Accessibility of Library Spaces

All survey participants were asked if they have experienced physical barriers in the past year that prevented them from accessing library services or spaces. 

Although physical barriers were reported by a small number of respondents, people with disabilities (approximately 12% of total respondents) experienced significantly more barriers than people without disabilities on all six options. 5.6% of people without disabilities reported having at least one of the challenges listed below, whereas 21.3% of those with disabilities encountered at least one of these barriers.

Several respondents who indicated they had experienced physical barriers provided additional information, particularly about Hatcher Library:

• “In Hatcher, there are no wheelchair accessible doors getting from the elevator lobbies into the main office corridors. You would have to be with someone else to open the doors. There are very few accessible bathrooms in general. Getting into the building (Hatcher), there are accessible doors at the South entrance but they often don't work smoothly.”

• “Sometimes it is hard to enter with so many steps. I have a busted up ankle right now, and so walking the extra distance to a ramp can be difficult, and often the ramp is not cleared of snow or leaves.”

• "It is also nearly impossible to get around the stacks with any mobility device in Hatcher. I used crutches temporarily and could not use or navigate the stacks meaningfully."

• "There are *very* few surfaces available for working on the hatcher library for students with wheelchairs. The study rooms are too small for entrance. Often times the halls are too narrow in hatcher. It is not welcoming and extremely difficult to use Hatcher as a disabled person"

• “Hatcher also has low ceilings in intermediate floors, risking collision with pipes and sprinklers.”

• “Bathrooms that are not ADA compliant (steps to get in, multiple doors to enter the bathroom with no buttons)”

• “There is no place but the bathroom floor to put my belongings when I am in a bathroom stall. I end up trying to juggle my belongings in my hands while trying to go to the bathroom! This is hard even for a completely able-bodied person! It is impossible for people with physical limitations.”

• “I am also genderqueer, and the gender-inclusive restrooms are almost always taken every time I need to go, usually by someone who just wants the inclusive bathroom for more privacy. Sometimes, I need to go to every floor just to find a place to go, and this only exacerbates my chronic pain & sense that this space was not made more accessible with the addition of these restrooms. If I have to hunt just to find one, who does this service?”

• “Women’s bathroom closed on the floor, and I have to go to another floor. I have Crohn’s disease so that causes a lot of anxiety if there is not an immediately available restroom.”

Furniture Comfort

Participants were also asked how easy it typically is to find a space with furniture where they are physically comfortable. Roughly 70% of library visitors find it often or almost always the case that they can find comfortable furniture.

How often can you find a space where the furniture is comfortable for you?

• Almost never 1.1%

• Rarely 4.4%

• Sometimes 25.1%

• Often 45.2%

• Almost always 24.3%

There were no significant differences considering role, gender, or race. However, People with disabilities had significantly more trouble finding comfortable furniture compared to people without disabilities.

Several comments described physical discomfort due to furniture in library spaces:

•  “tables and chairs are generally designed for people of a certain height and build. If you don't fit into that category, then it gets uncomfortable quite quickly. I would prefer higher tables with adjustable chairs to be more comfortable.” 

• “I have had reconstructive surgery on my shoulder and I have to be able to sit at the right angle or I cannot write for more than a few moments without pain. I need chairs that have adjustable arm rests and seats. There are some chairs that can adjust the way I need, but they're far and few between.“

• “Some of the chairs are uncomfortable for me to sit in for long periods of time, they cause my joints to dislocate. I also find that the dude [AAEL/Duderstadt] is excessively cold and unfriendly to work due to exacerbation of my symptoms.”

• “Many chairs are poorly designed for larger bodies."