What’s Wrong With You? Hidden Disabilities and Diversity in the Library Workplace

Abstract

A disability can happen to anyone at any point in their life. Some of these disabilities cannot be spotted easily and therefore extremely hard to detect. This session will help participants to identify some possible characteristics of a range of hidden disabilities. During this session participants will be engaged by receiving a glimpse into the life of someone with a hidden disability through case scenarios and multimedia formats such as photographs and video clips. Further, the presenters will discuss how hidden disabilities affect workers in the library environment based on a 2008 study conducted by one of the presenters. Finally, participants will learn about potential accommodations and practical strategies that they can take back to their workplace for implementation.