Diversity, Equity, Inclusion, Accessibility: Disability Pride

Disability Pride Month is celebrated every July to commemorate the passing of the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) in 1990. 

Original Disability Pride Flag 

The flag was designed by Ann Magill, an accessibility advocate with Cerebral Palsy, and introduced in 2019. Check out Ann Magill talking about the Disability Pride Flag on the Accessible Stall with Kyle and Emily Podcast. 

The flag was updated in 2021 to remove the zigzagged design and mute the colors to make it more accessible for individuals with visually triggered disabilities. 

Significance 

Each color on the flag represents a group within the disabled community. 

Black: Pays homage to disabled individuals who have passed 

Red: Represents physical disabilities 

Gold: Represents cognitive and intellectual disabilities 

White: Represents nonvisible and undiagnosed disabilities 

Blue: Represents psychiatric disabilities 

Green: Represents sensory disabilities 

Accessibility Updates: Blog from Missouri State University focused on accessibility and best practices for implementing changes 

All Supplemental Guidance: Guide for improving accessibility beyond what is required by Web Content Accessibility Guidelines 

ADA.gov: Official site of the US Government to help individuals understand their rights and responsibilities under the Americans with Disabilities Act

Center for Independent Living: Local organization focused on providing peer-to-peer support, referral services, advocacy, and independent life skills training for individuals with disabilities at no cost. 

Disabled and Here Collection: Disability-led effort to provide free & inclusive stock images from their own perspective, with photos and illustrations celebrating disabled Black, Indigenous, people of color (BIPOC)

EmployU: A nonprofit disability employment service creating an inclusive workforce for people with disabilities through education, empowerment, and advocacy.

Florida Disability Resource Hub: A comprehensive directory of regional Florida resources and opportunities for individuals of all ages with disabilities.

JAN (Job Accommodation Network): the leading source of free, expert, and confidential guidance on job accommodations and disability employment issues. 

Library services for disabled people: the accessible library: Resource with information on how to make library services accessible to individuals with disabilities. 

Lighthouse Central Florida: Local organization focused on providing peer-to-peer support, referral services, advocacy, and independent life skills training for individuals with vision impairments at no cost. 

Universal Access: Making Library Resources Accessible to People with Disabilities: Resource with information on how to make library services accessible to individuals with disabilities. 

Use these best practices for serving customers with disabilities 

• Use the Platinum Rule
  • Treat everyone as you would like to be treated 
  • Think of the person first, not their disability 
  • Be yourself! Don't be nervous or shy around someone with a disability 
• Ask before giving assistance 
  • Don't assume that someone needs assistance just because they have a disability 
  • Even with the best intentions, helping sometimes might cause harm 
  • Respect the individual's choice if they decline your offer to help 
  • If they accept your help, ask them what is the best way I can help. 
• Avoid patronizing or showing pity 
  • Individuals with a disability don't want to be seen as different 
  • Individuals with a disability don't want you to think of them as being inspirational for simply navigating the world as a person with a disability 
• Use people first language 
  • Think before you speak 
  • Avoid using labels 
  • Think of the person before the disability 
    • There is debate within the disability community about people first language. Some prefer to be called the opposite, it is always best to ask someone's preferred language. However, no matter what, those with a disability are beautiful humans with human wants, needs, and preferences.

Assistive and Catalog and Internet Stations available at all locations and are equipped with the following software:

• Jaws for Windows: a software program that uses a speech synthesizer to read aloud all text that appears on the screen.
• MAGic Screen Magnification: a screen magnification program that enlarges images and text that appear on the screen.
• OpenBook: Allows you to convert printed documents or graphic based text into an electronic text format using accurate optical character recognition and quality speech.

Wireless Assisted Listening Devices available for use during programs with advance notice

Video Relay Services

• Available at Hiawassee, Orlando Public Library, South Trail, and Washington Park
• Provides a communication tool that allows the Deaf and Hard-of-Hearing community to communicate effectively and naturally with the hearing world through American Sign Language (ASL)

Talking Books

• Service available to residents of Orange County who cannot easily use printed materials, including those who are visually impaired, have a reading disability, or unable to use print material due to a physical disability.
• Service provided by The National Library Service for the Blind And Print Disabled

AccessiBe

• Tool embedded within our website that provide accessibility settings for easier navigation to individuals with disabilities. 

