from the Jan. 2001 Braille Forum - www.acb.org


                        LOUISVILLE'S PUBLIC LIBRARY
                WELCOMES BLIND AND VISUALLY IMPAIRED PATRONS
                             by Daveed Mandell

   In September, the blind and visually impaired community in Louisville,
   Ky., celebrated the first anniversary of an innovative program which
   had been initiated a year earlier at the Louisville Free Public
   Library. In September 1999, the library became accessible to blind and
   visually impaired people when two computers -- complete with adaptive
   hardware and software -- were unveiled at the main library on York
   Street. In ensuing months, similarly adapted computers were installed
   in three other library branches.

   Thanks largely to an industrious and unassuming worker in the
   library's business reference section, blind and visually impaired
   people have become significantly more welcome and visible at the
   various library branches where training on accessible computers is now
   offered.

   Maury Weedman, who as the father of a totally blind son named Jamie,
   had become familiar with screen readers and braille embossers, is the
   person who turned his ideas about making the public library accessible
   to every member of the public into a reality. Speaking at last July's
   Library Users of America (LUA) convention in Louisville, Weedman
   explained how the project began, and how he became the library's
   coordinator of adaptive technology: "I wrote a proposal one day and
   went to the director with it, and he said 'Yes,' and that just sort of
   started us on our road."

   Charlie Harris, the library's manager of information services, told
   the LUA gathering, "I'm really, really excited about what we're able
   to do with adaptive technology; and I think this is only the
   beginning. We're just beginning the journey at the public library, and
   we're so excited and so proud to be on the journey."

   Of course it wasn't as simple as all that. Grants had to be sought,
   and a needs assessment had to be conducted. But according to Weedman
   and Harris, grassroots community participation and support kept the
   ball rolling. Louisville's mayor and other city officials offered
   support and encouragement. The local Library Foundation raised much of
   the funding for the project, in addition to procuring a $300,000 grant
   from the Gates Foundation. Organizations of and for the blind worked
   together to assist the library by promoting the program to the
   community of blind people, and advising staff members about which
   hardware and software to purchase.

   Weedman organized an accessibility team of library staff members at
   the various branches to provide blind and visually impaired patrons
   with one-on-one training on everything from screen readers and braille
   translators, to Microsoft Office and the Internet. The team is also
   responsible for ongoing development of the overall program. Harris
   pointed out that despite the scheduled staff training sessions, for
   the most part, staffpersons have learned how to use access software --
   such as JAWS for Windows, Duxbury, Magic and ZoomText -- on their own
   through trial and error.

   Weedman said the response to the new program has been phenomenal.
   Library staff members have been training blind and visually impaired
   people, as well as their family members and teachers, four days a week
   at the main library, and one day a week at the three branches. There
   have been so many requests for technology training that training
   sessions must be scheduled two months in advance. Four staff members
   provide training at the main library, and one staff member is
   available for training at each of the three branches.

   Jim Shaw, a blind library patron, said training is tailored to the
   needs of each individual, whether one has a vocational, educational or
   personal objective in mind. One can receive as little or as much
   training as one wants or needs. Shaw said he has had quite a few
   two-hour training sessions on accessing various library databases via
   the Internet. Thanks to the braille embosser and braille translation
   software at the main library, he has also learned how to format and
   produce braille documents. In short, Shaw said, he is a very satisfied
   patron.

   The Louisville Free Public Library is also the home of the city's NLS
   sub-regional Talking Book Library, which has around 1,400 patrons.
   Because the adaptive technology training staff has access to the
   sub-regional's recording studio and duplicating facilities, plans are
   afoot to provide individualized training materials and tutorials on
   tape, as well as in braille and large print.

   While many people ask for training on access technology and software,
   very few actually come to the library to use the computers. Weedman
   said one reason for this lack of personal computer utilization is
   inadequate transportation. When this reporter asked if some of this
   reluctance might be the result of a perceived psychological or
   attitudinal barrier, Weedman said that, luckily for blind and visually
   impaired Louisville residents, librarians have a very positive,
   naturally non- threatening attitude toward blind and visually impaired
   individuals.

   Weedman said the aim of opening up the library to people with
   disabilities is not to put them in a separate area and provide them
   with some kind of "special" service. Rather, the goal is to integrate
   them into the facilities and areas that all other patrons use. Blind
   and visually impaired patrons can access library materials with
   adaptive equipment, including a scanner, tape player and closed
   circuit television. One can find blind patrons performing their own
   database and Internet searches, capturing data on computer disks and
   converting files to braille or large print. Visually impaired patrons
   are able to interact with librarians in the same ways their
   non-disabled peers routinely do.

   According to Harris, the library has ambitious plans for upgrading and
   expanding service to the blind and visually impaired community. It
   plans to purchase additional screen readers and optical character
   recognition software, and install braille embossers at the three
   branch libraries where access equipment is currently located. The
   library also plans to expand its training to include most common
   application software packages, and to set up accessible computers in
   the children's areas.

   Shaw said the Louisville Free Public Library has set up a model
   program that other communities around the country should emulate.

   "I would encourage all of you to go back to your communities and
   encourage your libraries to follow suit and to do something similar to
   this," he told the LUA gathering.

   Last year, when the accessible computers were introduced to
   Louisville's blind and visually impaired community, Weedman said he
   could sense the intense excitement. "I could tell there was a sigh of
   relief. It's like, 'This is our library, too, and you really mean
   it!'" Weedman said a psychological barrier had thus been eradicated.
   "A curtain had been opened, you know, and I think that, symbolically,
   it really was an important thing to do. I mean, it was a very public
   commitment made."

   For more information about the Louisville Free Public Library's
   services for blind and visually impaired patrons, contact Maury
   Weedman via snail mail, phone, fax or e-mail, as follows:

   Snail Mail Address: Attention: Maury Weedman

   Coordinator of Adaptive Technology Louisville Free Public Library 301
   York St. Louisville, KY 40203 Phone: (502) 574-1617 Fax: (502)
   574-1657 E-mail: [log in to unmask] Web Site: http://www.lfpl.org
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