Summary of LSN Action Plan Progress

March, 2017

The IFLA Section, Library Services to People with Special Needs (LSN), submitted an action plan to IFLA with five objectives. This is an update of progress toward each of these objectives as of March, 2017. We hope all of our members will follow our activities and join us at the 2017 WLIC conference in Wroclaw, Poland.

Comments on this report are welcome.  Please send your comments to Nancy Bolt.

1. Complete Guidelines for Library Services for People Experiencing Homelessness

These Guidelines are in their final draft.  They were publishec for review and then revised and submitted to the IFLA Professional Committee for review. We are now responding to their comments.

2. Work with IFLA to increase accessibility at IFLA conference and on the IFLA website

Last year we send a report to IFLA about accessibility issues at IFLA WLIC conferences.  The report was well received and IFLA took action to make the WLIC more accessible.  This year report will summarize actions taken by IFLA and make suggestions for additional actions to improve accessibility even more. It will be sent to IFLA after the Wroclaw Conference.

3. Prepare Guidelines for Library Services for People who are Deaf or Hearing Impaired

These new Guidelines were kicked off with a workshop in Washington DC at Gallaudet University, a University devoted to people who are deaf or hearing impaired.   Five speakers discussed how their libraries provide services for this population.  Following the presentations, the LSN Standing Committee brainstormed an outline to be used in developing the Guidelines.   LSN was privileged to receive a grant to support the workshop from the IFLA Professional Committee.

4. Offer a program on accessibility at library conferences

LSN will have a program at the IFLA Marketplace as part of WLIC in Poland.  The program will focus on making library conferences more accessible to people with disabilities in three countries:   the US, Sweden, and Norway.

5. Contribute to the UN Flagship 2018 Report on accessibility by participating in the UN Global Network

Nancy Bolt from the US and Dolores Carungui from the Philippines represent the LSN and IFLA on this UN Committee. Both are on the LSN Standing Committee (Bolt continuing and Carungui newly appointed).   Both attended the first meeting in New York in November, 2016, and Bolt will attend the next meeting in Geneva, Switzerland in 2017.