For more details check out the Assistive Services at the Library course in SumTotal. 

What is a service animal? 

The ADA defines a service animal as "dogs that are individually trained to do work or perform tasks for people with disabilities. 

Under the ADA, state and local governments, businesses, and nonprofit organizations must allow services animals to go most places where the public can go even if the place has a "no pets" policy. 

Service Animals are: 

• Dogs 
• Can be any breed and size 
• Miniature Horses: While less common, miniature horses can serve as service animals but have additional requirements you can review here
• Trained to perform a task directly related to a person's disability 

Services Animals are not: 

• Required to be certified or go through a professional training program 
• Required to wear a vest or other ID identifying as a service animal 
• Emotional support or comfort dogs

OCLS Service Animal Procedure

When a customer visits with a service animals you may ask two questions: 

• Is the dog a service animal required because of a disability? 
• What work or task has the dog been trained to perform? 

Under no circumstance should you: 

• Request any documentation that the dog is registered, licensed, or certified 
• Require that the dog demonstrate its task, or inquire about the nature of the person's disability 

Once the interaction with the customer has been finished, complete the ADA Service Animal Form on the Orange Peel.

What if you receive pushback from the customer? 

If you need any additional assistance, reach out to our ADA Coordinator, Leasha Tavernier by e-mail at tavernier.leasha@ocls.info or by phone at 407-835-7301. 

Additionally, check out the ADA Service Animals course in SumTotal. 

Disabilities are a natural part of the lived human experience. There is a very common misunderstanding that if you aren't what society deems as "normal," there is "something wrong with you." The real question is, "what is normal?" Disabilities affect over one billion people worldwide (12.5% of the planet's population). Embracing disabilities as part of identity can foster self-acceptance which leads to empowerment.

Humans with disabilities are more likely to to have developed resilience, problem-solving skills, and empathy and possess unique perspectives both personally and professionally that are valuable to an organization's culture and society as a whole. By embracing and sharing their pride, people disabilities are rejecting societal stigmas and discrimination.

Overall, disability pride is about affirming one's inherent worth and value as a person with a disability. It is a powerful way to counter the shame and marginalization that people with disabilities often face, and to claim their rightful place in society.

Disabilities in Orange County 

10.9% of the population in Orange County identifies as having a disability. 

Employment

8 in 10 individuals with a disability are not in the workforce 

Only 21.3% of the population with a disability are employed 

The unemployment rate for individuals with a disability is 7.6% compared to 3.5% for individuals with no disabilities 

Education

65% of individuals with a disability graduate from high school 

Only 7% of individuals with a disability complete college 

The American with Disabilities Act of 1990 (ADA) was signed into law on July 26th, 1990 by President George H.W. Bush. The law prohibits discrimination based on disability and provides protection for both mental and physical disabilities. 

The ADA is divided into 5 sections

• Title I-Employment
  • Ensures that people with disabilities have access to the same employment opportunities and benefits as everyone without disabilities
• Title 2-Public Services: State and Local Government
  • Prohibits local entities from discriminating against individuals with disabilities
  • Requires public entities to make their programs, services, and activities accessible to individuals with disabilities
• Title 3-Public Accommodations and Services Operated by Private Entities
  • Prohibits places of public accommodation from discriminating against individuals with disabilities. These include places like retail establishments, restaurants, and hotels.
  • Sets minimum accessibility requirements for alterations and new construction
• Title 4-Telecommunications
  • Requires telecommunications companies to establish relay services that allow individuals with hearing or speech disabilities to communicate over the phone
  • Requires closed captioning on federally funded public service announcements
• Title 5-Miscellaneous Provisions
  • Provides a list of certain conditions not considered disabilities

The Curb Cut Effect is the idea that addressing disadvantages and exclusions experienced by one group of people creates an environment where everyone can participate fully. The term is most commonly associated with the disability community. 

Examples include: 

• Side walk cut curbs 
• Closed captioning 
• Text to Speech and Voice to Text Technology 

The Persona Spectrum is a tool that is used primarily in UX design. Rather than focusing on a single person in mind, the tool highlights how a range of user motivations, contexts, abilities, and circumstances affect people with different experiences. The tool also highlights how "designing for all" benefit a broader audience.