makes our accessibility cause relevant and important to
everyone. If positive language works for Madison Avenue, it can work for us.
A for Accessibility! Positive Sells. Positive Wins. Every Time.
Ellen Perlow
Chair, ALA ASCLA Century Scholarship Committee
The ALA ASCLA Century Scholarship Diversity Initiative
"Celebrating a New Century that Celebrates Diversity"
http://www.ala.org/ascla/centuryscholarship.html
Annual Submission Deadline: March 1
Have YOU recruited/applied to be a Century Scholarship applicant today?
----------------------------------------------------
Manager of Information Services
School of Library and Information Studies
Texas Woman's University
P.O. Box 425438
Denton, TX 76204-5438
Tel.: 940-898-2622 Fax: 940-898-2611
Web: http://twu.edu/~s_perlow/
E-Mail: [log in to unmask]
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