Syracuse University is now partnering with the American Alliance of Museums to bring experts and advocates from across the country to discuss inclusivity and accessibility in cultural institutions and public spaces.

Beginning Wednesday, SU will host a three-part webcast series in Bird Library that will feature experts discussing how the issue of accessibility relates to spaces such as libraries, museums and universities.

The event lasts for three weeks, with Wednesday’s event focusing on the 25th anniversary of the Americans with Disabilities Act, specifically on how it has evolved and the law’s impact on public spaces. The session on Oct. 14 will discuss the triumphs and issues facing people who are deaf, hard-of-hearing, blind or have low vision. The final session on Oct. 18 will focus on people with cognitive, developmental and emotional disabilities.

Greg Stevens, AAM’s assistant director of professional development, said some of the goals of the discussions are to increase awareness, foster action “across the board” and to help people be more aware of physical, mental and developmental issues.

The series is crucial because it gives professionals a chance to talk about the importance of dialogue and accessibility for people with disabilities in the community, Stevens said.

One resource that is vital to people with disabilities is curb cuts, or the part of the sidewalk that slants downward when meeting a street, Stevens said. Sometimes a simple accommodation like curb cuts can go unnoticed, but since Stevens started the series, he said issues of accessibility are always at the forefront of his mind. The attention from SU means a lot, too, he said.

“The fact that they raised their hands to this is a big deal,” he said.

The event is also relevant to the campus specifically, said Lisa Moeckel, who is hosting the series. It will allow libraries and community members to work closely with campus organizations on these issues, said Moeckel, who is also the associate dean of undergraduate education for SU Libraries.

It provides a space for advocates of common interests to share thoughts and ideas in person, Moeckel said.

For SU libraries, this is an opportunity to “reinforce to campus that [SU Libraries are] committed to the cause,” Moeckel said.

Sometimes finances stand in the way of institutions accommodating people with disabilities as much as they’d like to, Moeckel said. Trying to accommodate in a “reasonable and cost-effective way” can pose problems if institutions are strapped for cash, she said.

Scott Burgess, a school library media specialist at Morgan Road Elementary in Liverpool, said he would like to see the university do more to increase communication and access to campus library resources, he said.

This can be done in simple ways, such as connections to alumni and better access to university-related news through technology, said Burgess, who is also an SU alumnus. For Burgess, inclusion and access means communicating important information between the university and the community  — a complex idea that SU could act on in small ways, he said.

“I would love to see a conversation between the university library and school libraries and public libraries to just have that conversation of, ‘What are the differences? What are the needs? What are the similarities?” Burgess said.

Published on October 6, 2015 at 10:10 pm

Contact Tara: trtolton@syr.edu