by Sahana C.

In 1990, the American Disabilities Act was signed into law, and since then, we’ve celebrated Disability Pride Month in July. The American Bar Association calls Disability Pride Month a way to ensure that we are “accepting and honoring each person’s uniqueness and seeing it as a natural and beautiful part of human diversity.”

Disability Pride Month is even more than that — it is a time to reject shame and internalized ableism, to uplift members of the community, and to provide another chance for allies to take stock of what types of work can be done to make spaces truly more accessible. It’s also a time to consider how race, class, and gender impact people with disabilities, and what intersectional approaches can be taken to meet those needs.

At HCLS, we take seriously our mission of public education for all — we want to do this inclusion work, both inviting everyone into our physical spaces, and simultaneously making those spaces as easy and accessible as possible. We’re constantly working to improve, and, in part, it happens because of suggestions from our community. In case you haven’t seen already, we’re including a request for ASL interpreters upon registration for our classes, which is a new part of the process. Launched in May, the streamlined process makes it so our Deaf and Hard of Hearing community members don’t have to work harder — it is built in.

Whenever classes and library activities are planned, we take accessibility into account. We try to make this community space open to everyone, from how we arrange the room during classes to how we distribute library materials. We have sensory friendly visit bags, which contain noise canceling headphones, a liquid timer, and fidget toys, and can be borrowed for the duration of a visit to the library.

We have an American Sign Language collection at Central Branch, with DVDs of movies in sign, DVDs teaching sign, as well as materials on Deaf history and culture. We have a Pajama Time class at Savage Branch that has ASL instruction. Our collection, which is ever-growing, includes fiction and nonfiction stories about a whole range of identities, experiences, and abilities, so community members can see themselves reflected in the stories they consume.

We collaborate with our partners throughout the state, like the Howard County Autism Society, the Maryland Deaf Culture Digital Library, and the Maryland State Library for the Blind and Print Disabled, to name a few. And we’re constantly working to improve, because inclusion work cannot be stagnant. The library is a community center, and if there’s anything you’d like to see, any suggestions on how the library can better serve you this Disability Pride Month and always, please let us know.

Sahana is an Instructor and Research Specialist at the Savage Branch. They enjoy adding books to their “want to read” list despite having a mountain of books waiting for them already