working in partnership to empower students with disabilities: the queen’s university belfast...
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Working in partnership to empower students with disabilities: the Queen’s University Belfast experience
Sally BridgeBorrower Services Librarian
•Why we have to improve•Why we want to improve•What we do
‘I would rate the disability service and the library service as excellent.’
Why we have to improveSENDO makes it unlawful for schools, education and library boards, colleges and universities to discriminate against disabled people for reasons relating to their disability.
Special Education Needs and Disability(Northern Ireland) Order 2005
SENDO also places a duty on educational establishments to make reasonable adjustments to enable people with disabilities to have the same access to education as people without disabilities.
2,053 students registered with QUB Disability Services in 2015-16
Specific learning difficulty such as Dyslexia, Dyspraxia, ADHD 723Mental health such as depression, schizophrenia or anxiety 443Medical condition such as ME, MS, Crohn’s Disease 397Social/communication difference such as Asperger's Syndrome 139Two or more impairments 106Disability that is not listed 86Physical disability/mobility condition 81Visual impairment 42Hearing impairment 36
What we do
Provide a single point of contact in each Library branch
• Disability Services• Estates• Information Services
Work in partnership with colleagues within the University
Disability Liaison Officer
• Co-ordinates Library Services for students with disabilities
•Works closely with Disability Officers to develop services
• Attends University Disability Forum
• Identify barriers to the service
• Disability Action Plan – annual service review
Disability Liaison Officer
Partnership with Disability Services
Working together we can help defuse the confusion and make things work. Pre-induction
One to one induction
Train library staff
Email information
Partnership with Disability Services
Accessible studying• Service indicator• Extended short loans• Bookable priority desks• Group Study Room block
booking• Books in electronic format• Safety steps• Fetch & hold service
Partnership with Estates Department
• Automatic doors, ramps and lifts• Programmable
entry gates• Low level issue
terminals• Height
adjustable desks
• PEEP (Personal Emergency Evacuation Plan)• Staff training –
stair chairs
Partnership with Information Services
Cross directorate forum
Assistive technologyZoomTextMindViewRead & Write Gold
ZoomEx scanner
High visibility keyboard
Email me:[email protected]
Images: www.pixabay.com www.qub.ac.uk/imagebank/
‘Library staff are very helpful and great to deal with. I could not
sing their praises high enough.’