Marian Vessels is a fan of libraries and a big fan of the nation’s library for being “a model” of accessibility for persons with disabilities.
Marian Vessels, director of the Mid-Atlantic ADA Center, visits with Eric Eldritch, access program manager for the Library, prior to Vessels’ keynote address for Disability Employment Awareness Month. - Michaela McNichol
“Libraries hold a special place in my heart,” said Vessels, director of the Mid-Atlantic ADA (Americans with Disabilities Act) Center, who recently delivered the keynote address for the Library’s celebration of Disability Employment Awareness Month. “In elementary school I won an award from my local library for reading 100 books over summer vacation. My first job was as a library page, and I narrated the first ADA-compliant film for the American Library Association while working in the Maryland Governor’s Office,” she added.
As a survivor of breast cancer as well as a car accident in college that left her in a wheelchair, Vessels knows first-hand about disabilities that are “obvious” and those that are “hidden.” Vessels estimates that one in five working adults has some degree of disability, and that this figure will increase as the baby boomers age.
“That’s why ‘universal design’ is so critical to all people,” she said.
A relatively new concept in accessibility, universal design is a broad-spectrum solution that helps everyone, not just people with disabilities. And it recognizes the importance
of how things look, which is particularly important in the case of historic buildings.
“People think if a building is ‘historic’ it is sacrosanct,” observed Vessels. “But it can be made accessible without destroying its historical nature.”
She gave as an example the Maryland Governor’s mansion in Annapolis, where she served as executive director of the Governor’s Committee on Employment of People with Disabilities. With support from former Maryland Governor William Donald Schaefer, a ramp was added with a brick facing that made it barely visible.
Before that modification, Vessels only had access to the building through the kitchen. The “seamless integration” now makes the building accessible to people with wheelchairs, walkers and strollers, as well as to an aging population having increased difficulty walking stairs.
Vessels, who spent part of the morning navigating between the Jefferson and Madison buildings, praised the Library for making its historic buildings and its resources accessible to staff and visitors.
“I compliment you on the strides you have made,” said Vessels. “The Library of Congress has a long history of hiring persons with disabilities, especially persons from the deaf community.” She noted the Library’s provisions for people with disabilities in its emergency procedures and on its Web site, much of which is compliant with Section 508 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973, thereby giving the visually impaired access to electronic information.
Vessels also praised the Library’s Assistive Technology Demonstration Center, which centralizes the Library’s testing and funding of equipment that can accommodate persons with disabilities. And she observed that the Library’s new visitor experience makes it possible for “all people with all types of abilities to experience the Library.”
“Most other exhibits are designed for people standing up,” observed Vessels. “But kids are my height. Do we really want to exclude them? If we do, then short little people won’t grow up to be patrons of the arts.”
Vessels challenged the Library to continue to do “more with less” for persons with disabilities in these tough economic times.
“I challenge you to continue in the proud tradition of the Library of Congress,” said Vessels. “You are up to the challenge. With all challenges come great outcomes.”
