Pearl's Journey
"I didn't know they spoke Chinese here!"
Pearl's feeling good about her gardening classes and is ready to host another. Her neighbor told her the library rents meeting rooms at low cost. Pearl hasn't been to the Asian Branch yet--she doesn't quite know where it is, but know it's somewhere in the Pacific Renaissance Plaza, and that's just a block away. Her mother can walk there with a little assistance.
After lunch one day, Pearl settles Li Xiu Ying down for a rest, turns on her computer, and goes to OPL's website.
Pearl is satisfied that she booked a meeting room pretty easily, and her wrong turn on the site allowed her to stumble on something she wouldn't have found otherwise.
In-person experiences have always been where OPL shines. Li Xiu Ying, like many Chinese immigrants in Oakland's Chinatown, has discovered a bit of home away from home in OPL's Asian Branch, and is eager to make it part of her regular routine. It's given her a new social opportunity as well as a place to get books and TV shows in her language.
However, for people who struggle with poor mobility and linguistic isolation, finding this experience is a matter of luck. OPL's website doesn't offer anything similar, even though there will be a parallel page in Chinese. It's not difficult to imagine a Li Xiu Ying who lives even slightly farther away and is never able to have the warm in-person experience described here. Creating interactive online experiences would be a big step forward in accessibility and serving all people.