People First: Serving And Employing People With Disabilities

This open-captioned program which deals with our attitudes towards people with disabilities is a superb production that focuses not on the physical barriers within the library but on the psychological barriers which may be present in our staff. Although the program opens with an example of rude behavior on the part of a page towards a hearing-impaired person, People First is not about the occasional meathead that is just a plain jerk to patrons; rather the program scores points on our being either unaware or sometimes insensitive to the needs of people with disabilities. Visiting several libraries, the program talks with both library staff who have taken steps in training their staff to effectively deal with disabled patrons, and with the patrons themselves. Sometimes, as Marilyn Phillips points out, people can actually become annoying in their helpfulness. Wheelchair-bound, she regards her wheelchair as an extension of her body, and is understandably offended when someone moves her wheelchair for her without permission. At the Skokie Public Library, Leane Sorenson discusses the library's commitment to buying a number of closed-captioned video programs and books on tape, while at Phoenix Public Library, viewers see a wonderful new access center featuring an impressive array of new technology. As one person at the Howard County Library remarks of the hearing-impaired: "we used to just give them headphones," but today the library is employing people with disabilities. A guide included with the program will help staff in their self training. An excellent and much needed program, People First is highly recommended. Editor's Choice. (Available from: Library Video Network, c/o Baltimore County Public Library, 320 York Rd., Towson, MD 21204-5179;1-800-441-8273.)