Making an Accessible Accessibility Resource Fair at the Andrew Heiskell Library

(NY Public Library) So, how did we end up with 250 people, the Mayor s office, Lincoln Center, Google, a bunch of dogs, and lots of talking computers filling our space for 6 hours in October Well, like most libraries, the Andrew Heiskell Library believes that information is power. We work to not only provide talking books, braille, reference and referrals to our patrons, but workshops and coachings in assistive technology from screenreaders to iPhones to cool and helpful apps for independent living. To that end we ve sometimes held an assistive technology day. This year though, we wanted to fete a city (and a community) that has so much more to offer in addition to assistive technology. We want to be a gateway to accessible resources for all aspects of life, and so we held the first Technology, Culture, and Community Fair for People who are Blind, Visually Impaired, or Physically Disabled, welcoming 32 vendors, 16 featured speakers, and over 200 attendees.

We were happy to host a broad spectrum of organizations and offerings this year. Assistive technology companies showed off CCTVs, text-to-speech devices, a talking atlas, and 3D, touchable, verbally annotated versions of famous paintings. Many cultural institutions were there, including the Museum of Modern Art, which brought moving sculpture to interact with, and the Metropolitan Museum of Art, which brought samples from their seeing through drawing program.Healing Arts initiative passed out this season’s schedule of described Broadway theater. Advocacy organizations including the National Federation of the Blind, the American Council of the Blind and Pedestrians for Accessible and Safe Streets spoke with attendees about the civil rights work that they do as blind and low-vision people speaking and advocating for themselves. Recreation opportunities for people of all abilities were presented from Brooklyn s adaptive ice- and rock- climbing group and the Mayor s Office for People with Disabilities beep baseball organizers.

Patrons filled the floor chatting with vendors and with each other, guide dogs met in the aisles, and optical character recognition machines chirped away. Periodically we interrupted the goings-on to announce one of our showcase speaker sessions including a panel of blind and visual impaired professionals (chemist, artist, lawyer), an update from the Google accessibility team, and career help for people with disabilities from NYPL s Job Search Central.

A big thank you goes out to everyone who joined us that day, and for those of you who couldn t be here in person, we want to provide resources for you as well. Included below you will find audio recordings of each speaker session (as well as video for the ICanConnect presentation which includes simultaneous American Sign Language). After that you will find a list of the organizations in attendance with links to their websites. Additionally, if you would like to get the literature distributed by vendors that day, email talkingbooks@nypl.org and we will share the Google folder of electronic copies with you.

We’re looking forward to making this an annual event, and sharing the latest in accessible culture, community resources, and technology again next year. We know that there’s always room for improvement, and we want your feedback. To make suggestions about next year’s exhibitors, speakers or logistics, please email us at talkingbooks@nypl.org.

Session 1: Information Literacy for Everyone

Including ICanConnect -The National Deaf-Blind Equipment Distribution Program (Note that this speaker also is available as a video with ASL translation below); Lighthouse Guild International Technology Demo Center; Computer Center for Visually Impaired People at Baruch College; The Andrew Heiskell Library s Peer Technology Coaches.

Download: Audio (73.9 MB MP3, 1 hour 9 min 11 sec)

Session 2: Innovative Technologies for Non-Visual Access

Including Creative Adaptations for Learning; OrCam; and Google Accessibility

Download: Audio (78.9 MB MP3, 1 hour 5 min 45 sec)

Session 3: Accessibility at Work Career Panel

Including Ed Plumacher, Assistive Technology Professional; Brooke Fox, Musician and Director of Visionary Media; Kate Carroll, Acessibility Advocate and Attorney; Cary Supalo, chemistry professor and CEO of Indepenedence Science; and the NYPL s Job Search Central.

Download: Audio (102.7 MB MP3, 1 hour 25 min 34 sec)

Session 4: The Art of Accessibility

Including the Guggenheim Museum; Emilie Gossiaux, an artist; and The Metropolitan Museum of Art

Download: Audio (83 MB MP3, 1 hour 9 min 12 sec)

Video:

ICanConnect (the Deaf-Blind Equipment Distribution Program) Video:

Download: Video (11.2 MB MP4, 3 min 41 sec)

Vendors in attendance (click for websites):

Culture:

Adaptive Climbing Group
Gatewave
The Guggenheim Museum accessibility
Healing Arts Initiative
Lincoln Center for the Performing Arts programs for people with disabilities
The Metropolitan Museum of Art programs for people with disabilities
Museum of Modern Art
Peconic Landing Sculpture Garden with accessible audio tour
The Rubin Museum of Art accessibility

Community:

American Council of the Blind
Lighthouse Guild International
NYPL Job Search Central
The Mayor’s Office for People with Disabilities
New York State Commission for the Blind
National Federation of the Blind
Pedestrians for Accessible and Safe Streets (PASS Coalition)
Visible Lives: NYPL Oral History Project of the Disability Experience

Technology:

3D Photo Works
Abisee
Apex Rehab Management
Baruch Computing Center for Visually Impaired People
C-Tech
Creative Adaptations for Learning
Eye Assist
Google Accessibility
ICanConnect
Independence Science
OrCam
Touch Graphics
Vis-ability
Visionary Media


And thanks to MaxiAids for contributing to our goody bags.
Source: www.nypl.org