Disability Awareness and Accessibility – Overview of a Disability Culture

Posted in: Blog

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NNLM hosted a session last week, on November 2nd,  named “Overview of a Disability Culture.” During this session several speakers spoke about their experience working with and experiencing different forms of disability. The session did a wonderful job encompassing the different levels of disability and the importance of embracing the differences that exist helping promote equality among everyone. Speakers highlighted partnerships that were formed to provide accessible solutions to people with different abilities. Not all disabilities are visible, and it is important that we address the unmet needs that many institutions pose especially higher education, government, non-profits and corporations. One take away from this session is the importance to always encourage and support those with different abilities because of the vast skill set that can be brought in viewing things through this lens.

 

Yamila M. El-Khayat, MA serves as Communications and Citizen Science Specialist at NNLM (Network of the National Library of Medicine) Region 4. She has a passion for health information and working with all communities in particular traditionally marginalized communities. Yamila is a medical librarian at the University of Arizona. In working as a Librarian, she has been determined to increase health literacy to better serve the needs of the Latino and Native American populations, improving access to information related to the health of Native American, Hispanic, Border, Evidence-based, intercultural, bilingual and culturally appropriate. She has experience training information for clinicians, students, and community members, including health promoters/ “Promotores de Salud”.