Look Out! Ableism Is Loose in the Library Inclusivity and Equity for Librarians with Disabilities

Abstract

Ableism is rampant in the profession of academic librarianship. While there has been stress on other minorities such as racial and ethnic, little attention is paid to those with disabilities. Disability is often treated as a medical condition that needs to be cured. The focus is on the disability, not the person. Much better for considering the entire individual is the social justice model. It is unfair and oppressive to exclude people from being hired as academic librarians or keeping their jobs at academic libraries because of a disability. The disability may have nothing to do with job responsibilities, but because an individual has a disability, the person is stigmatized as a problem and not “normal.” Libraries only want to hire those who are “normal.” Library staff need to understand disability better, treat those with disabilities as people, make the library a caring community, and be willing to provide reasonable accommodations.