SUBJECT: Service to Patrons with Disabilities
NUMBER: 10.9
- Purpose
To provide information and establish practices for services to library patrons with disabilities and ensure equitable access to library facilities and resources.
- Definitions
- Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA): A wide-ranging federal civil rights law that prohibits discrimination based on disability.
- Disability: A physical or mental impairment that substantially limits one or more major life activities, a record of such impairment, or begin regarded as having such an impairment, as defined by the ADA at 42 U.S.C. §12102 et seq.
- Qualified Individual with a Disability: A person with a disability who, with respect to education, meets the standards set forth in 42 U.S.C. §12132, or any amendments thereto and regulations derived therefrom; or, with respect to employment, a person with a disability who meets the standards articulated in 42 U.S.C. §12111, or any amendments thereto and regulations derived therefrom.
- Reasonable Accommodation: a modification or adjustment to a policy, procedure, or practice, or auxiliary aid or service, provided to a qualified individual with a disability to enable the person to: 1) participate in educational programs and activities; 2) perform the essential functions of a job; 3) apply for admissions or apply and interview for employment; 4) access university facilities and events; or 5) have equal use and enjoyment of a university residence hall. Any accommodation that poses an undue hardship is not a reasonable accommodation.
- Policy
- In accordance with the ADA, state law, and in collaboration with South Dakota Board of Regents and university policies and resources for people who have disabilities, all library staff will make good faith efforts to provide prompt and effective assistance to qualified individuals with disabilities, whenever possible, as requested by the patron. Library staff will accommodate reasonable requests for assistance in obtaining, accessing, and making use of library resources, materials, programs, and services. If requested accommodations are considered to be unreasonable, the SDSU Disability Services Coordinator and/or SDSU ADA Coordinator will be consulted based on the nature of the request and whether the patron is a student, faculty, staff, or university visitor.
- As a department of the university that coordinates or sponsors activities or events that are open to the university community, campus visitors, and/or the public, the library will include accessibility and contact information on event posters so an individual may request accommodation in advance of need, provide reasonable accommodation for the event, and work in consultation with the University ADA Coordinator, Office of Human Resources, or the Office of Disability Services to determine such a process or identify resources to meet accommodation requests.
- Individual students, faculty, staff, campus visitors, or members of the public are responsible for identifying themselves as a qualified individual with a disability when seeking an accommodation.
- Retaliation against a qualified individual with a disability for utilizing this policy and any provisions established thereunder is prohibited.
- Procedures
- Retrieval of Print Materials
- Staff at the Library Services Desk will make every effort to immediately retrieve needed materials from shelving. For many items, advance notice may be required.
- If the library is busy and/or there is only one staff member available at the service desk, library staff may ask the patron to come back later to pick up the material.
- Services Provided
- If a request made by a patron with a disability cannot be immediately fulfilled, the patron will be referred to the appropriate Subject Librarian. When appropriate, requests may be referred to another library department (e.g. Archives) instead of the Subject Librarian. Staff in that department will provide the services and accommodations needed.
- The library is best able to respond quickly when a librarian is on duty. Check http://libguides.sdstate.edu/Hours for times when a librarian is on duty.
- Copying, Printing, and Scanning
- Library staff can, upon request, provide accommodation and assistance with copying, printing, and scanning of a reasonable number of materials. Requests for help with printing, copying, or scanning can be made at the Library Services Desk.
- Depending on staff availability and the number of items to be copied, printed, or scanned, patrons may be asked to leave the materials for later pick-up or delivery.
- Proxy Accounts
- SDSU students, faculty, and staff members with documented disabilities are eligible for a “proxy account.” This authorizes a designated third party to borrow materials on the behalf of the patron with disabilities. Please contact the Library Services Desk for the proxy form or additional information.
- In all cases, the patron with disabilities who is requesting materials is responsible for all items checked out under the proxy arrangement, including any fines or fees. The designated third party who is borrowing materials on behalf of the patron with disabilities is not responsible for the items or any fines or fees. The Library Services Desk personnel will clearly explain this.
- It is the responsibility of the patron to alert library staff of any changes in a proxy arrangement.
- Service Animals
- Service animals are permitted in the library in accordance with federal and state law, and the University policy 3:6 Reasonable Accommodation Involving Animals.
- Discrimination
- Individuals who believe that they have been discriminated against in any education program or activity or employment situation at the University on the basis of having a disability, a record of a disability, being regarded as disabled, or having association or affiliation with a person who has a disability, may file a complaint with the Title IX/EO Coordinator pursuant to SDBOR Policy 1:18 and University Policy 4:6.
- Related Documents
- Responsibility
The Head of Public Services or designee is responsible for implementation, enforcement, and ad hoc review of this policy and annual review of procedures. The Policy and Procedures Committee is responsible for review of this document every four years. The Dean of the Library is responsible for approving the policy and all future revisions.
SOURCE:
Reviewed by: Library Faculty February 6, 2020
Approved by: Dean of the Library February 6, 2020
Originally adopted: February 6, 2020
Revision dates:
