“Without That Detail, I’m Not Coming”: The Perspectives of Students with Disabilities on Accessibility Information Provided on Academic Library Websites
Open accessAbstract
Although most academic library websites include a webpage of information intended for users with disabilities, no research was located that solicited feedback about users’ needs or preferences for these pages. To address this discrepancy, 12 university students with disabilities were interviewed about their perspectives on navigation, search terms, organization, desired content, and the overall look and feel for such a webpage. These interviews revealed numerous important considerations around accessibility and inclusivity, and a list of recommendations was compiled.
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Brunskill's (2020) and Mulliken's (2019) findings show that user perspectives reveal needs and barriers that are not visible in technical scans.
“Brunskill's (2020) and Mulliken's (2019) findings show that user perspectives reveal needs and barriers that are not visible in technical scans.”
From From Compliance to Inclusion (2026) · cites this paper as Brunskill's (2020)
The Discussion (page unavailable) says each student brought up distinct issues, and reports needs that challenged library employees’ assumptions. The Introduction (page unavailable) notes that earlier examinations of accessibility webpages did not consult users with disabilities. Brunskill does not compare interview findings with technical scans or establish that those scans could not reveal the same barriers. (LLM, conf=0.84)
Experimental — accuracy not yet measuredBrunskill's (2020) study suggests that users want practical, navigable information about accessibility resources.
“Brunskill's (2020) study suggests that users want practical, navigable information about accessibility resources, while Mulliken's (2019) work emphasises efficiency and predictability in web navigation.”
From From Compliance to Inclusion (2026) · cites this paper as Brunskill's (2020)
Brunskill (2020) found that students with disabilities value clear navigation, predictable labeling, and practical information presented in ways that reduce the need for disclosure.
“Brunskill (2020) addressed this gap by interviewing 12 university students with disabilities about their needs and preferences for academic library accessibility webpages.The study highlights that students value clear navigation, predictable labeling, and practical information presented in ways that reduce the need for disclosure.”
From From Compliance to Inclusion (2026) · cites this paper as Brunskill (2020)
Studies of library websites and accessibility pages demonstrate that technical issues, communication practices, and organisational assumptions all shape access.
“Studies of library websites and accessibility pages (Liu et al., 2024;Ezell et al., 2021;Brunskill, 2020) demonstrate that technical issues, communication practices, and organisational assumptions all shape access.”
From From Compliance to Inclusion (2026) · cites this paper as Brunskill, 2020
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Cites
How Well Do Ontario Library Web Sites Meet New Accessibility Requirements?
Oud, J. (2012) · Partnership: The Canadian Journal of Library and Information Practice and Research · doi:10.21083/partnership.v7i1.1613 · Cited by 19 · see citing works
Flagged first, then by citations
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Ehikioya, E. E. (2026) · International Journal of Librarianship · doi:10.23974/ijol.2026.vol11.2.595
“Brunskill (2020) addressed this gap by interviewing 12 university students with disabilities about their needs and preferences for academic library accessibility webpages.”
- Authors
- Brunskill, A.
- Affiliations
- University of Illinois Chicago (US)
- Corresponding author
- Brunskill, Amelia
- ORCID
- Brunskill, Amelia
- Venue
- College & Research Libraries
- Publisher
- American Library Association
- Published
- 2020
- Pages
- 768
- ISSN
- 0010-0870 (ISSN-L)
- 2150-6701
- OpenAlex
- W3040266725
- Cited by
- 25
- References
- 1
- Citations by year
- 2026: 5 · 2025: 3 · 2024: 3 · 2023: 5 · 2022: 7 · 2021: 2
- FWCI
- 6.29
- Type
- journal article
- Language
- en
- Open access
- diamond
- doi.org
- Licence
- cc-by-nc
- Locations
- College & Research Libraries (publishedVersion, cc-by-nc)
- Figshare (submittedVersion, cc-by-nc)
- University of Illinois Chicago
- Funders
- University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign
- University of Illinois at Chicago
- Topics
- Social Sciences › Human Factors and Ergonomics › Digital Accessibility for Disabilities
- Physical Sciences › Computer Science › Information Systems › Web and Library Services
- Physical Sciences › Computer Science › Information Systems › Information Architecture and Usability
- Keywords
- accessibility, students with disabilities, university library websites, user perspective, web navigation, search terms, web design, inclusivity
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