How to navigate the academic library: empowering blind scholars on their quest for knowledge

This event is hosted by the Digital Accessibility in Academic Libraries (DAAL), a community of practice within the Canadian Association of Professional Academic Librarians (CAPAL), and not by the Library Accessibility Alliance. Any questions or comments related to the event should be directed to CAPAL-DAAG co-facilitators Mark Weiler, mweiler@wlu.ca or Aneta Kwak, aneta.kwak@utoronto.ca.

Abstract

In this session, we walk library professionals through the academic journey of blind scholars, identifying roadblocks along the way. We suggest tangible things library professionals can do to remove these roadblocks, so that blind scholars can achieve their full potential.

Presenters

Ashley Shaw is a Masters student in the Community Psychology program at Wilfrid Laurier University. The Social Science and Humanities Research Council awarded her a Masters scholarship to study workplace inclusion and accessibility, as well as employment-related interventions for adults who are blind and visually impaired. She is also a recipient of the Ontario Graduate Scholarship. She has worked as a Strategic Writer and Research Associate with the Canadian National Institute for the Blind (CNIB), and as the Wilfrid Laurier University Library Web Accessibility Advisor. Ashley currently works as the Clinical Performance and Evaluation Analyst for Vision Loss Rehabilitation Canada.

Dr. Natalie Martiniello is a Postdoctoral Fellow in the Department of Psychology at Concordia University. The Canadian Institutes for Health Research (CIHR) awarded her a Health Systems Impact fellowship to explore accessibility and inclusion for blind scholars in Postsecondary education, with a focus on accessible research and access to information in traditionally under-represented fields within the health and science ecosystem. She also lectures in the Graduate program in Visual Impairment at the University of Montreal, which trains future professionals in the field of blindness and low vision. She previously worked as a braille specialist within the education and rehabilitation system, where she taught braille and accessible technologies to blind individuals across the age spectrum. Natalie is a lifelong braille reader and passionate about equitable access to information, communication and literacy, especially for those who use non-visual methods such as braille and tactile graphics. She is the Immediate Past-President of Braille Literacy Canada (the Canadian Braille Authority) and the Chair of Braille Research for the International Council on English Braille

Features

• This event will have a live captioner.
• The event may be recorded and posted later, depending on organizational capacity.