Library Accessibility Alliance
While libraries are increasingly implementing practices and services designed to serve neurodivergent patrons, such efforts have not yet extended to neurodivergent library employees. This session will introduce participants to the neurodiversity employment movement and its impact in other fields, such as IT. The presenters will also share results from an IMLS-funded initiative that highlights the voices of neurodivergent librarians and their journey of negotiating identity as they face barriers and enablers to their success. Neurodivergent librarians are an important part of the profession, so it is imperative that libraries adopt neuroinclusive practices in their workplaces. Come learn what to consider at your library!
Speaker(s)
- Christine M. Moeller is a PhD Candidate at the University of Washington Information School. Prior to joining the PhD program at the UW iSchool, Christine worked as an academic librarian for seven years, primarily as an instructional design librarian. Their own experiences and the experiences of their colleagues led them to research the barriers to workplace inclusion experienced by disabled academic librarians, including resilience narratives, stereotypes, and professionalism discourse. Building on this research, they are now investigating the experiences of neurodivergent librarians with the goal of making libraries and eventually other workplaces (like academia itself) more inclusive of neurodivergent people like themself.
- Dr. Hala Annabi is an Associate Professor in the Information School at the University of Washington. Her research focuses on creating and maintaining inclusive learning organizations. Dr. Annabi investigates diversity and inclusion interventions in the technology industry aimed at retaining and advancing women, as well as recruiting, retaining, and advancing individuals with autism. She also investigates the design, development, deployment, and assessment of asynchronous learning networks, distributed work, open source software groups, and virtual communities of practice. While at Ohio University, Dr. Annabi held academic leadership positions and co-founded the Select Leadership Development Program, and founded Women in Information Systems and the OU College of Business Honors Program. In addition to her academic career interests, she is a partner in McGann Annabi Consulting, an independent consulting firm providing services in the areas of system strategy, diversity and inclusion interventions, and leadership development. Dr. Annabi earned a B.S. in Business Administration and Management Information Systems and an MBA from Le Moyne College. She earned a Ph.D. in Information Science and Technology from The Information School at Syracuse University in 2005.