The National Disability Authority's
Excellence through Accessibility award
was presented to
Wexford County Council
for the
New Ross Library
on December 3rd, 2008.
New Ross Library
achieved the
highest
level of the award, which
is Excellence
.
The award was presented by
Minister John Moloney T.D., Minister of State with Special Responsibility for Equality, Disability and Mental Health to
Fionnuala Hanrahan (Wexford County Librarian),
and
Caroline Horan (Access Officer, Wexford County Council).
New Ross Library's car park has a set-down area and two accessible parking bays, all of which are clearly marked and located near the entrance to the library.
The external steps at New Ross Library have handrails on both sides. There is good colour contrast on the handrails and steps, with the first and last steps coloured differently.
The entrance doors at New Ross Library are power assisted. The push-button for activating the doors is easy to reach.
The signs at New Ross Library have good colour contrast, sans-serif fonts, images, tactile lettering, and Braille. The sign outside the library advertises some of the accessibility features: induction loop, accessible toilets, wheelchair access, and computer-aided facilities.
The interior of New Ross Library is spacious and free from obstruction, so that all customers can move through it easily.
The reception area in New Ross Library is spacious and the low reception desk allows a wheelchair user to be served with ease.
Wexford County Council's New Ross Library has a mission to pursue excellence through service, and to promote change and social justice through access to knowledge and information. Services available at New Ross Public Library include book loans, Reading Groups, Community Groups, Local Studies, Historical Services, Internet Access, and mobile library services. The library also provides a programme of lectures, exhibitions, book launches, readings, and children's activities throughout the year.
Services are available at the customer desk, by telephone, by e-mail, by text, via the mobile library service and through the library website.
Wexford County Council's Disability Strategy Implementation Plans and progress reports show a commitment to accessibility. An access officer, an accessibility steering committee and a library services access team are all active in the organisation, working on Wexford County Council's Disability Strategy Implementation Plans. Staff have received training in disability awareness, disability proofing, accessibility auditing, customer service training, and content management training for the website.
As New Ross is a hilly town, access to the library is challenging due to its steep approach. This has been overcome with the provision of a ramp, resting places and stairs. Two accessible parking bays and a drop-off point have been located close to the building entrance. An universal toilet has been provided for all library users, including those with a disability. Steps at the fire exit have been eliminated to ensure safe evacuation for all. New signage with strong colour contrast and tactile lettering has recently been installed. The main entrance door has been upgraded with power-assisted doors. Access routes within the building are generous and unobstructed. By consulting people with disabilities, members of staff have put in place improved signage, simplified membership application forms, and an increased number of audio books. Staff amended the events booking form to include a query about specific requirements.
Accessibility procedures in place include procedures for document conversion, a meet and greet
policy, and a Disability Resource Pack that outlines the various methods of communicating with customers with disabilities and fulfilling requests. Wexford County Council have taken a user-centric approach to design of the council website. The home page of the website asks the user What would you like to do?
and directs the user from there. The library website offers information to users in plain text format, to facilitate users with screen reading technology.
Pictured at the presentation of the Excellence through Accessibility award are:
Some of the people who worked to improve the accessibility of New Ross Library are:
