Tempe Public Library Accessibility

For my facilities assessment, I chose to evaluate the Tempe Public Library because my work’s office, Kidzone Enrichment Program, is located there and I wanted to know how we stacked up as far as ADA requirements. The choice of venue, it would appear, was the easiest part. Getting started on this blog was a bit daunting. After looking through the 20 pages of the ADA accessibility checklist I felt like 700 to 1000 words wouldn’t cover the first five sections of considerations. However, Once I reviewed the assignment outline again, it pointed out the “How to use this checklist” portion of the survey, it made more sense. I decided to categorize my observations into the four priorities recommended by the Title III regulations for planning readily achievable barrier removal projects:
1. Accessible Entrance into the Facility
2. Access to the Goods and Services
3. Access to the Restrooms
4. Any Other Measures Necessary

1. Accessible Entrance into the Facility- The library has taken significant steps to assure that the entrance to its facilities is accessible, starting in the parking lot. There is no curb, not even a lip, leading from the street into the main walkway of the library. This creates a very wide (approximately 20 feet wide) path to the front door. At this point patrons are greeted by a motion-censored, double wide doorway, again, providing ample room for people to come and go without having to rub elbows with other bookworms. I would rate this portion of the library very highly in its accessibility.

2. Access to Goods and Services- The libraries accessibility of its goods and services was not quite as cut and dry as its entrance. It did have some great features. Even despite its ongoing renovations that have caused them to display all of its materials in a smaller then normal area, there was at least 36” for most all of the walkways. There was only one area, the Adult Non-Fiction section that had been relegated to a downstairs room intended to be a small conference room, in which the aisles were less then 36” in width. Whereas the width of aisles was generally good, the height of the shelving units posed a considerable challenge to any person in a wheel chair looking for a book on a shelf higher then the fourth. The top shelf posed a difficult reach for me, an able-bodied person, without the use of a step stool. This led to another issue in that there were step stools on nearly every aisle. These were very convenient for reaching the top shelf, however they also posed reoccurring obstacles for people in chairs. At the very least they would be inconvenient; at the very worst they would make it impossible to navigate down virtually any aisle in the whole library. One feature that I thought was a great accommodation was the self checkout scanners that had voice commands for people with vision troubles. They required you to read Braille in order find the appropriate buttons, but they gave audible commands for which step was required next in the process.

3. Access to Restrooms- The bathrooms came equipped with easy-to-press automatic door openers and, at least the men’s room, had enough space to move a wheelchair through and the necessary handrails on two sides of the handicapped stall. Also, the sink levels were at approximately 30” and were within the appropriate range.

4. Any Other Measures Necessary- Obviously, this could encompass any number of things, but I wrote down a few observations I had made as I walked the facility with a vigilant eye. Outside, I noted a large, outdoor amphitheater that lead to the downstairs entrance of the library and provided a beautiful rest area, especially on a beautiful day like the one I was experiencing. It is accessible for people in wheelchairs through an indoor elevator, but that fact was not displayed at the outdoor entrance. If a person was not familiar with the library they may not know that the elevators inside lead to this area and may believe that the outside stairway was the only access. Also, I do not think that the library is in any sort of violation with this fact, but I noticed that the stairs leading to the bottom floor of the library were located directly in front of the entrance, approximately 20’ a way. If a person with vision impairment were to enter the library, I fear that there is nothing to deter them from walking straight ahead and falling down these stairs. I thought a simple solution would be placing a kiosk in between, or even changing the surface of the area right in front of the stairs that would cause a person with a cane to take notice.

Overall, I thought that the Tempe Public Library was well designed to be accessible, and only had a few implementation issues, most of which will be cleared up once construction is complete and they are able to fully utilize the space they are used to. The library has a good selection of books on tape, as well as a moderate selection of books in Braille. I would definitely recommend this facility as an inclusive and accessible resource for all.

I could not figure out how to add pictures in the way I wanted, so I will attempt to post them in a seperate blog, titled "Blog # 3- Pictures"