An Exploration of Partnerships Between Disability Services Units and Academic Libraries

The University of Saskatchewan's University Library has been partnering with its institution's Disability Services unit for almost twenty-five years to provide space and equipment for students with disabilities in some of its library locations. This partnership has grown from piloting a Kurzweil reader, to the development of multiple assistive technology and exam writing rooms, to the recent creation of a multi-purpose room. These library spaces complement spaces Disability Services has within its own office suite and reflect the growth in the number of students registered with them, a widening spectrum of disabilities, and a collaborative desire to make disability services and resources more accessible. A literature scan revealed a small number of articles about partnerships, many of which were in response to legislation. A survey directed at North American post-secondary institutions' Disability Services employees surfaced further information about partnerships, but did not reveal any common best practices. With the increase in the number of students with disabilities attending academic institutions and a changing landscape of what is defined as a disability, how and how well academic libraries and Disability Services units are partnering to respond to these changes appears to require further exploration and assessment. Keywords: academic libraries, disability services, partnerships, disabilities, students with disabilities
Introduction The University Library at the University of Saskatchewan (USask) consists of seven physical locations distributed across the main university campus in Saskatoon, Saskatchewan. These libraries vary in size and [...]