Library Staff

Considerations for Library Staff who are Disabled or Neurodivergent

Library patrons are not the only people who are disabled or neurodivergent who you will interact with at your library. Whether you realize it or not, it is highly likely that you work with, or at some time in your library career you will work with, someone who has a disability or who is neurodivergent. Over 366,000 people work at libraries in the United States (Number Employed in Libraries | ALA, n.d.), and with 3.7% of library staff in the United States having some sort of disability (“Understanding and Supporting Neurodiverse Colleagues,” n.d.), that means there are over 13,000 library staff in the United States with disabilities or who are neurodivergent! So, what can we do to ensure our work environment is supportive of these coworkers? The practices below that we can implement in our work environment will benefit all staff, not just those with disabilities!

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1. Normalize accommodations for coworkers with disabilities or who are neurodivergent. Accommodations should be treated as routine requirements, not exceptional requests.

   • Create an uncomplicated process for requesting accommodations.

   • Train your managers to respond to these requests without judgment.

   • Emphasize to employees that accommodations are a right, not a burden or a privilege.

   • Reiterate to your staff that they do not need to disclose diagnoses in order to be accommodated (Kalmanovich-Cohen & Stanton, 2025).

2. Promote a work culture that values different communication and thinking styles. Your coworkers who are disabled or neurodivergent may prefer:

   • Written instructions.

   • Clear, concrete expectations.

   • Predictable routines.

   • Fewer abrupt task changes.

   • Meeting agendas provided ahead of time.

   • Alternatives to verbal participation in meetings/group activities – like messaging/chat or shared documents (Reasonable Accommodation Basics, n.d.).

3. Try to reduce the sensory overload for your coworkers. We all know that libraries can be bright, loud, and unpredictable. You can make your coworkers more comfortable by:

   • Providing sensory-friendly spaces for break time.

   • Having a culture of acceptance for staff wearing sunglasses, using stimulation tools, or wearing noise-cancelling headphones (when applicable – obviously not at the Circulation or Reference Desk).

   • Providing the ability to step away briefly without stigma or punishment when they are feeling overwhelmed (Inclusive Spaces, n.d.).

4. Ensure that your work culture fosters a promotion from within mindset, and that coworkers with disabilities or who are neurodiverse are represented in leadership by:

   • Providing leadership training opportunities.

   • Providing mentorship opportunities.

   • Ensuring that committees and workgroups include disabled and neurodivergent participants (Building the Neuroinclusive Workplace, n.d.).

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All of us who work at the library are there for the same reasons. We love to promote the freedom to read and lifelong learning, and we want to serve our communities. Disabled and neurodivergent coworkers are not different than everyone else! They are valued contributors who should feel at ease in the workplace, where they can contribute their valuable insight and experience to ensure the library remains accessible and inclusive for everyone.

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Picture Credits: Autism Infographic courtesy of Neurodiversity Hub and LaTrobe University (https://hr.mcleanco.com/research/inclusive-spaces-neurodiversity-mental-health-and-inclusion?); All other pictures courtesy of iStock.

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