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Excellence doesn’t always need to be large scale. Sometimes small, inexpensive change can make the difference...
INSIGHT
Disability Network Curating for Change
was interested to read about York’s National Railway Museum “Go As You Please” exhibition, which examines rail travel and disability (www.
railwaymuseum.org.uk/whats-on/go-as-you- please).
The organisers describe how they
have made the exhibition inclusive by incorporating:
● a BSL overview of the content;
● a BSL translation and transcript of the travel film;
● an audio-described (AD) tour accessible via QR codes;
● an Easy Read exhibition guide; ● portable labels; ● ear defenders; ● magnifying glasses;
● headsets for listening to the AD tour on your device.
For LIS staff with disabilities their daily commute to work or travel in general can have challenges. This is before they reach their destination and have a day of work ahead of them, and then the journey home. Having joy in an experience, be it travel, a working day or a LIS visit is not something that we necessarily expect. I have been lucky enough to be part of the Q community Joy in Work Special Interest Group, which looks at how to use QI (Quality Improvement) tools to bring more enjoyment to the work day. “Joy in Work” is a phrase used by the Institute for Health Improvement (IHI) to describe a methodology they have developed to improve each individual’s ability to enjoy their work. (Perlo J., Balik B., Swensen S., Kabcenell
A., Landsman J., Feeley D. IHI Framework for Improving Joy in Work. IHI White Paper. Cambridge, MA: Institute for Healthcare Improvement; 2017. Available at
www.ihi.org)
Engage The first step to improving joy in work is for leaders to engage colleagues to identify
March 2024
what matters to them in their work. In our sector, it is important that we hear from LIS workers with disabilities about what is important to them. Museums and archives are close cousins to library and information services and it is great to see opportunities being forged through Curating for Change
https://curatingforchange.org/, to create strong career pathways for d/Deaf, disabled and neurodiverse curators. Trainees and Fellows are given the opportunity to produce exhibitions, events and blogs, exploring disabled people’s histories – while gaining skills for careers in the sector.
In the LIS sector, do we always consider accessible options for both patrons and staff as the rule rather than the exception? Is innovation in the LIS sector led by LIS staff that identify as disabled? We would love to hear from you about what disability training is mandatory for LIS staff at your organisations and in your services, as increasing the understanding of the needs of disabled people can help to improve and innovate the services we provide. Understanding the visible and invisible needs of LIS workers and patrons can help us innovate the way we work as a sector.
Making a difference
We hope to launch an award recognising and celebrating good practice in disability provision in information services. Excellence doesn’t always need to be large scale. Sometimes small, inexpensive change can make the difference to the experience of using a library or information service. Having an awareness of the effects that reasonable adjustments can make to the working lives of individuals can improve the working environment for everyone. You don’t need to live with a disability to benefit from larger print, appropriate fonts, colour contrast and the use of plain English. Implementing the learning
Morag Clarkson and Catherine McLaren are Co-Chairs of the CILIP Disability Network.
from awareness training can ensure that all voices are heard and may be a start to opening up opportunities for innovative, accessible projects.
Just as Curating for Change is creating a range of resources to support lasting change for accessibility and inclusivity within the museums sector, we hope to collate and share resources and good practice. So, as ever, we want to hear from you about small or large accessible innovation you are involved in or have experienced. If you visit any Curated For Change exhibitions send us your review and ideas on how we can provide more accessible library and information services for LIS workers and patrons to
info.disability@cilip.org.uk IP
*If you want to get involved in the CILIP Disability Network express your interest to join the CILIP Disability Network Committee at
info.disability@cilip.org.uk
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